Ever New

But if a man who is not a Christian comes to your church meeting while you are all speaking God’s Word, he will understand that he is a sinner by what he hears. He will know he is guilty. The secrets of his heart will be brought into the open. He will get on his knees and worship God. He will say, “For sure, God is here with you!”    1 Corinthians 14:24-25 NLV

We have this new idea. This is something we should try. I think this will work. All of these statements have tripped off my tongue at some time in my church life, and I have heard them, or words like them, from sincere folks who want their church to grow. We desperately want and need to be relevant we say, and that is true.

How many new ideas or programs do we use or try before we realise that church growth is just not happening? There is a saying in business that if something is not working, and there is no return on your investment efforts, you stop doing it! Then you think again and try something else. We are not good at that in church circles, are we? I think there is a fear that we might look bad by admitting that it was our new program that didn’t work.

A business would not think twice about quitting a process or program if it didn’t produce results. In truth you don’t get a different result by doing the same things over again. These thoughts have been weighty on my mind recently, and then I stumbled across this familiar verse, but in a different translation. Paul is writing to a troubled church. One that needed to grow properly, and in the truth of the gospel. The apostle’s advice went right to the heart of the issue then, and I believe it goes straight to the core of the problem today. Our churches are in trouble, and generally declining, so what do we do? We try new things. New programs. Learn new insights. Anything. But they still don’t work, so we blame society, our bad community, the members who are not trying hard enough, or are just not committed the way they should be.

Read our two verses above, and then read them twice more. Did Paul suggest a new approach to the message of the gospel? Far from it. Paul emphasised the same gospel without any frills or changes. Whether society accepts the gospel message or not, it is still the only show in town. So, let’s not keep on trying to reinvent the wheel, but get behind the only message that works consistently. Preach the gospel, and only the gospel. The same gospel your parents and grandparents heard and reacted to. When we do our part, God will do His. Then our community and visitors will make their own decision about the Word of God. They may accept it, or reject it, but that’s free will as God ordained, and nothing can alter that fact!

Trying

You will know the old adage, your friend encounters a problem which he can’t get the better of and he says, “I’m trying!” and your reply is “You’re very trying”. Not so funny is it, especially when you are the one having to ‘try’? That just about sums this blog up for me.

Any kind of gathering of people who want to stay relevant, like cafes, restaurants, clubs, and yes even churches, will end up trying new things to keep their patronage. Especially so when they are against the wall and struggling financially, and numerically. Let’s face it, these two problems go together. For my part, I am focussing on the small, struggling churches, and there are many.

Since our faith hinges on the Word of God as left to us in the Bible, I was looking for some guidance. Was there any place where something similar happened? Were all the New Testament early churches thriving? I don’t think so. In fact we know that Paul had some real problems as he counselled them to stay on track. So what was his message? What was the secret for a successful church, both then and now?

Timothy was a young fledgling pastor and teacher, who was under the protective wing of his mentor, the Apostle Paul, and who better for advice? If it had happened in a church, Paul knew about it and how to fix it. His only advice is clear, and to the point. In a nutshell it’s preach Timothy, preach the Word! Nothing more or less. Nothing different or new. Nothing geared to be attractive that would ‘bring them in’. No, just preach the Word!

Now where did we start? Oh yes, by trying. I suppose like others I feel obliged to ‘try’ the new programs that the local church comes up with to make it more relevant in today’s society. I know they come from a full heart, but I sometimes find them ‘very trying’ in that other sense. Could it be the easy way out? You see, preaching done well is no small feat, and any church is blessed to have a preaching and teaching pastor. I am happy to say that my own small church has such a pastor, and I would say he deserves a better response. The numbers don’t seem to put him off, because I believe he knows where the importance of church lies. Not in a new program, or a quiz, or a ‘feel good’ time of singing. These are all good in their place, but no substitute for the only message that Paul suggested to Timothy.

I will go along and try the new things for a while, but if I find them trying my Spirit?... Answers on a postcard please.

In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge: preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage – with great patience and careful instruction. For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather round them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry. 2 Timothy 4:1-5 NIV