Well…Kasey and I just returned from a trip to Disney World. (Yes…we are Christians that like Disney!) For those that don’t know, I’m a people watcher. I love to watch people in places like Disney to see how they will respond to certain situations. (I call myself a people watcher….some call me a creepy stalker!) While watching people at Disney last week, I was surprised at how many little lessons God showed me during the trip. I decided that it might be interesting to jot them down and share them with the Facebook community. Warning: If you get offended easily, this post might not be for you!
FOUR THINGS I LEARNED IN DISNEY WORLD…
- We pay $28 for two cheeseburgers, fries, and a coke but we freak out when the pastor asks us to tithe. The time during the service when we give our tithes and offerings should not be a burden…it should be a blessing. Some of us need to remember that everything we have comes from God. We would have NOTHING without Him. We aren’t GIVING God anything. We are GIVING BACK what He has allowed us to borrow. Stop being so money-hungry, people! Remember what Jesus says: “No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money” (Matthew 6:24). As a pastor, I have seen people who love their money more than Jesus. Take my word for it: Bad things happen to those that put money above God. God has a way of humbling the proud and arrogant.
- We stand in line for 50 minutes to ride the Rockin’ Roller Coaster but we freak out when the church service doesn’t end on time. Let me share a secret with you guys. On our sign, there is a start time. Cornerstone’s Sunday morning service begins at 10:30am. Last time I checked (which was when I pulled in to work this morning) we do NOT have an end time. This means, for those that still don’t understand, church DOES NOT end at 11:30am. Church ends when Jesus is done! Sometimes this is 11:30. Sometimes this is noon. And, yes, sometimes it has been later than that. If you get bored and want to leave during the service, that’s ok. Just don’t complain when you miss out on God’s blessings because you had to get your table at the Double!
- We love the great shows that use the latest technology, pyrotechnic, and animatronics but we freak out when the church attempts to remove itself from the 16th century. This is one of my personal favorites!! Now, don’t get me wrong, I am NOT saying that just because something is new that it is necessarily better. At times, tradition can be a good thing. However, when our traditions become more important to us than the Scripture, we have a problem! After all, this is what the religious leaders of Jesus’ day did when they held their law in higher regard than the commandments God gave to Moses on Mount Sinai. Right now, the year is 2011. This means that churches are (or should) be ministering to people in 2011. Not 1750. Not 1899. Not 1950. 2011. I have sometimes wondered if churches have invented special time machine doors. Once you enter the building, you are ushered into the 1700’s. When you leave the building, you are back in 2011. We have to reach the culture in 2011 without watering down the Gospel. The message is timeless. The methods we use to present that message aren’t. Using innovative ways to share the Gospel and disciple believers is not heresy—it’s necessary.
- We complain that nothing has changed at the park since our last visit but we freak out when something is changed at church. This kinda’ goes with the previous point but I wanted to have four main points so I separated it! Have you ever become so familiar with the order of service at church that you knew exactly when to sit, stand, or write your tithe check? (PS: Those checks CAN be written before church. After all…it isn’t like we surprise you each week when we collect offering.) Sometimes it is good to “shake it up” with change. We like the status quo because it is expected. I mean…we can fake it when we just have to follow a certain set of rules. When those rules are changed, we don’t know how to act. Our true colors are revealed. Don’t get upset when the pastor changes the service up—just recognize it as an opportunity for spiritual growth!
You make a very good point. We choose to go somewhere fun and exciting, but we feel obligated to go to church.
ReplyDeleteThis reminds me, as I'm a people watcher, too. I was in Wal*Mart last week, and the amount of people spending their tax checks on televisions and gaming systems was unbearable. When extra money comes into our hands, we say "Let's go buy this - we've earned it". When in reality, God is the one that earned it by blessing us with jobs and pay checks, and the first check isn't even written out to him. God gets what's left over, after we've remodeled our living rooms.
Good blog! Don't let it die!
What bothers me about the idiots making these crazy purchases is that perhaps they should first pay off their credit card debt rather than purchase that unnecessary item!
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