What's in it for me?
That is the question we ask internally or externally before saying yes.
What time is it over? How much does it cost? What will I get out of it?
We have conditioned ourselves to view most relationships transactionally. If I do this, then you do that. I give some, and I get some.
Has that same mindset infected our view of church?
People become dissatisfied with churches for a variety of reasons, many of them legitimate. But sometimes, our dissatisfaction boils down to this: "I was no longer getting what I wanted from this exchange."
The preaching didn't interest me. The programs for my kids were lacking. The songs were too loud or too old. The size was too small or too big.
For many of us, we are worshiping our idea of church more than we are worshiping the Creator of the church. We are worshiping our version of how things should be over the One who deserves our worship. We sing when we like the song. We attend the class when we like the topic. We show up when the sermon series piques our interest or a certain speaker is teaching.
Our view of church has turned into a cafeteria of options where we can fill our week with what we like and skip over what we don't. We wonder why churches have turned into performances, but perhaps it is because pastors feel they have to keep the congregation interested to keep them coming. Church should not be boring, but fun is not the purpose either!
Augustine taught that idolatry involves treating the things of this world as our ultimate delight rather than finding that delight in God Himself.
We worship what we deem useful. We elevate the songs we like, the style we appreciate, and the events we enjoy, while avoiding the rest.
Preferences are not necessarily sinful, but when our preferences determine our willingness to worship, something has gone terribly wrong.
Furthermore, we do not give proper worship to the Creator because we have poured our affections into the creation. Would we like God more if He were simply a genie we could dictate wishes to? Perhaps.
Psalm 145:3: "You are wonderful, Lord, and you deserve all praise, because you are much greater than anyone can understand." (Contemporary English Version)
God is deserving of the first and foremost position in our lives because He is greater, higher, better, and "gooder" than anything and everything we can think of.
God is not a power we wield but the powerful One we submit to. God is not at our disposal, but as followers of Jesus, we declare that we are at His!
It is easy to worship the usable because we see what's in it for me.
It is necessary to worship the Worshipful One because He has given all for me!
