It's not about you...

Have you ever found yourself critiquing what we do at PCC? I know that I sometimes move into that mode. "I didn't like that song." "That drama didn't do anything for me" "I wish our service was longer." I could go on, but you get the point. There is one common denominator, though. Do you see it? It's...me. Or, to put it more correctly, each of these statements is all about me.

In a recent e-publication titled "Worship Hot Buttons" author and Creative Arts leader Nancy Beach writes:

"Meeting with worship and arts leaders from all kinds of different churches is one of the privileges that comes with my role at the Willow Creek Association. I’ve sat with worship and arts leaders in settings as varied as Toronto, Germany, New Jersey, Australia, Calgary, and Norway. Yet, in every one of these gatherings, and in dozens more conversations over the phone or through e-mail, these leaders are telling me they face very similar challenges at their churches connected to the weekly worship gathering.
This is what I most frequently hear:

• Some people in our church think the music is too loud and edgy.
• Other people in our church think the music is boring and not contemporary enough.
• ...Right now, it seems like nobody in any age group is really happy.
• People complain that the worship leaders up front don’t dress nicely enough for church.
• People say that we stand up for too long in worship and repeat the songs too many times.
• People want more of the traditional older hymns.
• People want more relevant, current music in church.

Does any of this sound familiar to you? These are what I call worship hot buttons, and I’m learning that they’re common at almost every church in big cities and small towns, in every country."

Of course, dissatisfaction about a church is not limited to the worship service. At PCC, I've heard folks complain about almost every subject you can imagine. Too many people, not enough parking, shouldn't pass the plate, give away DVD's, change the service times, stay in the High School, we need to hire a ______ (fill in the blank), invest more money in the building, invest more money in ministry, give fewer personal illustrations and teach more from the Bible, etc. etc., etc. Of course, there are many suggestions that people give that are really good. If it were not for folks throwing ideas our way, we wouldn't be nearly as far along as we are. Still, there is a frequent chorus in many of the suggestions we hear...a common denominator. Can you guess what it is? That's right...from the perspective of the one making the suggestion, it's often all about them.

I had a couple over to my house for dinner once. We had a nice meal. After it was over, the husband leaned up and said, "Brian, I just want to be honest with you. I like the messages and I like that PCC is reaching people who don't know Christ, but I just don't like the music." I was relaxed and reclining in my seat. I listened respectfully and empathically. When he was finished, I leaned up and said, "I also want to be honest with you. I like you and I like that you've come to PCC, but it's not about you!" I went on to tell him that, as a Christ follower, he was behaving immaturely if he was thinking about himself and his own preferences. We have a calling to fulfill, and God is less concerned with what you like and dislike as He is about changing the lives of those who are far from him.

I do understand that this is a difficult teaching. We live in a consumer driven culture that is nomadic and transient. When someone ticks us off or doesn't meet our wants, desires, expectations and preferences, we just pack up and head somewhere else. But when it comes to God's calling on our lives, is this the kind of selfishness that He had in mind? God already met our needs through Jesus' sacrifice and through His offer to live in us.

Our part is to set aside our wants, not to live for them.

The Bible couldn't be more clear about this. In his letter to the church in Rome, Paul said, "Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God--this is your spiritual act of worship." (Romans 12:1, NIV). Notice that Paul talks about pleasing God, not pleasing ourselves. Further, Paul's mission is summed up in this statement about his focus in life, "I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some. I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings." (1 Cor 9: 22b-23, NIV).

So, at PCC, we are more interested in what God wants than what people want. We believe that God calls the Christ follower to set aside their preferences. The question is no longer, "what do I want" but "what does God want". That's where the real blessing comes - to be a part of something bigger than 'me'. It's not about me. It's about God.

Glad to be on mission with you,

Brian