Thoughts after Election Day...

I never really considered myself someone that would blog. I was never sure what the point was, and to this day, I'm still not sure. But I haven't done much writing since my IV staff days ended and thought I should start up again. Plus, if I happen to get some good conversations going, even better. So I give you my first blog entry. I wrote down a few thoughts the Friday after election day and it grew and grew and sounds a bit more like a "talk" then just my thoughts, but I guess you can't take the staff worker out of me that fast.
Here's what I wrote (old school, pad and pencil)

I was struck this week by the number of Americans flocking to churches (how ironic) and schools to cast their vote for change. I had a bunch of conversations via facebook the weeks leading up to the election and I was surprised by the passion that rose up from many Christians for this election. I'm not really in the Christian world much anymore, but I don't remember Christians being that excited about John McCain ever before. And I'm not really sure if it was that so many folks liked McCain as much as they didn't like Obama. Whatever the case, I was surprised by the reaction of some Christians to other believers who had decided they were going to vote for Obama. For the most part, I think I was treated relatively well, but I saw quite a few comments that saddened me coming from Christians towards other Christians about their political choices. It made me wonder how the world must view us.

I thought about this week how mainstream America is seperating itself from the church and how the church is obliging. Not just politically, but it really stuck out to me this week. It seems to me that there is a line in the sand somewhere between the world and the believers and neither is willing to cross it. As always, it got me thinking about the church today...

Two observations...

The church is way too comfortable

I started reading a book today that is confirming my thoughts. The books starts off comparing two of the largest church growth periods in history. The first being the first 200 years of the church and the second being in communist China. In both cases, the church thrived under persecution. When the church is backed into a corner and when things look the darkest, it grows. I'll get to more on this later, but the point being that the American church is way too comfortable. Where I live, there are multiple churches on every corner and each church knows that there are plenty of church goers in town to go around. It just depends on what flavor you want that week.
"I think I'll have a double scoop of worship and the word. Maybe today I'll have a short topical sermon since I'm on a diet...."
Sounds ridiculous, but that's the way things work here. There are enough church goers to keep the churches full enough that they don't need to do too much to get folks to come.

Anyway, back to the election. Regardless of where you stand politically, if you are a believer, the result of this election should excite you. Not because of who won, but because of what it stands for. Americans are looking for change and they are turning to a person to bring it to them. But you and I both know that they won't find what they are looking for in any political candidate.

This is an opportunity for the church to believe in real change. A chance to stop trying to rely on politics for moral change in America and believe that Jesus is the only one who can shine light into darkness.

Look at your typical Evangelical church. Many of these churches do a fantastic job supporting foreign missionaries. People that have moved into a different culture where they are the minority, have learned the language, culture and customs and have found ways to share the Gospel in relevant and impacting ways. Churches give money, prayer and even the pulpit to these missionaries, but when will they begin to emmulate them?

Is our country so different? It always used to bother me when people used to say to me that we need folks here just as much as they do in other countries. Most of the time when I heard that it was when I was considering going somewhere else and they were trying to keep me here. But in a way, they are right.

Has our culture not changed? Our language? Our customs? Are we (Christians) not in the minority? If anything, I believe this election proves that we are. And if we don't think so, we obviously aren't aware of what's going on outside our buildings.

Isn't it time we learned from those we "sent out"? Or better yet, learn from our Missionary God who sent His Son into our foreign world to save us from ourselves?

I would like this blog to be a place where we can discuss ways we could be more missional (like our Missionary God). Both individually and as a church. It doesn't matter to me if you think big or small, what's important for us is to realize we need to change the way we are doing things. It's not enough to have our meetings and hope people come. They aren't coming. Besdies, when were we given permission to wait for them to come to us?

Jesus was sent to us. He sends us to the world. First Jerusalem, then Judea, then Samaria and the world. He seeks, he knocks. We are called to do the same. When did this change? Or better yet, why?

Do you recall the early church in Acts? The beginning of the church was so exciting. God speaks through Peter, mass conversions, meeting every day, community, fellowship. It was great and we all want that again. But what happened next?

The church forgot it's call. They forgot Judea, Samaria and the world and were happy to hang out in Jerusalem. They ran into some problems, got bogged down and started to relax. It wasn't until they were persecuted and were spread out before the church really started to expand.

It took the church to be scattered before the Gospel really started to expand. Philip went to Samaria and preached Christ. Then he preaches to the Ethiopian Eunich. Then Saul in converted and he has a heart for the world.

Then as God's Word expands, the church again has some peace (Acts 9:31)

Then we see Peter and others receive vision to reach out even more and the church starts it's huge growth. I read a statistic today that said it grew from about 20,000 to 20,000,000 in 200 years. Pretty impressive and unprecedented.

Where has that missionary spirit gone? What will it take for the church to awaken to God's call to be missional? How much longer before the church becomes totally irrelevant?

ther eis a connection between the church's unwillingness to be missional and its standing in the world. When the church takes risks, sacrifices and puts the Gospel before itself, favore ensues. When the church serves itself and forgets its calling, it stops growing. The church in American stopped growing quite a while back and it's not getting any better.

I believe God loves His church too much to let it die. But I also believe God loves His church too much to let it continue on the path it is going in this country. It may not die, but it may not look anything like its former self if it doesn't wake up soon.