By Michael Bell
Last Sunday we did not go to church. This was the first time in a long time for us. Even during vacations we find a place to go close to wherever we might be camping. But this past Sunday we chose not to go.
Why? On Saturday night my wife and I looked at each other and agreed that our lives had just been too busy. Our kids had been cranky all week, and we really needed some down time. So we stayed home, did a family devotional with some music and prayer, and then spent time playing with our kids (with a two hour break for raking leaves, but that is another story.) It was quite interesting to see how much better mood the kids were in on Monday morning.
So what were we so busy with? Micah 6:8 says what God expects of us – “And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” So obviously we were spending our time doing acts of justice and mercy, as well as focusing on spending time with God. Right.
No, our time did not look anything like that. Our week includes 3 music lessons, 2 hockey games, 1 dance practice, choir, two Bible studies, youth group, worship team practice (alternate weeks), kids club, hosting small group (alternate weeks), Sunday school and Church worship service. Of course we can take solace in the fact that we are only half as busy as we were at our previous church where we were responsible for planning, organizing and running many of the activities.
In all our busyness, one thing has certainly taken a back seat, building relationships with our neighbors. We have been so busy with our own lives that we don’t have time for theirs. The problem is, if we don’t have significant relationships with our neighbors then there is no way that we can [it makes it much harder to] effectively share with them about the good news of Jesus Christ.
There is also a compounding problem. Our neighbors tend to have lives that are just as busy as ours. We did a community survey a couple of years ago and asked people what was the number one reason why they did not go to church. There were two answers which we heard far more often than any other. “Too busy” and “too tired”. These are opposite sides of the same coin. You get too busy and you will get too tired. Imagine if a non-christian was in the same position that I was in last Saturday. “Yeah, I am sort of interested in going to church, but we are already doing too many things, and we really need a morning off to decompress a little bit.”
So what do we do about it. First we need to examine our own lives and see if we are doing too much and if there are things that we need to cut back on, both at church or in the community. If we don’t build those relationships then we can’t expect the good news to spread. Secondly, we need to see what we can do to assist those in the community who are are being overwhelmed by life’s challenges. We need to show them the rest and rejuvenation that is available in Jesus Christ if they will avail themselves of it. And maybe we need to do a little some of that ourselves.
Matthew 11:28 (NIV) – Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.
Michael Bell
Joshua Hearne
Tim Melton
Joel Black
“The problem is, if we don’t have significant relationships with our neighbors then there is no way that we can effectively share with them about the good news of Jesus Christ.”
The Word will make it’s own way. It doesn’t take too long, and you don’t need to know someone all that well to find out where they are being had by this world. We know that they are. We all are.
Find out what’s eating them, relate to them an area or two where you too are taking a beating by this world, then give them the good news of Jesus Christ for them.
Hi Steve,
I understand where you are coming from, but I have found that for people to really care what I have to say it takes trust, and trust isn’t something you establish overnight.
My brother Pat spent the last twelve years in Japan. In the first six year they saw one person come to Christ through their Ministry. In the next six years they saw over twenty. The difference relationships and trust built up over time.
There are exceptions. I have gone out on the streets with the four spiritual laws, connected with people and seen them make commitments to Christ. I had one friend in particular who had a God given gift of being able to say exactly the right thing to the right person.
But most of my experiences have been of the former variety.
Now having said all that, it may be that both Canadian and Japanese cultures are different enough to the U.S. situation that their are more natural bridges that can be made their as compared to here.
I long ago came to the conclusion that the volume of church activities is part of the problem that hinders some of us from bringing the gospel to others. Many of our churches have multiple programs that are geared solely to Christians. Thus, we isolate ourselves from the world. For example, Sunday morning and evening services, mid-week services and so forth.
We could a much better job of encouraging Christians to intentionally build relationships with unbelievers and train them to share their faith naturally with others. Part of doing that might be to reduce some of the busyness that is inherently built into church life.
Good points , Michael, and well taken.
The Lord does work and move in mysterious ways, and the “wind doth bloweth where it will”.
I guess an amalgam of witnessing tecniques wouldn’t hurt. For some, the relationship is key, for others the Word is ready to do it’s work right now.
I guess as many different personalities there are, that as many ways the lord is willing to work to make Himself known.
Great post, Michael!
Hi Steve,
As I reread my original post I realize that my words “no way” are not accurate. This was probably what you were picking up on. I am editing the post to be respectful of the fact that it is God who saves, and the Holy Spirit who changes hearts.
[...] Part 1: Busyness Part 2: Politics and the Culture War Over the last several weeks I have been thinking about things that distract us from the Gospel. The issue of Politics and the Culture War has to be one of the most significant. To state the issue briefly, Evangelical Christians in the United States have been very concerned with trying to determine who is going to be the political party in power. This is as result of two things, the Republican Party co-opting the religious right by preying on their fears of a homosexual focused, or pro-choice agenda coming from the Democratic Party, along with Evangelical Christians having general concerns about these things and so looking to support a party that shares their concerns. [...]
[...] is the Intro, Part 1, and Part [...]
[...] Busyness [...]