In studying Isaiah chapter 1 and worship, I was thinking that sometimes church can get in the way of true worship.
I love “church” and all that we do at church, but I’m not sure I love it because it’s worship or I love it because it’s comfortable and enjoyable. I can’t help but think that perhaps the “stuff” we do isn’t quite hitting what God wants for His church.
We are satisfied when people are “involved” and “serving” at church, doing church things: teach Sunday school, help plan programs, preach, run the powerpoint, design the website, sing, cook…all that is good stuff and builds people up.
But are we doing the ministry that Isaiah says: fighting injustice, taking care of the needy, treating people fairly?
I don’t mean supporting government programs, I mean personally getting involved. There are plenty of Christian organizations that help the needy. Are our churches challenging church members to volunteer in those ministries, rather be satisfied that serving God in maintaining church stuff?
And if we spend so much energy and time with church stuff, where can I have time to do the “real” ministry? I understand now why churches talk about being “missional”; they want to be a church that is outward focused. I understand now why there needs to be church plants to start new churches, because an established church after a few years spend a lot of energy in “maintaining” and loses focus on being “missonal”. They don’t mean to, but it’s not our natural inclination to get out of a comfortable mode, and a church plant forces us to be uncomfortable. I’m just thinking out loud, and thinking that I need to reevaluate my life and what God wants me to do.
Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you. James 1:27