Church culture is no different than any other tribal culture that’s out there.  We all trend towards immersing ourselves with like minded people.  We gather with those that think like us… dress like us… talk like us… vote like us…. worship like us…. you get the picture.

This tendency is one of the areas God has been pressing down on my in my personal life.  Humanity’s default setting is a trending towards INSULATION.  We all consciously and sub-consciously INSULATE our lives.  We fall into the routine.  We go through the motions.  We get through the work week… the school week… we live for the week end…

Here’s the rub.  As i have seen in my own life, the more i insulate myself, the more apathy…. complacency…. laziness take hold. The more i insulate myself the more my passion dwindles…. The more i insulate myself the less i have any urgency in my life….

INSULATION LEADS TO STAGNATION. The SAME is true for you… if you’ll be honest with yourself for a moment.

The beauty of acknowledging this, is that we can use it to our advantage.  We can reframe the problem.  If INSULATION LEADS TO STAGNATION, then we’ve got to push for the opposite; fight the trend to insulate and work for EXPOSURE.

One of the predominate reasons many churches and leaders are so out of touch and ineffective in their communities is a direct result from LACK OF EXPOSURE.  That is to say…. The church and/or it’s leaders have no idea what’s going on in the communities they are in.  They have insulated themselves so well with their friends… their music… their agendas…. their traditions that they dont FEEL THE HURT of the world they live in.

More exposure will pour Holy Spirit Gasoline on an illuminated heart… More exposure will compel a true believer to ACT… More exposure will earn you the right to be a voice and an influencer in your community…. More exposure will help you know how to better spend your resources to meet the REAL NEEDS of your world (not just the assumed needs that are convenient for the church to meet)… More exposure will help you lead your ministry @ a much higher capacity.

Practical examples:

- Join a local gym- if you are going to advance the Gospel then you have to EXPOSE yourself to dead souls…

- Coach a rec team- non-church league… duh.  Minister to kids & their families

- Get on the campuses of your middle schools and high schools- Hear what students are talking about.  Be vigilant as to what the REAL needs are as you minister to share that all needs stem from the soul’s desire for The Only Need- Christ.

- Sit down with some Non-Christians- Dont play scared… They wont bite… Invite a group to a coffee or a lunch… Hear why they dont attend church or believe in Christ… There may be an obvious reason that our years of insulation have blinded us from seeing… (This is a good practice to repeat… b/c it’s going to force you to always know some non-christians in your community and WHY they choose to be qualified as such).

So as this wk end arrives…. What will you choose to do??? Will you continue to be an insulated conformist?? Or would you venture out in an effort to expose your soul to the hurting world around you?   Let me make you a promise - If you truly have a regenerated heart that Christ has purchased and given you- Then HIS HOLY DISCONTENT WILL BECOME YOUR HOLY DISCONTENT… and He came into the world to save it, not to condemn it.’

This entry was posted on Friday, October 9th, 2009 at 3:31 pm and is filed under Church, culture.
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