Don't be deceived!

"The church has nothing to offer me."
"My needs are not addressed by the church so I'll form my own fellowship."
"I don't need the church to serve Christ."
"He's my personal Savior."

Statements like those are evidence of a misplaced focus that has deceived Americans almost completely. We are individualists, who seek personalized service, and who want the freedom to 'do our own thing,' but our radical commitment to Self is destroying our community structures - government, neighborhood, and Church. Individualism is not a bad thing when it comes to buying a car that reflects our personality or ordering a sandwich to satisfy our tastes; but it is terribly destructive when we buy into the assumption that "the world owes me happiness." That attitude is especially destructive to the Christian church. The Word requires that as Christians we set aside our own needs, that we dethrone Self, and that we become servants of all, readily accepting a place in the Body that is assigned to us by the Spirit. But that is not a popular instruction among Believers in this culture!

Many Believers are quite willing to move from church to church for no better reason than - "My needs were not being taken care of in that fellowship." Pastors feel tremendous pressure to provide individualized care, specialized ministry, and a comfortable environment in order to keep people in the building. This Pastor knows too well the pain of that comes when a family picks up and moves down the road, not for valid reasons such as genuine doctrinal differences or the call of God to another place of service, but because 'their youth program has a better leader,' or ' the music fits my preferences,' or 'the sermons are shorter.'

Brian McLaren, in a recent lecture delivered at Moravian Seminary in Bethlehem, PA, observed that he believes that many Christians have bought into a 'gospel of self-enhancement.' They have turned the Bible's declaration that "God loves the world," into "God loves ME!" While it is true that God loves each of us individually, He did not send Jesus into the world to give us the ability to become self-actualized - more healthy, more wealthy, and more happy than our neighbors - despite much preaching that would imply that to be true. Christ came to restore us, individually, to the image of God; calls us into the Church, and from a place in the Church, requires that we find ways to link to other Believers to lovingly serve the wide world around us. This is the message of Rick Warren's bestseller - The Purpose Driven Life. The whisper of the Spirit, deep within us, is insistent that we exist for some reason greater than piling up lots of stuff to play with or carving out a place of comfort where we can live out our days in self-indulgence. We were created for mission - to know and serve God- called into the Body, the Church. Jesus says that if we embrace self-sacrifice, only then do we truly find life! His word challenge us - “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must put aside your selfish ambition, shoulder your cross daily, and follow me. If you try to keep your life for yourself, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for me, you will find true life. And how do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose or forfeit your own soul in the process?" (Luke 9:23-25, NLT)

The deception of self-service is subtle. Outright selfishness is usually awfully obvious, even to ourselves. I quickly realize when I'm being a selfish baby demanding that others 'serve me, coddle me, comfort me.' But I don't always see how I'm manipulating others so that they will meet my ego needs. Criticism of another person that is rooted in my own discomfort is easily masked behind spiritual language. Resistance to leadership which is really just about my desire to be first, is often wrapped in a supposed concern for the greater good of the organization. Jesus draws the line starkly. "No one," He says, "can serve two masters!" We can't love Self and Christ equally.

Meditate on this passage for a time today. As you do, invite the Holy Spirit to reveal to you the joy that you can find in humble service to God, expressed in serving others.

Think of yourselves the way Christ Jesus thought of himself.

He had equal status with God but didn’t think so much of himself that he had to cling to the advantages of that status no matter what. Not at all. When the time came, he set aside the privileges of deity and took on the status of a slave, became human! Having become human, he stayed human. It was an incredibly humbling process. He didn’t claim special privileges.

Instead, he lived a selfless, obedient life and then died a selfless, obedient death—and the worst kind of death at that: a crucifixion.Because of that obedience, God lifted him high and honored him far beyond anyone or anything, ever, so that all created beings in heaven and on earth—even those long ago dead and buried—will bow in worship before this Jesus Christ, and call out in praise that he is the Master of all, to the glorious honor of God the Father. - Philippians 2:5-11 (The Message)