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You are here: Home / Church Lessons / Selfish Christianity

Selfish Christianity

By Pedro 4 Comments

It’s all about…. me?

Is Church all about our preferences? In other words, are personal preferences grounds for leaving an otherwise healthy Church?

I don’t have a definite answer for that, and I do welcome discussion on it. However, I do have an opinion.

To you servants out there, Sunday doesn’t belong to you. Pastors know what I’m talking about, but many volunteers have yet to learn this. Sunday service is not about us, it’s about “them.” “Them” are people who don’t normally attend Church, people who party all night and sleep in on Sundays, people who take the family out on the boat and drink all day, people whose Sundays look very different from ours. I don’t care for lights, smoke machines, certain worship songs, etc. I don’t hate it, I just don’t really care about it. However, I understand that some of “them” do. I’m perfectly OK putting up with these things if they’re tools to bring people to Christ. This doesn’t mean that Sundays are ONLY for new believers or unbelievers, but it does mean that I expect more mature Christians to not complain about ambiance, music, smoke, lights, etc.

On Sundays, Saturdays, and Wednesdays, we serve. We want newcomers to feel comfortable. We want them to feel at home. We want to earn their attention. We want believers to understand that God wants them to start ministering. We want unbelievers to repent and give their lives to Jesus Christ.

It’s not about me.

 

These are real complaints that I’ve heard over the years. Each one of these contradictory complaints were uttered by the same person within weeks of the other complaint! If you’re the one who said one of these, don’t worry, I never reveal my sources!

I’m not being fed, the Pastor should go deeper. The Pastor’s going too deep, he should keep it simpler for new people.

The music is too loud for me. The music is kind of low, is there something wrong with the speakers?

We spend so much money on lights and smoke. What happened to the lights and smoke?

It’s too cold in here. It’s too warm in here.

This service is too full, I can’t bring my friends. This service is too empty, I don’t want to bring my friends.

The service is full, we should sit people in the hallway. How can we sit people in the hallway like animals?

The list goes on.

 

Should your Church cater to your preferences?

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August 10, 2012Filed Under: Church Lessons, Life's Lessons

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Chuck Huyck says

    September 13, 2012 at 9:50 am

    Agree Pedro…..does anyone want some cheese with that whine? Lol. Focus on the Word of God and Jesus Christ, and all else will become strangely dim…wont matter anymore…to HIM be the Glory and Honor and Power forever and ever amen..

    Reply
  2. Miamiman says

    January 13, 2015 at 1:49 am

    God’s word is sufficient. Lights, smoke, etc.. are overkill. If the church looks like the world, what kind of impact is the church making?

    Reply
  3. Pedro says

    January 13, 2015 at 11:20 am

    Yes, God’s word is sufficient for salvation and sanctification. Why are the externals overkill, though? There’s nothing inherently bad about smoke and lights. Stained glass caused controversy in past, so did instruments like guitars, organs, saxophones, and especially drums. It’s just technology to be used.

    Reply

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  1. Predictions for the 2020 Church – Part 9 | pedrocarrion.com says:
    February 23, 2014 at 2:44 am

    […] history. No more. We are no longer the world’s top sender of missionaries, no longer Christianity’s trend setters, no longer uniquely focused on ourselves. Churches are increasingly planting campuses in other […]

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