Church is… on Mission

// April 20th, 2010 // Uncategorized

It has been said that church shouldn’t be a country club for saints but a hospital for sinners.  I think that is a false, unhelpful dichotomy.

Church shouldn’t be a country club, catering to the wishes of it’s members.  Neither should it be a hospital, simply concerned with healing hurting people. Church should be more like a triage unit on the field of battle. That is, the point of a triage unit is to get soldiers patched up and back out on mission.

Mission should mark every church that truly believes the gospel.  Why?  Because God is on a mission.

I can hear some objections.  ”But Adam, shouldn’t church be about helping hurting people?  Sometimes people need to take a break to be healed and helped.” And I would say, “Yes, yes, yes.”  Absolutely.  Church should be about helping hurting people, but helping them do what?  Feel better? Have a healthy self-image? Health for health’s sake isn’t health at all, it’s idolatry. Similarly, church for church’s sake isn’t church, it’s something else… something indeed worse.

If church is a mission-focused entity, then the logical next question is, “What is our mission.”  After all, soldiers don’t usually go out to fight without orders. Builders don’t start building without a reason. The mission of the church?  That’s a great topic for our next post.

 

5 Responses to “Church is… on Mission”

  1. Jim Shaw says:
    April 20, 2010 at 9:14 am

    Adam… You definitely are looking for a reaction with that statement. Come on… Hospital? Triage Unit?

    We can agree that the idea of the church being a country club is selfish and not what the Lord has called us be, right? But I can’t imagine that you have a hard time with the thought of the church helping people that are hurt and in need of help and healing. So ok, a triage unit in the midst of a battlefield, not a bad image of the church but to say that the image of a hospital is “false”??? Um… no.

    I can see your argument of the church’s purpose of making others healthy for just healthy sake is wrong but it gets back to what is the Church using to mend and heal the hurt and lost. Is it “positive vibes”? How about messages on “Five Steps to be a better you”? I’ll tell you, people might feel better about themselves but they aren’t saved by grace and the church has failed it’s purpose. It is only by the ministry of God’s Word in it’s totality and His Spirit working through His people to bring real healing and help to the world that is hurting without Jesus Christ.

    Just saying….

  2. Adam says:
    April 20, 2010 at 9:19 am

    Jim,

    Faaaantastic comment. Let me see if I can clarify.

    I didn’t say that the idea of the church being a hospital was false, I said that the dichotomy was false.

    You wrote, “It is only by the ministry of God’s Word in it’s totality and His Spirit working through His people to bring real healing and help to the world that is hurting without Jesus Christ.” And I couldn’t possibly agree more.

    When we’re doing what He’s called us to do, then and only then are we truly “healthy.” It’s ironic that when Christians turn inward and start to seek their own personal “growth” or “health” as and end in itself, their precious prize evades them.

    Jesus said, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent me.” That’s what I mean. He’s satisfied most when he’s doing what God has for him to do. So should we be.

    Great comment. Thanks!

  3. Thomas says:
    April 20, 2010 at 6:25 pm

    “Health for health’s sake isn’t health at all, it’s idolatry.”

    That comment really scratched an itch that I’ve had for a while. I’ve spent a lot of time trying to figure out the balance between mending the broken and enabling the self addicts.

    love.

  4. lexi says:
    April 21, 2010 at 8:32 pm

    Adam,

    If you’re going to be talking like that all the time, I am in trouble. Love the quote Thomas pointed out. Awesome message. Looking forward to bringing Boston to its knees in honor of the King.

    Bring it on!

  5. Ness says:
    May 16, 2010 at 4:08 pm

    I am excited about what God’s gonna be doing in your church in Boston. This should be the kind of message for this generation. Thanks Adam

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