so i just came across this quote from Bill Hull in my prep for lifegroup tonight (my church's name for small groups). i have no time to expound on what i'm thinking about it, but i will pose a question. for those of us who go to corporate worship on sunday mornings at our church... what are we doing with what we're being taught? are we leaving with intention to grow in grace with the truth we've just heard, that we may affect the world for the glory of Christ and the salvation of the lost?
'the test of a congregation, apart from personal holiness, is how effectively members penetrate the world. american churches are filled with pew-sitting, sermon-tasting, spiritual schizophrenics, whose belief and behavior are not congruent.' - Bill Hull
in all honesty, that cuts me deeper than i want to admit. oh that, for the fame of Christ and the glory of His Gospel, we as a church would prove this wrong...
1 comment:
Excellent question! I can think of many answers to your question. I will try keep this short. Let me start by saying I am guilty of living for myself everyday, but because of CHRIST and the cross, I get a new chance each morning to live for HIM.
One reason the church struggles to penetrate the world is because we (myself included) have a very immature and incomplete understanding of CHRIST and His Glory. Why is this? I think one reason is because our lives (living in the US) are generally very simple/easy. We complicate things further because our sinful, selfish desires are too easily being satisfied by worldly solutions instead of being COMPLETELY satisfied in CHRIST ALONE. I know I struggle each day to fully wrap my arms around who Christ is, to really taste His Glory. It is difficult for us to convey something (CHRIST and His Glory) to unbelievers/the world that we haven't ever really experienced for ourselves and therefore do not actually have in possession to give. Suffering puts our faith and Christ's Glory on the line...but it is in suffering that we can taste Christ's Glory. Our culture is not enthusiastic to promote suffering, let alone for Christ's name. So we are satisfied with quick fixes, desires of the flesh and miss out daily on the blessings Christ wants to give us through His Glory. To quote Piper, Christ really does get the most glory when we (myself and the church) are "most satisfied in Him." Let's focus on being satisfied in Christ alone and then we won't be able to help but penetrate our world!
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