Penetrating lives …

More than half of all Christians feel like they are not growing spiritually, according to the results of a couple researchers studying issues Christians face.

Bad news!

That thought may have fed into another thought I had. I often hear church leaders, when talking about rehearsals or services, say with great enthusiasm how off the hook the service was.

Then why are more than half of all Christians feeling like they aren’t growing spiritually?

Could be a lot of reasons not pertaining to that off-the-hook service, but I think it gives us reason to pause for a moment.

I think sometimes those of us who “do ministry for a living” don’t always adequately think about those we’re serving when putting together some of the things we do. Sometimes we’re so intent on creating a great “moment” that we don’t consider it takes more than a great moment to feed the flock. It takes something that will take them beyond the moment and into their week, their lives.

Some things we do for the moment. That’s cool.

Some things we do for the service.

But some things we do need to be done for the life. When we gather together, we need to be leaving and returning better than when we first arrived. Otherwise, we have a whole lot of Christians not growing spiritually.

Some of that has to be done in personal study and prayer and service, etc. But each service we pull together needs to make as much contribution to the lives of those we lead as is possible.

It’s not a show. It is not a production. It’s the people of God coming together to worship, to Commune, to give, to be buried in the waters of baptism, to be enlightened by the living word of God, to be pierced by the word of God, to be repentant, to be encouraged, to be challenged …

… to be a lot of things that linger beyond just that moment.

Achieving that is really when things are off the hook!

Scotty