Consumers or Disciples
Have you ever watched the news and saw some kind of horrific act done and thought to yourself "I can't even imagine doing that?"Those moments are shocking because they are so outside the grid of how we choose to live.
When I heard the statement that many people come to church and they are just consumers I was taken aback. This was way outside my grid. To think that people come for what they can get instead what they can give. Consumer thinking is only committed as long as their needs are being meet. Don't get me wrong when I first started going to church my eyes were wide open to what was happening. I wanted to know what was available for my kids, what was being taught, what the vision was and if I could get along with the people I was sharing this sacred moment with. At first I had a few consumer qualities but I didn't stay there. People who have been attending church for any length of time (such as anything after 8 months) should start to desire to contribute not just consume. The greatest growth spurts are when we are in the action not on the sidelines. We have been called to be disciples. Disciple training comes in the doing. Eyes wide open when I start so I can make knowledgeable choice however when the choice is made now I am responsible to do my part to add on.
Consumers subtract and divide. Disciples add and multiply.
I have stores and companies that I am devoted to. So when I go in I don't even need to buy anything I am there because I am committed, interested and in my own way apart of that team. Consumers only shop to take. It's tragic news to see people treat God's church as a product. And when they are dissatisfied they move on to a new place to shop for their needs. I am a disciple of Christ. Do you know how you can tell? I am loyal and committed even in the rare moments when I am dissatisfied and it gets difficult. You can tell I am a disciple because I will serve in my suffering. Or when I trust my spiritual overseers to hear me out and to speak into my situation. Consumers are consumed with what they want. Disciples are disciplined to trust God in giving them what they need.
I know that a church is healthy when it has more people putting down their shopping bags, picking up their crosses and putting action to their commitment.
How can you tell the difference between a Consumer and a Disciple? Anything you want to add this idea?
Booing the home team
Only in his hometown is a prophet not honored.
When Jesus recognized that people who were most familiar with him weren’t recognizing him, He made that statement. Tragically, this phenomenon is still prevalent today. It shows up when people are more fascinated by the leaders they don't have than leaders they do have. It shows up when strangers get more of the benefit of the doubt than family. Or, when people can only go to therapists in order to feel safe with sharing their feelings. Are we honoring them more than someone who might actually be a closer, more capable person in our life?
How about when Internet bloggers get more of your attention and affections than people sitting right across from you. Or, when you quote a TV talk show host’s advice while your grandmother’s thoughts about the same thing are barely acknowledged. Or, when the ideals of a friend from school sound better to us than our parents’. Or, when a documentary is the "gospel truth" on what you believe about something. You might need to take a closer look in order to discover if the state of mind that Jesus accused his hometown people of having is living in you.
How is it that our hearts are wide open to the appealing presentation of strangers than to the up close and personal words of someone from our hometown? Hometown persons can range from trusted family members, to proven leadership in your workplace, to our faithful buddies in our places of worship, to those classmates who have been transformed for the better. Jesus was so common to the people from his hometown that they had a hard time taking him seriously. Their memories of him got in the way of the divine moments he was offering them.
Think about this...after the first strange, yet wonderful experience with Jesus happened in your life and then He addressed something He wanted you do or change, how fast did your conviction take to kick in and you get to changing it? Quick, snap, and in a hurry, right? Now that you’re not strangers anymore with him but know him well, and now when he asks you to do or change something, how fast do you get to it? Not as fast, right?
I wonder how many prophets there are that God has raised up from the places you’re most familiar with. The dilemma you'll face is that your past memories try to keep you from receiving your present divine moment. You feel safe and secure in your history. This dulls you to what you have. If God has something for you, why wouldn't He just give it to you in a way that is sure to get your attention and affections? I believe it's to keep your eyes on honor. So the wisdom of God is that He hides the rare jewel you need in a familiar package you can take for granted. Why? Because it's the last place you'll look and the kingdom you’re a part of wants us to see with eyes of honor. Eyes of honor can see past the past.
Think about what Jesus possessed and desired to give to the people He was most familiar with. He had so much power and wisdom and blessings at his disposal, but the people of His hometown rejected it because they saw more of Him than what He carried.
Our application would be to ask God to give us His eyes to see the people we see every day, eyes of honor. Like that friend who is wiser than we give them credit for, or like that prophetic leader, or that parental boss that we have grown familiar with. Strangers can be entertained, but hometown prophets should be honored. If you are looking for a miracle, pay attention to the mundane. When you treat with mystery those with whom you have history, you might discover your miracle is right in front of you.
