I Want Nothing From You…Really!
What if I told you that I wanted nothing from you? What would you say to me? What if I told you I expect nothing from you? How would you respond? I suspect your initial reaction would be, “Yeah, right, okay!” in the most sarcastic tone imaginable. I can’t blame you. I have had the same reaction to folks that tell me they want nothing from me. In my experience, most of the time it isn’t true.
I am here to tell you, and I mean what I say, I want nothing from you. Nothing at all.
I do, however, want something FOR you.
In a world where getting something in return for giving something is the norm, I want to give you something without needing or wanting anything from you at all. I want to give you something many churches will not give you. This is not because other churches are greedy. This is not because other churches are bad. This is because churches (in the broad meaning) have not realized the amount of problems within the system they operate in. No matter what any church tells you, every church, no matter their denomination affiliation, has a system of operation. Everything, everyone, every business, etc., has a system of operation.
As someone who has moved around frequently throughout my 33 years, I have experienced different denominations, churches, systems of operations, and I can tell you that I can find both good and bad qualities in every single one of them. This includes my current church home where I am proud to be the leader. Every church has a system, I know I have already stated this. Every church has found a way to do service that makes sense to them, seems to work, so why fix it? Here is the problem many churches have forgotten, the way church has been done doesn’t make it the right way for the here and now. Churches often get stuck in ministering to the people in pews and not to the folks who haven’t walked in the door. By doing this, the church is not actually a “church.”
This begs the question: What is the “church?” I enjoy looking and asking for different responses to this question. The below are just some of what I have come across:
“The church is the body of Christ—all the people who accept Christ’s gift of salvation and follow Christ’s teachings. It is much more than a building. In the Bible, “church” never refers to a building. It always refers to people—the people who follow Jesus Christ.” (Faithward)
“The church is the congregation, or assembly, of all the people who have been called out of the world by God.” (Bibles for America)
“The church is a group of called-out believers in Jesus Christ founded on the Word of God. There are both visible and invisible aspects of the church on earth showcasing God’s glory in local congregations and throughout the world. A true church displays particular aspects like preaching the Word of God and church discipline, while a false church will not do the same things. Ultimately, the church is a visible representation of the kingdom of God.” (Truth Story)
“The local church is a gathering of those who believe in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord, who are committed to meet regularly for worship, teaching, fellowship, and prayer, and who help make disciples of all people.” (Bible.org)
I will say that I agree with most of these descriptions…to a point. Yes, the local church is not a building. Yes, the local church is a people. Yes, the local church is a gathering of two or more people. No, the local church is not a gathering of those who believe in Christ. I am sure someone read that last sentence and really got mad at me, especially some of my own church family. Stay with me, I am going somewhere with this.
Yes, many churches consist of people that do believe in Christ, have a similar belief system and theological understanding of their faith. This is not what the church SHOULD BE. It is necessary to have a place where like-minded individuals can come together and learn and grow in their belief and understanding. The church should also be a place where someone who has been hurt by a church previously in their life can come and potentially not be in the same place as others in the gathering place. A church should be a place where someone who has never heard the collection of ancient manuscripts that were written down by man, inspired by God, over 1500 years can come and not feel like an outcast. A church should be a place where someone can come through the doors without being expected to immediately think, act, believe, look like, think like the rest of us who are comfortable in that setting. A church should be a place where love and support, no matter your background, is the first thing experienced. A church should be a place where a teacher presents the Scriptures in a way that forces everyone to be so compelled, provides something helpful, even if it is scary, and makes it so everyone in the gathering place wants to return.
I can tell you that even my local church may not be quite there. I think that is okay. As the leader, it is my job to help my church family get to this point.
Here is what I want FOR you…not FROM you:
I want you to know I see you. I want you to come to our gathering place and know that I am happy you are here. I want you to know I want to meet you and learn who you are. I want you to come in and feel like you have always been part of our family. I want you to come to our gathering place without feeling a need to give something to us as if there is an entrance fee. I want you to come in and feel like a lost sheep. Why? Because I want you to know that as a lost sheep, I will come and find you. I will do my best to make sure you are never left alone. I want you to come into our gathering place with the understanding that it is okay for you not to believe what we believe.
I want you to be okay with coming into our gathering place feeling like all Christ-followers are just hypocrites using the Bible and justification for bad behavior because “Jesus died for my sins and I live through his grace…” because many in this faith system do indeed live like this. I want you to stop listening to folks who say to you, “The Bible says,” because the Bible DOES NOT SAY! The bible has over 40 authors associated within our Holy Texts. The Bible is not a book, rather, it is the inspired word of God written by over 40 authors consisting of 66 books (not including the apocrypha and other scripts that are not printed within the collection) over 1500 years. I want you to know the Bible DOES NOT SAY rather, different persons, called through God for the purpose of writing the inspired word, will say.
I want you to be okay with not knowing a thing that is in the collection of ancient manuscripts our church family holds close to our hearts. I want you to feel okay with not being able to pronounce weird ancient names of people, cities, occupations, etc. I want you to come to our gathering place without feeling pressure to even open the Bible. I want you to come and be okay with disagreeing with a stance, being open to discussion, and not feeling unheard.
I don’t want anything FROM you.
I want something FOR you.
I want you to feel like you matter, because you do. I want you to feel seen, because you are beautifully created and should be seen. I want you to feel welcomed, especially in an uncomfortable situation. Coming back into a church is like attending a family event of a family that isn’t yours. It is awkward and uncomfortable. I want you to feel at home. I want you to feel heard, because your voice matters. I want you to feel safe, because I wish you love and comfort. I want you to grow as a person, because the only things in life we regret are opportunities we never take.
I don’t want anything FROM you. I only want something FOR you.
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