Geico commercials are everywhere now. I see them on TV, I hear them on the radio, I get fliers in the mail, and I see them when I’m driving on the interstate. But to this day, I don’t understand the meaning behind ANY of their commercials. Whether it’s their gecko, or a caveman, or some random guy in a suit explaining some random event or happenstance, none of their commercials make ANY sense to me. But they always say that you can save 15% or more.
I believe that a lot of churches and church leaders do the same thing every week.
Churches and church leadership communicate a lot on Sunday mornings, Saturday nights, and Wednesday nights (or other days/nights a church may meet). Pastors and church leaders do this in their messages by simply telling a fun story, a compelling life story, or giving a humorous illustration that leaves people glad they came to church that day. Churches do this by creating safe and inviting environments (which I’m totally 100% in support of), and leaving out the tough truths found in Scripture.
I really believe that some churches are doing more harm than good because they leave out critical information about the Gospel, the Kingdom of God, and what a follower of Jesus really looks like. And, because of this lack of communicating the whole Gospel, the world get’s an incomplete picture of who Jesus is, and what he is all about. I believe this has led to several problems:
1. Christians are known for what/who we are against instead of what/who we are for. Unfortunately, we are seen as anti-homosexuality, anti-abortion, and anti-______________ that people never know that we are for life, and life lived abundantly (John 10:10). We are for justice, for mercy, for love, and for a relationship with Jesus that is life changing.
2. Churches have become a consumer product. Jesus never intended the Gospel to be a product to be created based on personal preferences and consumed when needed. Instead, the Gospel is that we will never amount to enough good to fix the problem of sin in our lives. Thus, because the Gospel has taken a hit as a result of a consumerist mindset, the Church has too.
3. There is no urgency to have conversations about Jesus. Thousands of people in your community equate Christianity with being an American, and because of that, they have a false understanding of their salvation. And because of that, they will never have a life changing relationship with Jesus, and will never get to spend eternity with Him. But, since the church is doing well and people are coming, telling the WHOLE story of the Gospel isn’t just needed.
4. Church Leaders and Pastors are more prideful than ever. I really believe that pastor’s have fallen prey to the thought that their creativity, their innovation, their relevance, and their personality is what is drawing a crowd. And this mindset leads to the thinking that you don’t need the Spirit to reach people, that you don’t have to depend on God to so consume and use you as His vessel to do great things for the church.
Please hear me say this. I’m speaking from first hand experience with this. I’ve been that leader in a church who thinks I don’t need God’s help to do great things. I’ve been the guy who stays away from the tough texts in Scripture so that I can ‘impress’ a few folks. But, what I’ve learned is that this leads to NOTHING. Giving some half-baked positive and encouraging thought every time you communicate to the church may draw a crowd, but it won’t lead people into a growing relationship with Jesus. Giving only funny stories, cute illustrations, and tear jerking messages will not lead people to know more about who Jesus is. Just like watching a Geico commercial won’t tell you everything about Geico
So, are your messages just fluffy stories with no Gospel substance?
Do the people who come to the church you lead and leave hungry to love Jesus more?
How are you leading people to the Jesus of Scripture?
What are your thoughts?
I think this is a real great blog post. Keep writing.