What am I looking for when I seek a church? This is one of my least favorite things to do; in fact I am more likely to stay in a church with lots of problems and getting nowhere than to go look for another. Part of that is the relational level in churches that I have attended or looked at seems so shallow. I've only found deeper relationships within Bible studies and small groups, not so much the result of a worship gathering. And yet, it is the worship gathering that is normally used to gauge a church. Why is that?
The church we tried last week, and the one we are looking this morning both seem slim on Bible study, at least for adults. Frankly, that's really a problem for me. Small groups are scarce around here. I'm new to the community, so there could be reasons why small groups are impractical, but I doubt it. I suspect people have time for TV, and working on hobbies. If they have that sort of time, they also have time for a small group.
This morning Chambers has a great entry on spiritual sluggishness. And one of his points is that active work is not the same as spiritual activity. The danger he point out is that my focus can become on "spiritual retirement" rather than on The Holy Spirit; he says that the effect can become the cause. I think of it instead as the affects become the focus, where I become more interested in how the Spirit of my Master affects me than on Him. I like the joy and peace, and not so much the "being at His service."
The community I live in has been hit hard by a difficult economy. Economies, in and of themselves, even on a micro scale, are complex. So the answers are rarely easy, but they can be basic. For instance, one common element to any economy is currency. Currency is what determines the inflation or deflation of prices within an economy. Without currency, the economy becomes deflated, but then depression sets in. With too much inflation makes prices soar. Currency is a necessary element, but it requires balance.
A second common element is supply versus demand. There are two large "warehouse" sorts of stores here, Walmart and Lowes. One problem faced by both is the breadth of product options. They are not able to focus on just those brands and types the community is interested in. They, by design are constrained to a broad range of products. This puts them in danger since they can be caught with too much supply, and not enough demand, a problem compounded by their practice of rotating stock seasonally. This is a problem to the community because these are two large employers, and if they go under, so do a lot of jobs, removing the needed currency from the local economy.
So the problems of this community are not easily solved because they are intertwined, interrelated, and complex. Simple solutions are difficult to find. These problems foster depression and hopelessness, and those emotions make people easy prey for the evil one. The dark cloud of evil is often brought on by the darkness of hopelessness.
Spiritual activity may not solve the economic problems enabling people to get what they want where they are. But that is not the core problem Jesus came to solve. Getting at the heart of the problem of the human soul is more His interest. So, any spiritual activity must be focused there. When people are lifted from their hopelessness, they will be able to respond to their economic circumstances with the vision my Master provides, not something I come up with. That is what they need, the direction of my Master. And I am proof that He provides such vision. I am here as proof of that provision.
So where do I provide such assistance; in a worship service? Not likely. These are things most easily provided and accomplished in a small group. So, perhaps this is my "heading" for charting the direction my Master is leading.
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