I'm going to post a few of the many great comments from this week's series, here's two from Jen ...
It's weird, I think "I'm not getting fed" can actually become a self-fulfilling prophecy for some people. They focus so much on what they feel they're NOT getting from their church, that they miss out on all the good stuff God has for them there. Connecting with others, effectively serving, listening and applying the sermons...it all goes out the window when you're obsessed with what you're missing. So in the end, it's true, they're NOT getting fed. But it's not because of a pastor or sermon; it's from their preoccupation with finding "the perfect church."
AND SHE WROTE:
I think this "I'm not being fed" problem can also arise when people don't fully embrace the mission of a church like Forefront, which is to reach unchurced people. For example, at FF they explain things more, like who Paul is or what a certain word means, instead of assuming that everyone there already knows. People who have been going to church their whole lives and already know who Paul is may view that as "beginner's church" and feel they are beyond that. In other words, they forget about the new people who need to hear it. (But for the record, I think the messages are still challenging...there's plenty of stuff in there to "feed" on.)AND SHE WROTE:
I think the point is not that pastors and sermons aren't needed, but that we shouldn't depend on them to give us everything we need spiritually. Some people love to learn about God from a pastor, which is great, but then they don't want to take it any further on their own. So yes, a pastor should be there to help you understand and learn, but they should not be our only connection to God.
3 comments:
Isaiah 1:19 says "If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land;".
So, if we're not willing and obedient, we don't get to eat of the good of the land. We get hungry, and we complain "I'm not getting fed" because its easier to blame someone else for our problems.
I disagree about the idea that people are being lazy. If you think about it, we grow up in a society where we are not taught to think for ourselves. We go to school, and we learn quickly that what the teachers want us to do is to regurgitate what they tell us.
We go to work and we do nothing unless it is what our bosses tell us to do.
We are a society of followers and very few leaders. I'm not at all surprised that few people are taking the initiative to learn on their own.
it sounds like you're saying that people ARE lazy, but maybe that their laziness is justified because it's ingrained in them? i think there's some truth in that, but it's also true that christians have a new/different nature, a supernatural nature, so i think we have the ability to overcome what we've learned from our society...
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