Urgency

Speaking with the pastor I immediately realised what he was struggling with.   The heart of his struggle was the complacency in his church.  In spite of the ongoing decline in the church and the lack of conversions, most of the people in his church stood for nothing more than more of the same.   People were not interested in doing a church analysis, and even less interested in implementing any change.   People in the church readily admitted that they might be struggling a bit, but so were most neighbouring churches. 

And this pastor is not alone.   I speak with elders, other church leaders, as well as members of churches.   They ask me, "How do help my church deal with complacency?"   What they see in their church is a general satisfaction how things are going?   People are comfortable in their pews.   They attend church fairly regular, at least once a month or fortnightly.   They join in the worship, listen to the sermons, and give what they can.    They really do not expect much more.

Now you might be thinking that this all sounds and looks pretty good.  What is wrong with a church full of satisfied and contented people?   Well here is the deal, and this is why this pastor and others struggle with complacency.   The complacent church is focused inward, on the needs of their members, rather than on the needs of those outside the church.   But the gospel moves us beyond church to the lost, to those who are unchurched, to those not yet part of the family of God.   Everything we do inside the church is not just to make us feel comfortable and satisfied.   Rather what happens inside prepares believers for what God calls us to do outside.

When Jesus described the crux of gospel ministry he told the story of a shepherd who leaves the ninety-nine sheep in the open country and goes after the lost sheep until he finds it.  (see Luke 15:1-7)   As churches we understand that this is also the crux of why we are here on earth:   "to be a church reforming to reach the lost for Christ."   This is who we are as Christians and as Christian churches.   Following Jesus is about going after the lost, not simply making the sure the found are comfortable and satisfied.   For churches and individuals this will require taking significant risks, being open to radical change, and being passionate about going after the lost.  In the complacent church those three things are hard to find.

So how do you deal with complacency -- in your church or in yourself?   One needs to create a sense of urgency!   While it is good to celebrate what God is doing in your life and in your church, consider what would happen if you or your church did little or nothing to grow your gospel impact in your community.   Imagine if you are unwilling to take any risks.   You resist change.   You are passive about evangelism.   You seldom talk about Jesus to others.   What would happen?   The lost will remain lost, and unless someone tells them about Jesus, they will die in their sin and unbelief.   Multiply that one lost soul 20 million times or more, and you have the total number of those on a pathway to eternity in Australia without God and without hope in this world (Ephesians 2:12).  Are you okay with that?   Is your church? 

When the prophet Nehemiah wanted to move the people of Israel into action to rebuild the city of Jerusalem he knew that this would require a lot of risk and people had to be open to radical change.   So he tells us:   "You see the trouble we are in:  Jerusalem lies in ruins, and its gates have been burned with fire.  Come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, and we will no longer be in disgrace." (Nehemiah 2:17-18)    Do you see the trouble we are in here is Australia, and in much of the western world?   Our cities lie in ruins.  Here I am not talking about our buildings, roads, and parks.   Our governments spend billions of dollars building our cities, roadways, and parklands.   Our ruins are not physical but spiritual.   Because of the sinful depravity of our day "ruin and misery mark our ways" (Romans 3:15)   We might live in luxury, but our wealth is but a trap and we fall "into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge us into ruin and destruction." (2 Timothy 6:9)   The trouble of our world gives us a sense of the urgency we are in.

Our gracious God calls us as believers and as churches to join in the rebuilding of our ruined cities.   God has given us the message of the reconciliation, the good news how through faith in what Jesus did for us by coming to earth and dying on a cross we are born again and when our earthly bodies are destroyed at death, we have "a building from God, an eternal home in heaven." (2 Corinthians 5:1)   And as Christ's ambassadors we are to spread that message out to our neighbourhoods and world.  (2 Corinthians 5:20; see also Matthew 28:19-20)  This is how God is making his urgent appeal to the lost, the unchurched, and sinners in need of grace. 

A sense of urgency will move you and your church out of complacency.   It will move you beyond church to your neighbourhoods calling people to repent from their sin and turn (return) to God.  How good to know, as well, that as we go we go not alone.   As Nehemiah testified:   "the gracious hand of God is upon me." (Nehemiah 2:18).  Jesus also promises, as we go and make disciples of all nations, he will always be with us, to the very end of time. (Matthew 28:20)  With God at our side, no risk is too great, no change too radical, no outreach too difficult.

The antidote to complacency is urgency!