Crushed by the Church?
So many people have been crushed by life or by the world. By crushed, I mean their hopes, dreams, desires, and ambitions have been crushed. The fallen world system chews people up, and says to them: What you have to offer does not matter.
The church does not relate to the life and dreams of people any differently. The people in the Church are meant to serve the programs of the church. They may sing in the choir, teach Sunday school, or work in the kitchen. And some may feel “forced” into these roles because that’s what’s needed, but its not who they are. They are not singers, or teachers, or cooks.
For most churches—for church as usual, for the business of church, for the church about attendance and programs—it matters little. Someone has to be the cog in the machine, and that’s you. Most churches are oblivious to this harmful, crushing effect, but it feels just the same. It hurts.
Some people know these roles are not for them, and they refuse to be a “round peg in a square hole.” But they are left to wonder: What part do I have in God’s Church, in his work in the world? Most churches have no answer for them, and they are cast aside. Perhaps not intentionally, but the effect is the same. But this need not be you.
You see, God has created each person with unique gifts, and I’m not talking about the gifts of the spirit. I’m talking about that thing that you do that makes you feel alive. That thing that makes you say deep inside: This is what I was created for; this is what I was made to do. It’s your unique genius.
Eric Liddell, 1942 Olympic gold medalist, loved to run. His sister called him into question for choosing the Olympics instead of missionary work in China. He had this to say to her, “I believe God made me for a purpose, but he also made me fast. And when I run, I feel His pleasure.”
Each individual has a unique kind of genius destined to be cultivated and expressed. The Church is (or should be) a community environment where people are released into their destiny and uncover their unique gifts and genius, something they knew was always there but was locked up.
—Boyd Morris | Bishop of Basileia Alliance | The Basileia Abbey of St John
Whatever this thing is that you find fulfilling, it’s where your passion and God’s pleasure intersect. It is the power of God at work in you to accomplish his good pleasure. Do what you love. Feel his pleasure.
The Church in general does little to foster what you love doing—your particular passion. Instead, you are made to serve the passion of another, usually it’s the head pastor. It’s time this mode of church came to an end. The passion for which you were made is as important and as valuable as any senior pastor or church program.
There are many ways of identifying when the Church is operating according to the fallen world. But most notably for this post, it’s when the church forces people into positions, roles, tasks that do not fit them, especially for the purpose of the pastor’s objectives or the church’s programs.
God has infused you with his life and energy, whatever your passion might be. And I say let it breathe. Let it live. Let it shine. What you have to offer does matter; it’s God given.
The fallen world crushes people’s dreams. If the Church does the same; it’s not all that different from the fallen world. There are a few churches that are different, We are creating one of them—an alternative church. In this church, you can shine.
