Since the early days even back in the Old Testament, the people of God didn't understand that God Himself wanted to be with His people and to be their leader and shepherd and protector and provider. Instead, the people clamored for an earthly king, who they could see and follow here on earth. Really, none of the earthly kings were perfect. Only a handful had hearts that followed God. Most of the earthly kings were selfish and prideful and fell away or walked away from God. One of the things Jesus dealt with even with the disciples, is that they misunderstood The Kingdom, and wanted Jesus to be an earthly king. Then, the Apostle Paul dealt with churches that were misled into hero worship and wanting to associate themselves with super preachers. We all can fall into the trap of wanting our gods to be here and visible and touchable. It has been that way since the beginning of time. Either we make gods out of things that God has created, or we try to make ourselves a god.
For the past two hundred years, there have been several times where the proclamation of the Gospel swept thousands up in accepting Jesus as savior. Some of these awakenings have produced genuine discipleship and change in communities, cities, and countries. Others have not led to transformation. Many have had those one-time commitments at camp, or in a special service fizzle out as soon as we walk back to real life. There is real emotion in the swell of a crowd at a game, or concert, or anytime large numbers of people are with one another for a common focus. The energy of the Chiefs' Kingdom is real when a touchdown is scored and the music starts to rock.
As the church embraced the industrialization and automation advances of the past one hundred fifty years, we applied efficiency methods to the way we do church. Watching Billy Graham stand in front of thousands of people and preach the gospel changed an entire generation of leaders into thinking of more and more efficient ways to recreate that experience. Watching the human energy of a rock concert in a stadium naturally gave outreach-oriented church leaders ideas about drawing a crowd through music as well. What came out of it was a shift in the way we saw the church and did church. We became a society of people who were increasingly gathered into as large a venue as possible so that we may be spectators, watching the exercise or the giftedness of one other person, or perhaps a small handful. The band and the teacher became the gifted ones. We became viewers and hearers and audiences, filing in, feeling the excitement, and filing out. In some ways, vicariously living our faith through the gifts of others.
We grew to be fans of certain preachers and worship leaders, and as we did, we were drawn into thinking of our role in the church as a spectator. If we did get involved, the usual role for us was as stadium workers. Stadium workers served mainly by helping organize and facilitate the spectators watching the gifted ones. In most churches today, the largest group of volunteer positions are grouped around helping, supporting, and creating the few hours a week experience of spectators watching someone else be gifted.
What happened then, is that we began to believe the lie that there were levels of Christians, with the super pastor or the best worship leader up at the top of the heap. We built entire systems around efficiently getting regular people around the super Christian so they may influence or bless them. Sure, the Bible talked about how we all are called, and Paul warned against saying that we followed a certain superstar preacher in 1 Corinthians 3. Paul knew that there was a natural human tendency to want to identify with a certain star preacher and warned against it, because anyone who served God was simply a part of Jesus' ministry, it was Jesus who was doing the work. Rightfully so, Paul deferred to Jesus and pointed people to God.
In the church today, unfortunately, we have fallen prey to spectator-itis, and hero-ism. It has weakened the understanding that anyone who is in Christ is gifted by the Holy Spirit to play their unique part and role in the Kingdom. Instead, the roles offered are merely supporting the spectator events - Stadium Workers.
God has made you for so much more. Your identity is unique and The Father wants you to know it and walk in it. That identity is best understood in the context of a community of believers who will walk with you and see you as The Father sees you. This community can exist, right here where you live and work.
You are made to be on the field, playing in the game, or playing in the band. Everyone gets to play - NO Spectators! But it takes an organizational commitment to go against the flow - the tide of the way things are done today. It takes making sure that we begin and continue with the values of true Biblical Christianity.
The Trinity Gathering will be such a place. Every person is unique, Every person is important, Every person has a unique calling, identity, and set of gifts that the Father saw in them before they were born. Come begin to explore and find your place in the Kingdom. Not simply in the stands, watching the stars, but on the field yourself, playing your unique position. Life will finally make sense when you step into all God has for you. You were made for it! - Don't waste another moment of your life being a spectator - watching someone else live.
Join us!
