Lessons Learned

Rainy days are good for reflection. I've been preaching for ten years now. Here are four things I've learned so far:

(1) I have learned that the loftiest goal of a church should not be about its own success, but about the spiritual formation of individuals and families into the image of Christ. We can grow bigger and stronger and have fancier buildings and have energetic high tech worship services and offer programs for everything under the sun and still not form people into the image of Christ.

(2) I have learned that God doesn’t merely want my efforts and my works and my commitments to do better, rather, God wants me, the person. He wants me to bring myself in all its brokenness, woundedness and sinfulness and surrender my life to his grace and his transforming power. I’ve focused more on trying to will my way toward God through my actions, when God wants me to release my will and allow him to create in me a new creation.

(3) I have learned that a healthy Christian and a healthy minister are marked more by vulnerability and humility than by talents, skills, and control. I’ve assumed that a good minister is someone who can be everything and do everything while showing little weakness. The example of Christ is that though he was in very nature God took the risk and emptied himself and made himself vulnerable to creation. The greatest among you will be the least among you.

(4) I’ve learned that the church is human. I don’t believe there is this perfect invisible church somewhere that we are trying to live up to. The beauty of our relationship with God is that he knew that in participating with us it would often get messy. The church is what it is, that is the community of fragile, often broken earthen vessels. Yet, God remains faithful to us. He continues with us so that it will be made known that the power is not our own, rather it is the power of God.