I don't enjoy taking risks, but I am very quick to do things that might be perceived as risky. Why? Only because God says so. So, when God told me to go back to school and my boss told me she would not approve my vacation days that I was planning to use to attend school, I sided with God and resigned the job. Some people thought I was crazy. Guess what? They're right. In the kingdom of God, logic doesn't always work. There are times we are crazy enough to ask Jesus to prove who He is, and He responds by telling us to get out of the boat and brave the winds (Matthew 14:22-33).
Pastor Art gave a wonderful analogy in Sunday's sermon which we can reflect on today: are we a church on the move, or are we a museum?
The effective church is the "moving" church. It is a church that has broken free from the need to preserve tradition. It is a church that is willing to throw away programs that don't meet the needs we have in this twenty-first century. It is a church that does not wait for people to come in: its members go out into the world and win souls for Christ. It is a church that has learned how to fight and prevail in enemy territory. The moving church takes risks.
The failing church is the "museum" church. Museums are notorious for minimizing risk, and some churches have become museums. The praise and worship must be no longer than (fill in the blank) because church must be over by "x"o'clock. "Decently and in order" has become a blanket excuse for ignoring the prompting of the Holy Spirit, who occasionally asks to be placed in the order of service even though He was not scheduled to appear. The museum church, like a real museum, often is full of beautiful displays, gets lots of visitors, and enjoys a huge endowment. But it is not willing to budge when Jesus says 'get out of the boat', and an atmosphere of disobedience hangs over its sanctuary.
Bronx Bethany, how we must pray! "Here I am, send me!" May God give us courage and strength to keep moving, to His glory.
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