American Idle
American Idle
This is not an indictment of our church. Nor is it an indictment of any church. American Idle is a challenge to each individual.
I can remember when I was in high school and the show American Idol first came out. I didn’t take to it. Was never really a fan of the show. Honestly, the only reality shows I want to watch are sports.
Somehow, the rise of television and “reality” shows have gotten us to sit on the couch more and more and become spectators over participators. We’ve become consumers more than producers. This has most certainly happened in Christendom as well.
Sure, you may be a producer at church. You may even have won an award for “best participator by a full-time-lay-person” in the category of “non-paid-volunteer.” Some might even call the participation trophy a “best in show,” which definitely has double meanings if you’re reading into it.
But what about outside the church? Are you still a producer? Are you still a participant? Or do you slide to the other side of the aisle over to consumer when you breach the doors of the church and brave the parking lot?
I think about my own life as well, if my own pendulum swings from action to atrophy when I’m outside those doors. Maybe I’m too rushed or too in a hurry to be the hands and feet of Jesus at this particular moment. I mean, after all, God would understand if I didn’t stop to help someone on my way to church because I can’t be late to service, right? That would be inconvenient.
If Jesus’ ministry could be defined by one word, I think I could make a very strong argument for the word inconvenient. Jesus’ ministry was certainly inconvenient… to Him. But after all, isn’t that why He came? To seek and save the lost? It certainly wasn’t for comfort and convenience. When you stumble upon some lost people, it’s going to inconvenience you a little bit too. It’s also probably gonna raise an eyebrow or two of the Pharisees in service that got to church early, let alone on time. They probably even brought their own coffee because it’s biblical… Hebrews.
But back to the action to atrophy. Atrophy happens to muscles when they are not used. They begin to wear away or break down. They are no longer strong because they are no longer in use; therefore, they are no longer useful. Our spiritual lives can also become atrophic when we don’t flex and engage our spiritual muscles. It takes a lot of work to go into all the world and preach the gospel. And might I also add, one can preach the gospel without words. If actions speak louder than words then our lives are preaching volumes. And at very high decibels. What kind of sermons is your life preaching?
And it takes all of us. Not one of us or some of us. Each member of the body has their function and job to do. Both inside and outside the body, that is the church. It takes all of us, which takes unity. There’s no community without unity. And the church accomplishes great things when the community has unity.
I heard a pastor once say, “the devil doesn’t fear a big church - he fears a united one.” And this is so true. Without unity nothing effective or large scale can get accomplished. Without unity we simply argue with one another on the method and the message never gets to those who need it most. Why would the devil care how big your church is if the people always stay inside? If they never leave the ninety-nine to find the lost one? If they just watch and spectate instead of participate?
If you would rather watch and spectate than participate there’s a problem. And let’s be real… those who spectate will soon speculate. They will start talking about those that are actively in the game all the while they are passively in the stands. Usually talking about how much better they would be or what they would do if they were in the game. Just like how we judge all those singers on a tv show, yet would never ever try out ourselves.
Again, let’s be real. It’s possible to be in the game and still be sitting on the sidelines. It’s possible to be a producer at church and a consumer everywhere else. It’s possible to hide His Word at your house instead of in your heart. It’s possible to talk about how you would save all the lost people until you finally meet one. It’s possible to be all talk and no walk. But that’s not the gospel, and that’s not the good news.
But here is some good news… heaven will be populated with people who have participation trophies. Not because they did everything, but because they did something. And that something changes someone. And that someone changes someone else. That’s how the good news gets spread. When we get off the bench, get in the game, and stay in the game. You might be tired, or your jersey might be bloodied, or you wish you could get some water. That’s when you double down not double over.
The world needs you to be you. But not just you - you at your best. You in action not you atrophic. Idle hands get weak and useless. And carrying your cross isn’t for the weak. This is a challenge for me too. For me first. So let’s go and do together.
This is not an indictment of our church. Nor is it an indictment of any church. American Idle is a challenge to each individual.
I can remember when I was in high school and the show American Idol first came out. I didn’t take to it. Was never really a fan of the show. Honestly, the only reality shows I want to watch are sports.
Somehow, the rise of television and “reality” shows have gotten us to sit on the couch more and more and become spectators over participators. We’ve become consumers more than producers. This has most certainly happened in Christendom as well.
Sure, you may be a producer at church. You may even have won an award for “best participator by a full-time-lay-person” in the category of “non-paid-volunteer.” Some might even call the participation trophy a “best in show,” which definitely has double meanings if you’re reading into it.
But what about outside the church? Are you still a producer? Are you still a participant? Or do you slide to the other side of the aisle over to consumer when you breach the doors of the church and brave the parking lot?
I think about my own life as well, if my own pendulum swings from action to atrophy when I’m outside those doors. Maybe I’m too rushed or too in a hurry to be the hands and feet of Jesus at this particular moment. I mean, after all, God would understand if I didn’t stop to help someone on my way to church because I can’t be late to service, right? That would be inconvenient.
If Jesus’ ministry could be defined by one word, I think I could make a very strong argument for the word inconvenient. Jesus’ ministry was certainly inconvenient… to Him. But after all, isn’t that why He came? To seek and save the lost? It certainly wasn’t for comfort and convenience. When you stumble upon some lost people, it’s going to inconvenience you a little bit too. It’s also probably gonna raise an eyebrow or two of the Pharisees in service that got to church early, let alone on time. They probably even brought their own coffee because it’s biblical… Hebrews.
But back to the action to atrophy. Atrophy happens to muscles when they are not used. They begin to wear away or break down. They are no longer strong because they are no longer in use; therefore, they are no longer useful. Our spiritual lives can also become atrophic when we don’t flex and engage our spiritual muscles. It takes a lot of work to go into all the world and preach the gospel. And might I also add, one can preach the gospel without words. If actions speak louder than words then our lives are preaching volumes. And at very high decibels. What kind of sermons is your life preaching?
And it takes all of us. Not one of us or some of us. Each member of the body has their function and job to do. Both inside and outside the body, that is the church. It takes all of us, which takes unity. There’s no community without unity. And the church accomplishes great things when the community has unity.
I heard a pastor once say, “the devil doesn’t fear a big church - he fears a united one.” And this is so true. Without unity nothing effective or large scale can get accomplished. Without unity we simply argue with one another on the method and the message never gets to those who need it most. Why would the devil care how big your church is if the people always stay inside? If they never leave the ninety-nine to find the lost one? If they just watch and spectate instead of participate?
If you would rather watch and spectate than participate there’s a problem. And let’s be real… those who spectate will soon speculate. They will start talking about those that are actively in the game all the while they are passively in the stands. Usually talking about how much better they would be or what they would do if they were in the game. Just like how we judge all those singers on a tv show, yet would never ever try out ourselves.
Again, let’s be real. It’s possible to be in the game and still be sitting on the sidelines. It’s possible to be a producer at church and a consumer everywhere else. It’s possible to hide His Word at your house instead of in your heart. It’s possible to talk about how you would save all the lost people until you finally meet one. It’s possible to be all talk and no walk. But that’s not the gospel, and that’s not the good news.
But here is some good news… heaven will be populated with people who have participation trophies. Not because they did everything, but because they did something. And that something changes someone. And that someone changes someone else. That’s how the good news gets spread. When we get off the bench, get in the game, and stay in the game. You might be tired, or your jersey might be bloodied, or you wish you could get some water. That’s when you double down not double over.
The world needs you to be you. But not just you - you at your best. You in action not you atrophic. Idle hands get weak and useless. And carrying your cross isn’t for the weak. This is a challenge for me too. For me first. So let’s go and do together.
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