What Kind of Church Would You Make?

I know thy works, and charity, and service, and faith, and thy patience, and thy works; and the last to be more than the first.

Revelation 2:19

Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love.

Revelation 2:4

I watched the video of the song above on YouTube yesterday and started thinking about the idea of this post then. I decided once and for all to do it after the service at my church last night, in which my pastor spoke about the importance of having a zeal for the Lord. Our level of zeal affects other people, and I'd like to use this post as an examination for us all to see if we could pass the test.

If you're saved, you know what it's like to be on fire for the Lord. If at no other time, a Christian experiences that when he is first saved. There's an excitement at that point, knowing what Jesus Christ has done, and the newborn believer just can't wait to tell everyone about it. While that individual still needs to grow, if we lay the lack of spiritual maturity at that moment aside, that new Christian is living his life exactly how he should.

Sadly, if we're all going to be honest, we'd have to admit that there are times that we our lives don't even come close to reflecting that type of zeal. We're all imperfect, and we're going to have times that we aren't as zealous as others, but as soon as we realize it has happened, we need to get that right, and turn back to the Lord. In this post, I don't want to focus on the fluctuations, but rather, I want you to consider which of the above verses is the norm in your life. To make that question seem a bit more applicable to your every day life, I want to ask you a question: if every member of your church were like you, what would your church be like?

When I ask that, I'm not asking what your church would be like if everyone had the same talents and gifts as you do. A church needs many different types of people in that respect. But, what if everyone at your church was just as sold out to God -- no more, no less than you? Would your church be able to function like that? If you were (or are) a pastor, would you want to see a church full of you sitting in the pews?

How much of a giving attitude do you have? If everyone gave in the same spirit as you, would the church be able to keep the lights on? If everyone had the same burden for souls, would anyone get saved? If everyone had the same heart for their fellow Christians, would any edification take place? If everyone had the same desire to serve, would all positions in the church be filled? If everyone had the same desire for a strong mission program as you, would there be any missionaries sent out?

Even in what we would call the strongest churches, I can guarantee you that there are plenty of "bench warmers." These are the people who come (or maybe not, if it's not convenient that day), but do nothing once they're there. I'm not talking about people who are unable to do things right now, but those who simply refuse. If we had a church full of nothing but that kind of people, nothing would get done, and the doors would likely be shut sooner rather than later.

So, what kind of church would you make? Would a building full of you make up a church that was vibrant, active, and on fire for the Lord, or would you do just as well to sit home on Sunday and watch football if the entire membership were like you? If you're not satisfied with the answers to those questions, you can change that. Return to your first love, and put Jesus back at the center of your life. If you turn to go back to Him, He'll run to meet you and receive you with open arms.