PTSD in ministry
It was the usual yearly trip that I take to get away from the hustle of ministry in order to clear my head and envision the future of the church I lead. This trip became something else when I started to realize how hard it was for me to feel connected to the Lord. I was there more mentally, but I quickly discovered that the time was feeling empty. There was a book I started to read and in that book, I was astounded at how God was being depicted. What astonished me was that the state that I was in altered my nature from the nature of God that I had fallen in love with. Then it hit me like a left hook. I was in the Kingdom but far from the King. So I would like to write a few words concerning the reason for the disconnect.
I’ve come to the realization that as I helped many people through family disappointments, people in and out of their lives, betrayal, let downs, the unexpected, and their heartbreaks and how those things had affected them, I totally neglected to let the Lord tend to the garden of my soul. Through this neglect, weeds had populated the garden and were choking out the relationships that were still there. I noticed that dreams that were once upright and strong were wilting and my trust in people was off color. My faith was losing focus.
The Lord was showing me that I was suffering from PTSD in ministry. I didn’t think that was a thing but sure enough as I examined what the signs of Trauma were…
Shock, denial, or disbelief.
Confusion, difficulty concentrating.
Reliving a traumatic event, including nightmares, flashbacks, and memories caused by triggers
Anger, irritability, mood swings.
Exaggerated startled response
Anxiety and fear.
Difficulty falling or staying asleep
Guilt, shame, self-blame.
Withdrawing from others.
Avoiding situations that are reminiscent of a traumatic event
Feeling sad or hopeless.
Negative changes in beliefs and feelings
Feeling disconnected or numb.
Self-destructive behavior
…I concluded I had it.
The knowing part was half the battle. I would have to invite Holy Spirit into the pain and anger. Tears were the evidence of my heart melting. I felt safe that I could trust God when everyone else was suspect. Then I began to realize that I’m probably not the only one that has had traumatic experiences that seem normal. There are probably others like me that have a high pain threshold, that can keep walking and not appear to have anything wrong. You might be one of those, like me, who knows how to run faster than the demons that try to haunt you. It’s only when you slow down enough to be real with God and yourself that you realize that you are not faster than you thought. And like me, you come to admit that you were not meant to outrun them but were meant to overcome them. I am better for the heart check. The healing that comes to exposed wounds is part of being reminded that our God is good. A goodness I want to be able to reflect in all that I do. This nature of God can’t come from the head it must be experienced in the heart. PTSD can be turned into an extreme situation to experience the goodness of God if you let yourself be ministered to in the places that ministry has caused trauma.
Was it only puppy love?
We had a bulldog named Sheba. It would be about a year before we sensed that we had to part with her. That was one of the most agonizing things we had to do. She had the spunkiest personality. I don’t want to go into all the reasoning behind our selling her to an awesome family. What’s interesting is, after she was gone, and the 40 days and nights of mourning was over, we would talk about how great she was while looking at the pictures we had laying around of her (not to the point of a shrine but close). The truth is she was a trip. She was cool from afar like an Instagram story, but once you got up and personal she was quite the challenging one. FYI, that was not the reason we sold her. I noticed the further she was from us the easier it was to idolize her.
I’m struck by how we as people can be that way. We see things, people or personalities that are killing it and we buy into those things. The distance can actually add a mystique to people. think about it, we see them, we admire what they do or are touched by what they are saying or singing. It’s easy to idolize people from a distance but when you have to come up close and personal for a good amount of time the sizzle can start to get silent. Idolizing causes all types of expectations to be put on a person that they never signed up for. And you know what happens, we move on huffing and puffing from disappointment. We think the issue is with the person when it’s really with us. If we don’t see that, guess what will happen? We will sell off the idol we’ve been disappointed by, like when we sold off our dog Sheba, and start shopping for another idol. The issue is not the people or things we idolize, it’s that we have an idolatrous heart. I know that might sting but I got to keep it 100.
The cult of personalities that are all around us has been fed by us. We do it with people who stand out and those people usually have a look, have money, have the spotlight, have a talent or just have something we want. You know what I think the real disappointment and struggle for those who have a bent towards idolatry is? It’s the struggle with the disappointment with themselves. They don’t feel like they are enough, so they need other people or things to fix that. You know what actually fixes that? When we find ourselves completely whole and healed through our relationship with our Heavenly Father through His son Jesus Christ. Boom! That takes care of the idols. Idols are only a thing if Jesus Christ isn’t the main thing in our lives. We sell ourselves short and sell out to other good people in our lives when the presence of God is not at the core of how we live life.
We can become a remnant of people that stand out in a world full of idolaters. Can you imagine a person whose life is full of refreshing stories of real relationships? A life that has brought so much joy and the evidence of everything prospering around them is due to their exciting journey with God? Isn’t that what we want for all of our lives, the happiness that a meaningful life brings? We can be those people, the ones that don’t idolize from afar. That might mean we have to be ready to part with something, like a Sheba the Bulldog, that God has pointed out that’s in the way.