Joel Young Blog.com

Let me just preface this post by saying that my blog is where I try to be as open and honest as I can be about the state of the church in hopes of helping those who make up the church to as strong as possible. This is an issue at my church and many other churches. Don’t get a big head and think this is JUST about you because it’s not. If you are convicted by what I’m about to say, that should be a sign that something needs to change in your life. You can either be a part of the problem or a part of the revolution.

Since I’ve thoroughly confused everyone let me start out with a simple question.

Should the busyness of your life dictate the level of your involvement in the church?

Most of us would probably say, “No,” but I believe that in our modern world there is no one thing that is more of an obstacle for the church than busyness. Why do I believe that? Because that’s what the lives of so many church goers proclaim. Our actions say, “I’ll be at church, unless I have something really pressing to get done.” Or, “I’m a part of the church until something, that is a higher priority in my life, pulls me away.” In essence that’s what we are saying when we allow our busyness to dictate our commitment to the church. “I think that (fill in the blank) is more important.”

It may sound like I’ve got a chip on my shoulder about this, and that’s probably because I do. Jesus Christ DIED A BRUTAL AND PAINFUL DEATH for the church. He didn’t die for your school/education, he didn’t die for your job, he didn’t die for your hobbies, he died for the church. Why? Because it’s that important…it’s that MUCH more important than all the other things we give priority in our life. It’s mission is that important to the salvation of the world, and every second that we allow our busyness to lessen our commitment to Christ’s Church we are demonstrating how little we believe in Her. I’m not saying nothing else should be important to you in your life I’m just asking you to consider a different perspective of importance…God’s perspective.

Now, I’m not suggesting that being heavily involved in a local church will solve all of your problems or in itself bring about salvation, but what I am saying is that all of us who claim to be followers of Christ should have an abnormal commitment to this community called The Church. Sure, she’s not perfect, but when you are baptized into Christ you become a part of it all. If you choose not to pull your weight or be involved you are simply dead weight that the rest of the body will have to carry. If you choose to ALLOW other things to take priority over your commitment to the church it’s a choice that you make, not some you “HAVE TO DO.”

If you’re a follower of Christ make a commitment to the church for the next six months…see what happens. Make her your priority above your busyness. Dont’ just make her a priority, go out of your way for the mission of God and the church Christ established to achieve that mission. Let other people see that…let other people know that, and see what happens…see what conversations happen. I guarantee it will change your life and maybe the life of someone you know.

You may think that I’m saying all of this because I’m a pastor and more church involvement from people like you makes what I do easier, but know that this is how I would feel even if I wasn’t on staff at a church. Take away my position, title, paycheck, whatever, and I will still preach this to believers with every breath in my body.