Don't be a spectator in the life of the church

“For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve,
and give His life a ransom for many.”
Mark 10:45

It is here, everyone’s favorite time of the year. No it isn’t time for the new Hallmark Christmas movies. This is much better than that, it is time for March Madness!  It is the season that college basketball fans all around the nation look forward to all year.  Well to be honest, as a Carolina fan, I am not looking forward to the tournament as much as I have in the past.  What is the old saying? “There is always next year.” there are people all around the Nation, particularly in our neck of the woods that will call in sick just to watch the tournament; they have to cheer their team on.  We will spend countless hours glued to the television with adrenaline pumping, cheering on each dunk and three pointer. We will be on our knees in front of the screen screaming at the referees and any missed calls, calling them “blind” or accusing them of being paid off by the opposing team. Many will be decked out in their favorite team t-shirts and caps. There will be big foam fingers waving in the air declaring our team to be number one. For the next several weeks there will be many people trying to cheer their team onto victory. 

But you know, as cheerleaders sitting in front of our televisions or even standing in front of a seat in the stadium, we never add a single point to the teams score. You and I as fans may proclaim our love and devotion for the team of our choice, but we never really do anything to add to the score do we?

Sadly, that same mentality has carried over into our churches. Oh, there are plenty of church members that want to see people getting saved. Practically everyone in the church wants to see missions work being done in their local communities. The average parishioner wants to see their church grow and be a beacon in their neighborhood, but sadly many churches are filled with, “pew riders”.  What is a “Pew rider”? That is someone who only wants to sit on a pew and cheer someone else on to do the work of the church. Plenty of people believe in missions, but how many church members get involved in it? The average Christian wants to see the church have a great VBS, but do they lift a finger to help?  Person after person will want to reach the next generation of people, but do they ever leave the church sanctuary to tell someone about Jesus? I am afraid the answer to all of those questions is, no.  Our churches shouldn’t be filled with cheerleaders; they should be filled with active participants.  

Jesus Himself, came to this earth to serve. Jesus said, “For the Son of Man has come to seek and save that which was lost.” Luke 19:10. He set the example on not sitting on the sideline and just cheering the team on. He showed us how to be active. He showed us how to serve inside and outside of the four walls of the church. Don’t just cheer your church on, be an active participants in the Lord’s work.