Weight-loss for Churches, part three

Notice…it’s the individual response of God’s people that bring change. You want a more healthy church to attend? Begin now to accept a fresh sense of responsibility to play your part (pastor or parishioner). Here are a couple more suggestions:

Serve out of obedience, not pressure.
If we aren’t careful, we say “yes” to service opportunities in order to please the leader who asks us. Fear of man creates unhealthy environments. For the leader, we teach the ways of Christ, not the standards of man. For the disciple and church attendee, we respond to serve out of a heart to please the Father and obey Christ. Keeping our heart engaged in the work of loving and serving others keeps our ego at bay…whether we are a spiritual leader or one just getting acquainted with the walk of faith. This by no means waters down the Christ-follower’s responsibility, but rather highlights it from the healthy motive. Feeding on the commands of God’s Word and the lifestyle of Christ (not the food of fear and pride) fills the Body with the right nutrients for abundant life!

Be involved in outreach to build the Kingdom, not your church.
Reaching out to the community can seem to be great exercise for the Body of Christ… In its purest sense, it is just that. But too often the ulterior motive is to see how many people we can get back to our church building. This isn’t wrong in and of itself. The purpose for outreach, however, is tied to God’s agenda and not ours. What if we reached out for no other reason than just to show and share the love of Christ?!? Remember: God rewards the motives of our heart over the logic of our head. And, it is Christ who builds the Church! So, outreach for Kingdom expansion keeps churches pure and heartfelt. Now, that will get the “heart-rate” up for all the right reasons!

As Christ-followers, our eating and exercising patterns contribute to the health of any body of believers. So, let’s help lead this movement of healthy churches and fight against “institutional church”! We can do it by encouraging the spirit of community that includes others, anticipating teaching that will help us bear fruit, participating in worship that focuses on Christ and enjoying outreach that builds the Kingdom of God. Mean and lean churches…: mean with the energy to fight the right fight; and, lean with the agility to go the distance to make a difference. I’ll see you on the field!