If the church is something that I go to, it becomes like everything else I go to. If I go to a baseball game, it's about what I get out of it; namely, entertainment. If I'm not entertained, or my team loses every time I go, I get angry, because I'm not getting out of it what I'm investing into it. The same goes for the grocery store, another destination. I'm going for what I can get out of it, which in this case is food. Hopefully, I find the best food at great prices, but if I don't get out of it what I want, I'll get upset and return things, ask for my money back, etc. It's the same with a trip to the doctor, or the bank, or a vacation destination, or just about any other destination I can think of.
This same mentality has carried over to church. It has become about what I can get out of it. How often do you hear of people, searching for a body of believers to join with, that, in the midst of their search, say that they didn't like the music at the one church, didn't like the preacher's style at the other, and didn't think the children's ministry was good enough at a third? Now, all of these things are not inherently wrong. It's a good thing to know that your children are getting a good, biblically-based education and are not being fed lies. It's good to have a preacher that truly has the gift of preaching. But all of these sorts of things are self-centered. They are all about what I am getting out of my experience. I can't recall the last time I heard someone say, "We were visiting this church and noticed that their children's ministry is hurting, but that's one of my strengths. I think God brought us here to help them build that aspect of the body."
This then, inevitably leads to another problem. Because church becomes about what I can get out of it, false doctrine sets in. Where do we think the "health, wealth and prosperity gospel" has come from? It came from someone wanting to get more out of Scripture than what is really there, most likely in an attempt to justify their sin. This can be said of many of the false principals we see invading the church. Stan, over at his blog, Birds of the Air, has been battling progressive Christianity and its inclusive doctrine (in short, that all religions can get us to heaven). This comes about when we don't like the fact that truth, as stated in Scripture, doesn't make us feel good because our friends who happen to be (insert religion here) would be eternally separated from God if they stayed their present course. It comes in when we start believing things that we want to believe instead of believing what the truth actually is. In fact, Paul states in his first letter to Timothy that,
If anyone teaches false doctrines and does not agree to the sound instruction of our Lord Jesus Christ and to godly teaching, he is conceited and understands nothing. (I Tim. 6:3-4a)I hope you didn't miss that. What was the first thing Paul said of those who teach false doctrine? "...he is conceited..." In other words, he has an agenda that has 'self' at the top of the list.
This is not what the church was created to be. The church, as a destination, is a place that glorifies self. Again, I can see where I could have words put in my mouth, and so I don't want to be misunderstood. We all need to be refreshed. We all need to be taught. But, at what point is our focus changed from self-service to serving others and ultimately, the Lord? At what point do I stop being so concerned about what I'm getting out of it and start looking to others and how I can give to them? What did Jesus tell Peter each time after asking him if he loved Him? Be fed? No! "Feed my sheep." I would argue that it's when we do as the Lord commands, that is, when we serve those around us, it is in that time that we, ourselves, are nourished.
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