Lost Cars

After a long, tiring week at school, I couldn’t wait to begin the long two-hour drive home. But as I neared the parking lot, something seemed out of place.

My car was missing!

“Can you believe this?” I thought. “Some dirty rotten, no-good, stole my car. Now what?”

Furious, I stomped to the campus police station and demanded action. After patiently filing a report, the officer broadcast my car's description over the radio.

My thoughts were jumbled as I waited: "How would I get home? Would insurance cover this?"

Within five minutes an officer called back saying, “I think I’ve found it!”

“What happened?” I wondered. “Did the thief take a joyride and then abandon the car? Would there be any damage?”

A few minutes later, I was driven to a parking lot less than 200 yards from where my car was stolen.

Oops! Was it stolen? With a sickening feeling in the pit of my stomach, I suddenly remembered that this particular week, I parked my car in a different lot.

I parked my car in the wrong place and out of habit simply expected it to be where it never was. “How embarrassing!” 

Many church leaders could be accused of the same problem “Out of habit, I expect our church to be where they never were.” As a pastor I need to be careful to guide our church to the right parking lot.

In other words, is our church in the wrong parking lot? Are we merely comfortable with doing what worked forty or fifty years ago when we should be looking for ways to serve God and meet the real needs of the world of today?

The last words of Jesus were: “I have been given complete authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:18-20)

I see three lessons:

·         Vision: I have been given complete authority -- Jesus has been given complete authority from God. Does your church have a vision that reflects God’s authority? It’s hard to know what path to travel without an eventual destination. Where does your church want to go?

·         Teach: Teach these new disciples -- Are you teaching disciples? People are hungry to grow stronger in their faith. Is your church offering a good Bible Study that will allow them to ask tough questions? Do you offer small groups for prayer and support?

·         Empower: Baptize them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit – Are we serious about empowering disciples? One good description of a church is as matchmaker: matching community needs with the unique talents of people. New disciples are encouraged to join existing ministries or form new ones which in turn, attract more new disciples to teach and empower. It is an endless cycle of growth and renewal.

Here is the promise:

Jesus says, “I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” This wonderful assurance gives us wisdom to pray, patience to wait, discipline to prepare, humility to encourage and ultimately courage to take risks knowing that God always lovingly protects us.

Some examples:

 

·         A dying church participates in a special Bible study. During one class, they decide to start an after-school program. Three years later the church is back on its feet and growing.

·         A coat salesman in a Sunday school class hears of school children with no winter coats. The coat project now provides new coats for more than 150 children every year.

·         A struggling church sends a discouraged widow to a singles retreat. She comes back with a vision to start a singles ministry. Thanks to her ministry, the church is thriving.     

What about the future?

It took a lost automobile to help me realize that looking towards the future first means knowing that I am in the right parking lot. If the church I serve has a vision and is faithfully teaching and empowering disciples then ultimately God will give us a unique ministry suitable for our church and our community.

Meanwhile, I’m working on improving my memory.