It's a family, not a business!

This past weekend I visited another church. Hunting for a new church home is a daunting experience. The message was centered around Ephesians 2 starting at verse 11 the idea that we are one in Christ. Since we are all one in Christ the Church as a whole is a family but then the individual churches make up different family units. I am feeling a bit lost in this transition, as it has been a long time since I have had to look for a new church family and missing my SCC family quite a bit.

Two points that were made this past Sunday was the difference between a family and a business and the difference between being a family member and a consumer.

A business gives you what you want.
A family gives you what you need!

That is a huge difference. So many times I hear people complaining because they didn't get from a particular church what they wanted. Maybe they don't serve coffee or the right coffee; maybe they only sing hymns or they don't sing any hymns or any number of other things. I understand preferences but church splits or really church divorces over these kinds of things is silly. As a kid, I remember my mom setting limits with me over music. (Can you believe we didn't have the same tastes in music!) I couldn't listen whenever I wanted to and I couldn't play the music as loud as I always wanted too. We talked, made compromises. She knew listening to loud music while I was doing homework would not work for me. ( I hate to admit, it still doesn't work for me.) But when my homework was done I could listen all I wanted and from time to time I could even turn it up loud! That's part of giving me what I needed not what I wanted. You might have other examples too!

As a consumer you are trying to get as much as you can for as little as you can.
As a family member you give all that you have for nothing in return.

I loved this! That consumer attitude just doesn't work in a family, not our earthly families and not in the church. If we come in with the attitude, what can the church give to me, we can end up being very disappointed. Can you imagine being at a church were everyone just wants to know what they can get and never gives back? When you think about it, that attitude is opposite of Christ's attitude. He came to serve and He gave us everything and received nothing in return. That's the kind of family I want to be a part of.

Lord, help me to live like you and be a family member that lives out Philippians 2, always looking to the interests of others and not just my own!