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“What about me?”

I’m gonna put it on the line here… The longer you’re a Christian, and the longer you are in the church, the less church is about you!  Follow me on this one… I have heard things like: “What about us?” (i.e. church members) “We aren’t getting fed.” “We need to go deeper.” What do those…

I’m gonna put it on the line here…

The longer you’re a Christian, and the longer you are in the church, the less church is about you! 

Follow me on this one…

I have heard things like:

  • “What about us?” (i.e. church members)
  • “We aren’t getting fed.”
  • “We need to go deeper.”

What do those things mean?

Is it a quest for more “Biblical knowledge,” because St. Paul says that “Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up” (1 Corinthians 8:1).

You and I both know “Christians” who know “The Word” but regularly dishonor Christ through their lifestyles (e.g. gossip, jealousy, facilitating dissensions, etc.).

I don’t believe that the “need” is for more information… I believe we need more application! 

I used to have a seminary professor that said, “Don’t worry so much about what you don’t know in the Bible, because doing what you do know will keep you busy for a lifetime.” He’s right.

Is it a quest for a new feeling? Cause if it is… wow… are we in trouble! Shawn Lovejoy gets all over this idea (read it here).

For the people that keep saying, “What about us?” I have some questions:

  • How is your prayer life? Are you praying regularly?
  • How is your Bible reading coming along? Are you regularly exposing yourself to God’s Word… cause that’s deep stuff!
  • When was the last time you led someone to Jesus?
  • Are you praying for or tearing down your spiritual leaders?

If the example of Jesus means anything it means that we are called to lay the “me” aside and serve others (Philippians 2:1-5; Romans 15:1-3)… ironically in and through the church! IT’S NOT ABOUT US, YOU, ME… IT’S ABOUT HIM AND THEM (i.e. unsaved/unchurched).

I am tired of Christians that keep saying, “Feed me.”

Here’s the thing… I understand that as a parent I have a responsibility to feed my children… as long as they are infants. But there comes a point where they have to take some initiative and feed themselves… or starve.

This same principle applies in the church (see here for further discussion on this point).

So, before you say “What about me, us, or any other version of this plea… stop and think about it…

The church is not here to serve you Christian. You are the church… here to serve God by reaching out to the lost world around us (see 2 Corinthians 5:17-21;  1 Corinthians 9:19-23).

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Responses to ““What about me?””

  1. teenrev

    Good stuff Paul. Rick Warren said the sign that we have moved from spiritual infancy to maturity is that we have taken off the bib (feed me) and put on the apron (serve others). I want to wear an apron!

    Reply
  2. Manda

    Paul –

    I wholeheartedly agree with you that church is not here to serve me…I believe that the ultimate purpose of the church is to bring honor and glory to Jesus Christ; and this is done in two ways through the church. The first is fulfilling the great commission (Matt 28:19-20), which at Northgate we call “bringing”. The second is edification (Eph 4:12), or at Northgate, “building”. I think that a lot of the time when we hear people worrying “what about me?”, they are just not voicing their concerns in the right way. They aren’t trying to be selfish (although, being human, we all tend to be that sometimes), they just want to make sure that the church is fulfilling the purpose of building them up (and others) to a maturity in their faith and helping them to be equipped to perform the work that God wants them to do. After all, what would a church be without mature believers to help build up the newbies? And I think your whole life is spent maturing…you are constantly growing in your faith, so everyone, no matter how long you’ve been a Christian, needs others in their lives, encouraging and reminding them to be living their faith; which is what people are getting in the “building” purpose (which at Northgate is our Bible Fellowships & small groups). And I think that is what people want reassurance that Northgate is going to do. There are those that sometimes forget that there is more to the church than building them up, but hopefully with a gentle reminder (2 Timothy 2:23-26), they will get out there and serve and bring and keep growing.

    Reply
  3. Mike Paris

    Paul,
    Your words are right on. However, I wonder if they really will accomplish what you desire. I imagine, as a fellow pastor, that you want those “ought to be adults by now”s to make major advances in their spiritual life. You want this to be a spiritual wake-up call. But if they are spiritually immature, they will respond not in a mature way but an immature way. They may even leave in the night! So, if you really do need to get them to grow, maybe we need to evaluate “readiness” to hear the rebuke. As Manda says, they may not be saying what they really mean. I struggle with this consumer mentality with sr hi teens all of the time. But every time I come back to this fact, “I love these teens too much to leave the slugs beside the road” (even though I have threatened it often).

    Keep loving the gimme gimmeee gimme toddlers,
    Mike

    Reply
  4. Kevin

    Paul;

    I certainly understand you want to shepard this church in the way you believe God is leading you to and I can relate to what you’re saying. I’ve been through a somewhat similar experience upon taking over the business I now own. I will tell you though it’s going to be a bumpy ride for a time and don’t be surprised when some familiar faces leave. Out of the original staff of 30 I had eight years ago, only 10 remain today. The good news, at least in my case is, the newer members that replaced those who left are a much better fit. As you probably know, the key is having a core group of believers who share in your vision that you can depend on to stand by you through the difficult times until achieving the end result.

    Reply
  5. Tim

    You’re definately right about this one!

    Reply
  6. “What about me?” (Part 2) « Paul Peterson

    […] November 2006 (22) « “What about me?” […]

    Reply
  7. Maureen

    Paul,

    I agree with Manda. No matter at what point you are in your walk with God, you’re always maturing and trying to be more like Jesus, so you rely on your own studying and time with God, but you also rely on the church and other fellow Christians. Are we supposed to cut these people off because we believe they should be “mature” by now (if they’ve been going to the church for a few years)? That really doesn’t make any sense if we want to have someone to build up the baby Christians in their faith. If some people do leave, is that immature or is it a reflection of what’s happening (or not happening) at Northgate?

    People can share in your vision for the church without agreeing with the way you’re going about achieving that vision. Does that mean you get rid of all those people who might challenge you? Could they possibly be right in presenting that challenge? Just something to think about.

    Why do you find it so refreshing to go to another church every once in awhile? You’ve told me it’s nice to be fed by someone else sometimes rather than having to feed others. It also gives you a fresh perspective or different ideas for Northgate. My question is, if your pastor still needs to be fed through the church, why should he expect other mature Christians not to want to be fed through the church also?

    Please be available to the unchurched/unsaved, the baby Christians, the toddlers, the tweens, the teens, the young adults, the adults, the middle-aged, and the senior citizens as they all have a place in God’s plan and in His church!

    Reply
  8. Lori

    Answers to the five bulleted questions
    1. yes
    2. yes
    3. not sure
    4. the day I read the blog
    5. option one

    Reply
  9. Feeding Christians « Paul Peterson

    […] What about me? (Part 1) […]

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