OK, please give me some grace here and hopefully this will make sense rather or not you agree with it….
I get a lot of status updates and tweets from church leaders all over the nation. Great people, great ministries, and doing great work. Sometimes I get a note that I really partner with where God has done something really great or the Spirit moved in a fresh way and that church was rocked by a moment. It is so exciting to hear of how God is moving and it naturally beings a humbleness and passion with it.
However, I have noticed another trend as well. There are those who put out this level of communication out almost every day with big claims inviting others to their church that week. The following are made up but in the spirit of what I get…
“God rocked the house last Sunday. Come this Sunday or you’ll miss out!”
“What are you doing tomorrow morning? Come to the …… church or get left behind!”
“What’s taking you so long to get here? It’s so extreme and everyone is so cool! So not like the churches you have been before!”
Every other day it’s this level of intensity that seems a little suspect. I love our church family and the Spirit has moved in some mighty ways. Some weeks I walk out with this same intensity. Other weeks, not so much and it’s challenging. Most weeks, it was a great time together with people I love and we worshiped and dug into the Bible and we continue on this path.
On Facebook, sometimes I will play games like Tetris to pass 5 minutes or so before leaving the house or going to bed. It will post on my home page sometimes a post of my new high score or just that I’m playing. The one thing it does that bugs me it will have a message that looks like I typed it in saying something like “This is the best game ever! You have got to get in on this!” It’s a good game but I have never been that cheesy about Tetris.
Does the constant “God Rocks Here!” messages really portray a full reality? Is the road of the life of our churches or even ourselves always 100% pumped on the mountain tops? Or is the beauty in all the ups and downs, the successes and failures, the great movements and the gentle whispers?
Do people who need the Lord and who need to see a real picture of His church really get pumped and moved by these constant claims or do they start to mistrust us? I don’t know…..some of these churches are HUGE but I have to think I’d rather have the reality instead of the internet cheese.
I’m still working these thoughts out….What do you think?
Though I think it is possible that some of these people are sincere. I think this is mostly marketing and trying to build excitement and generate buzz. I also think there may be some pastors who are looking for positive affirmation from their congregants with a resounding amen or yeah…it DID rock and YOU rock.
I really do not mean to sound so cynical. Every once in a blue moon I will make such a post, but when I do, it is because I am honestly blown away. Let’s face it, in most church communities with sincere hearts, God DOES move and god IS there and that is awe inspiring and awesome. But there are some moments where something….I dunno….something superb happens that reminds you that God IS among us in that room and you walk away feeling humbled and thrilled at whatever tangible thing happened that you have to shout it out. When those moments happen, you should shout it out, but when you do it all the time…I have to assume one of two thing.
1. You are more aware and grateful of God’s presence than the average bear and you are thrilled about it…if that is the case…you are a better man/woman than I am and God bless you.
2. Your artificially and disingenuinely building excitement to increase numbers and preserve attendance.