(me) First church

Last night was the last gathering for our small group, and I asked what anyone might be interested in doing next. I also wondered how we might get more people involved… because we don’t seem to have very many people at our church interested in such things – you know, getting together and learning about Jesus and the Bible and one another. I think for a lot of people it’s a big deal if they just show up on a Sunday morning, and they see no need for anything more. But I happen to feel small group studies, or discussions, are the core of discipleship. And I believe THAT is what the church is supposed to be all about – making disciples. But we’re not.

Randy lit my fire earlier this week in a post ‘Despairing on Discipleship.’ He talked about how the last thing Jesus said to do was to make disciples; but we seem content to make pew-sitters and givers. And I think he’s right.

Someone asked last night what made a person a Christian. It’s hard to answer, because for a lot of us we ‘hope’ it was determined by our upbringing, or a prayer we prayed at some point in time, or… sad to say, for some reason a lot of Americans are naïve enough to think ‘American’ and ‘Christian’ are the same thing. I believe a Christian is, quite simply, someone who has a GROWING RELATIONSHIP WITH JESUS. The thing that sets Christianity apart from all other religions of the world is Jesus Christ. But it’s not enough just to know ‘about’ him. The key to being a disciple is developing a relationship with him, and it should never stop. Certainly this has to be a personal choice we make, but the problem many of us have is understanding that you cannot have a relationship with Jesus without developing a relationship with his “body.” By this I mean – faith is not a “personal” thing; it’s a community thing. It’s learning to live as a part of the body of Christ. And therein lies the crux of the problem (IMHO). We like Jesus, we just don’t like his followers (his body).

I think I startled everyone last night when I said the reason I didn’t think people liked attending small groups was because we basically just don’t like each other. I think it’s interesting how the people who seem to think they are the most loving and caring are really some of the most snobbish and uncaring people around. Of course I don’t really care what you think so I don’t fit in either group. :) (not true)

Anyway, I guess my whole point is… I think all the problems with the church can be boiled down to one thing: we are all self-centered. And until we learn to get over ourselves, not too much is going to change.

There are different types of self-centeredness. Some people feel they are superior to others, and don’t even realize how obvious this is to everyone else. It may have to do with their societal or financial position, family, perceived intelligence, or any number of things. And they don’t consider it snobbery, but a mere fact of life. Strangely enough they’re not really any different than those whose self-centeredness is masked in an inferiority complex. The people on the other end of the spectrum who feel they’re NOT good enough to mingle with anyone else. Many confuse this with humility. It is true that some are shy, or through no fault of their own may have acquired this perception of themselves – through abuse or past painful experiences. But at its core it is still a form of self-centeredness… even if it is self-protection. And, third, there are always those who are just plain indifferent. Perhaps they are a mix of the above. They don’t care for one reason or another.

Well, this is long, and I don’t have any answers. But I wish we could all get over ourselves and actually get about this business of learning to live together and love one another. But then, I guess that’s just what “I” want. Yep, I'm just as self-centered as the next person. What about you though? Any thoughts or insights that might help? I would appreciate any input anyone may have.