I Want It Now!

In our "what's in it for me today?" society, we have been conditioned to solve all problems in the space of a half-hour sitcom and look for immediate success in every endeavor, lest we be viewed as a failure. Christians -- just like the world --are a "want IT now" kind of people, whether "it" is the latest gadget, a bigger house, a newer car, or immediate success in our latest personal or church venture. Is such thinking Scriptural? Is it even rational?

Examples of this "right now" philosophy are apparent everywhere you look. Newly married couples, just graduating from college, are buying homes bigger than their parents have ever lived in. Car payments today are more than mortgage payments were 20 years ago. Our financial sector leads the way with this type of thinking. Wall Street demands that company results improve quarter after quarter with no slack or slip. And why not? Mega investor shareholders want a return on their money RIGHT NOW. No longer can Americans "build a great company" that provides stable, measured earnings over the long haul. Profits must increase quarter after quarter at all costs. Any deviation from this expectation is met with harsh, immediate action in the form of lay-offs, spin-offs, mergers and other forceful action in the public eye. Unfortunately, hidden in the executive suite, leaders are often pressured to falsify statistics, hide expenses, and keep two sets of books in order to maintain the appearance of ever-improving "shareholder value". Slow, steady improvement is sacrificed for the sake of the appearance of bold, immediate results. Nobody in America is immune to the "I want it now" mindset.

As I said previously, we're guilty in the church of demanding immediate, successful results in all of our endeavors. Every year a new set of programs is implemented with the expectation that these innovations will attract and keep an ever-growing number of people; have to pay for that new building, you know. The mass market, "want it now" mindset has invaded -- yea permeated -- the thoughts and actions of the church. As one preacher said, "We spend what we don't have, to buy what we don't need, to impress people who really don't care." How do we, as Christians, stop this madness?

Read the Scriptures.

Jesus spent 30 years preparing for a 3 year ministry. The Old Testament prophets spent most of their lives preaching to a nation that wouldn't listen, and would kill these mouthpieces for God. Hear Stephen in Acts 7:52: "which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute..." The apostle Paul spent all of his adult life preaching Christ, with the constant fear that his converts would fall back into the world. At the end of his ministry he wound up a martyr. Peter, James and others are said to have been similarly executed. Did their "success" come immediately? Were they even successful in the world's eyes?

My view of Scripture is that the church of today (collectively and individually) needs to re-examine how we define success. The world defines success in terms of fine clothes, leather upholstered automobiles, square footage, executive titles, and stock portfolios -- all things that give an impressive appearance FROM THE OUTSIDE. Our love of these things is an abomination to God (Jas. 4:4).

God measures success from the inside - out. Personal success (in God's eyes) starts with a humble walk before Him (Micah 6:8). We must take ourselves off of the throne. We must remove ourselves from the center of our universe. We must recognize who and what we really are. Isaiah characterized himself as a man of "unclean lips" living among a people who were the same way (Is. 6:5). Paul -- the greatest ambassor for Christ the ever lived, called himself a "wretched man" (Rom. 7:24). Instead of comparing themselves with our neighbors, we should become like these servants of God: comparing ourselves with God's ideal and seeing ourselves for what we are: miserably flawed people with no hope outside of God's undeserved grace.

Today, we need to recast our vision of ourselves as both individuals and congregations: we are works in progress, slowly learning and growing day by day. Paul's admonition in Romans 12 to become "living sacrifices" is totally at odds with the language and philosophy of the world. We need to become honest with ourselves and with each other: "transformed by the renewing of our minds" in order to "confess our sins to each other" and not to "grumble against each other" (James 5:9).

At the Open Door church, we are blessed to have two ministers that strive to preach, teach and live God's Word out on a daily basis for our benefit. They are not perfect men, but they labor in trying to teach us how to become like Christ (Rom. 8:29). Spiritual success will be measured by individual transformation, community service and souls knit together in love. Don't you know that a congregation on such a journey will be a light to the world? It might take years to make this journey, but God doesn't measure things in years like we do. Let's get back to the Bible way of doing things. Let the Scriptures define success. Let's be patient and appreciate God working with us as we make the journey.

Interested in joining us? Come and see.