One thing that has been highlighted as a weakness in our western churches is when a congregation relies on the pastor to have the relationship with God and then having their relationship vicariously through him rather then taking on that responsibility for their own. It is problem that has been around since the beginning of time, for example, the Israelites told Moses that they didn’t want to talk to God but would rather have him do it for them. I think most people around America would agree that is a common problem, but what I’d like to suggest here is that it goes deeper then just outsourcing to leadership the responsibility for relationship. I’d like to propose that people also outsource changing their environment to God and call it “the sovereignty of God”. They do this in order to escape responsibility that he placed on us. “God is in control and Jesus is coming back to fix everything” or “whatever happens, happens. God is in control” are two phrases that capture that attitude. That sounds good and pious on the surface but it comes attached with the lie that we do not have responsibility for our world or environment. The truth is that we are called to be the light of the world, the salt of the earth, and to destroy the works of the enemy. Jesus didn’t die just to get us saved, he died to reconcile us with the Father and so that we can do what he did and even greater things; heal the sick, calm the storms, set the captives free. That is our mandate. God IS sovereign and Jesus IS coming back. But we do both God and the world around us a terrible disservice when we outsource all of the responsibility to Him. Jesus is coming back for a bride that is pure and spotless, not one that is weak and hiding in a cave! I am not trying to take anything away from God; rather I’m trying to add to our responsibility in bringing about change. There is a good story that illustrates the point. A preacher came to visit a church member who was also a farmer. The farmer was taking him around to all his fields as they visited. With each field, the preacher would say, “Wow, look what God has done with this crop”! Finally after hearing this for each of his fields, the irritated farmer says, do you want me to show you the field I let Him do by Himself? The farmer wasn’t trying to take credit away from God. Any farmer out there knows he can’t make the rain come, he can’t make the seed grow, and the sun shine. All the farmer was trying to say is that there are two parties involved in raising and harvesting crops. It isn’t that God can’t or won’t do it by himself; he just wants us to be able to share in the joy of the good works being done.

Let me know what you think,

Jon