How the Church Neglects its Calling

Problem 1: The church has grown self-centered and defensive.

Too often, the church falls into the trap of becoming so concerned with itself that it forgets its highest calling — to reach a lost and dying world that is desperately in need of redemption. Preserving our “religious freedom” has become an issue of paramount importance, though never in Scripture are we told that we have a “right” to religious freedom, nor are we told we have a “duty” to maintain it. Quite to the contrary, the early church was persecuted and many of its ambassadors were imprisoned or martyred. Yet, the church continued to flourish and grow as it kept its focus on demonstrating the love of Christ and sharing the Gospel with everyone. Could it be that we, the church, have become so self-centered in our modern day that we have forgotten why we exist?

Problem 2: The church is easily distracted.

The church has become so much defined by what it stands against that it seems to have forgotten what it stands for. Those outside the church could quickly recite a list of our modern-day crusades, most of which have little or nothing to do with fulfilling the Great Commandment or the Great Commission. We wage wars against hot-button issues like gay marriage and abortion, but more often it is our personal sense of moral outrage fueling these debates, not a passion for seeing lost people come to Christ. We would do well to remember that our duty to teach right and wrong falls within our command to “make disciples,” of which preaching the Gospel is a prerequisite. We are called to lead sinners to the cross, but are we called to itemize the sins of each sinner? Rather, we read that ALL have sinned and fall short of the glory of God; no itemization is necessary. Do we need to convince the lost of the sinfulness of the church’s “pet sins” prior to sharing the Gospel, or should that be the work of the Holy Spirit after salvation and part of the process of discipleship? Could it be that the problems we see in our society are simply the outcome of a fallen world with which we have failed to share the Gospel because we are so obsessed with singling out our favorite sins and crusading against them, all the while turning hearts away from the Gospel in the process?

Problem 3: The church has veered sharply off course.

In recent decades, the church has become increasingly active in the political arena. While this is not necessarily wrong, it puts the church at greater risk of veering rapidly and dangerously off course if it is not accompanied by a constant reminder of the church’s true purpose in the world. The church is not called to rid the world of its evils through military battles, voter initiatives, or political rallies. Rather, the church is called to combat the evil of the world by sharing the truth of the Gospel. The key difference is simply that politics concerns itself with changing minds, while the Gospel concerns itself with changing hearts. Changing minds without changing hearts is of little or no use from an eternal perspective. Could it be that if we poured our efforts into changing hearts instead, we would see minds changing to reflect the values of the Kingdom as a result?

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