SPECTATORS OR PARTICIPATORS

How would you say our spiritual maturity, godliness and commitment as a church compares to other churches? Paul compared the Macedonia church’s commitment to Corinth and challenged them to MATCH it. Corinthians 8:1-8. 2 Corinthians 8:8 says I want to test the sincerity of your love by comparing it with the earnestness of others. (NIV) Rick Warren says that he challenges any church in America to match the spiritual maturity, godliness and commitment of any 500 members of Saddleback Church. How do you think we would match up? Whatever excuse we could use comes back on us. I personally don’t know about their spiritual maturity, godliness and commitment but I do know that they have had over 10,000 Saddleback members serve on missions overseas. How have they done this and how have they grown like they have? They have turned spectators into participators, consumers into contributors and an audience into an army. All too often we think that if we come to church it is enough, or if we serve on a committee or teach a class, don’t get me wrong, those are good, but can we do more? Are we spectators or participators, consumers or contributors; are we an audience or an army? One way for you to get to the point of being participators, contributors and an army is for me to turn more things over to those who are willing to take responsibility for them and then do something with them. I have turned our outreach, Connect, over to Jimmy, Jerry H. and Tommy and I am expecting great things from them in our outreach department. But the only way that this can happen is when God leads them into areas of outreach; we must get behind them and be part of it. I want our W.M.U. and Brotherhood to be active, not inside the church but outside, I want our teachers on Sunday morning and Wednesday night to decide what they want out of their class, how much they want it to grow and then get out and work it and make it grow. It’s time that we the people of Carey Baptist took the responsibility for the growth of our church and not just leave it up to the paid staff. It’s time that we stepped out into the community and made a difference, it’s time that you stopped just reading and listening to my words and started asking God what He wants us as a church to be doing; and then do it!!