What we say too much in our churches:
1. "Some people are upset."
2. "We’ve never done it before."
3. "Let’s don’t do anything that might upset some people."
4. "You cater to the younger people."
5. "You cater to the older people."
6. "You are keeping me from worshiping."
7. "You know that many people in this church are unhappy."
8. "We’re going to lose some people over this."
9. "I tried to tell them."
10. "What about my needs?"
Feel better after reading (or hearing) these? Not me! Hearing too many of these statements could send you screaming into the night!
Unfortunately, some of these statements are heard much too often in churches all over the United States. They reveal much about our view of Jesus and his mission.
I wish…I really wish that I could hear more statements like these:
1. "Could a few elders and their wives come to our house tomorrow evening and pray for our family?"
2. "I am so glad we sang those newer songs today. Some of those songs mean so much to some of our people."
3. "I am so glad we sang those older songs today. Some of those songs mean so much to some of our people."
4. "At the moment, I don’t know how we will pay for it, but if God wants it done, he will provide."
5. "Hey, let’s go meet these new people!"
6. "We would love to get to know you better. Let’s go out to lunch today."
7. "Don’t you just love it when our leaders challenge us to trust God?"
8. "Excuse me–we don’t talk that way about people at this church. If you have something that negative to say, you need to talk to them."
9. "Hey guess what? I invited my friend at work to come to life group and she came!"
10. "I’m so glad that I am a part of this church. People seem to confess their sins openly. That has given me such courage to deal with my own sins."