Dear Small Church Congregation
If you are a disciple of Jesus, you belong to His church, His bride, His body of believers. As a member of that chosen group, you have been called to operate in much the same fashion as the various parts of a physical body operate. Paul compared the relationship that exists between the members of Christ’s body to that between the members of our human body.
Allow me to remind you that, as a member of Jesus’s body, each of you has been designed, chosen and anointed in a different fashion from the other members so the whole body will function correctly as each different member accomplishes the purpose for which it (he/she) is designed. When people gather for the purpose of worship, every person present has a particular function in that worship. But there is something I pray you will realize—none of the body’s members is designed to be just a spectator.
Spectators watch what is happening and respond emotionally to what is happening, but they are not involved in what is happening. They are not part of the process of actually creating the worship experience. I’ll restate that—A spectator does not help create the worship. They simply observe the worship, without any direct connection to the worship. As the Bible study “Not a Fan” by Kyle Idleman indicates, they’re in the bleachers, so to speak, not on the field of play where all the action occurs.
I have seen that it is possible to enjoy hearing good singing, hearing fervent prayer, donating to the financial responsibilities of a congregation and listening to an inspiring message without intentionally being involved in the worship experience. It is possible for a person to enjoy being in a worship service without actually becoming part of the worship that is happening. When that happens, that individual, the spectator, is not experiencing worship. The person is experiencing entertainment that originates in a religious service and makes no spiritual impact on the person other than to help him/her “feel good.” (I’ve run across the term “worshiptainment,” and I must agree with the intent of the term.)
The person who is made to feel good through worshiptainment is not functioning as a member of the body of Christ. That individual is not fulfilling his/her function as a disciple. A disciple of Jesus was not designed to be entertained.
Disciples are designed to operate together as a unit that produces glory directed toward God. Disciples are designed to fulfill their individual calling so the whole body can magnify Christ through the empowerment of the Holy Spirit. Disciples, learners of Christ, have been chosen and anointed to share the good news about Jesus before, during and after a worship service. When each disciple is fulfilling his/her intended function, worship does occur as the whole body operates with a common purpose.
You, the individual member, have a special reason for existing. That reason is to help create a whole group of disciples who fulfill the Great Commission and complete the Great Commandment. You are part of that church Jesus said He would build. You are one member of Christ’s Body. Refuse to be a spectator. Get out of the bleachers and onto the playing field. Be a member.
(I pray you will forgive the repetition used in this letter. The concepts are that important.)
Sincerely,
A Small Church Pastor