Looking to God
Churches are communities of people which look to God. Surely that is so obviously right that it shouldn’t need to be said. Christian people are those who have discovered that God alone is the source of true life and therefore their lives together are focussed upon looking to God and working in partnership with him.
But the fact is that churches do get distracted. It doesn’t take long to discover a kaleidoscope of potential distractions, any one of which can lure a church away from looking to God. Take buildings for example. Church buildings have much in their favour but their upkeep can gobble up every ounce of energy available. And then there are personality issues. I often hear church leaders reflect how well their church would work if it wasn’t for the people! Every person is a one off, and in church we deliberately bring together totally different kinds of people. The potential for distraction is endless. And then there are money issues. Churches cost a lot of money to run, and at the moment there are huge financial pressures upon us all. Our present pension situation is just one more pressure. It is very easy for a church to be distracted by financial concerns.
And I could go on! But I have said enough to make it clear that no church will be focussed on God as an inevitable consequence of having the name “Church” on its notice board or its details in the Baptist Union Directory. A church will only be focussed on God if it is determined to be so, and disciplines its life to ensure that it happens. At Baptist Assembly in Blackpool I challenged our Baptist community to reflect afresh on what it means to look to God. Part of that process will, inevitably, involve confession – acknowledging before God those many things that distract us from our central purpose. Even our worship services can be so full of distractions that we can come away without having truly looked to God, our majestic and eternal Heavenly Father.
I am excited at the thought that looking to God will mean very different things for different people, and different churches. In some churches there will need to be a fresh exploration of the awesomeness of God in worship. Others will want to look at the opportunities for corporate prayer in their church diary. Some will need to find a new place for testimony in the regular life of the community to ensure that people are regularly hearing what it means to live a life that is centred on God. Others will want to take a fresh look at their children’s and youth work to reflect on the ways in which younger people are encouraged to look to God amidst the particular distractions that they face. And all will want to reflect on what it means to look to God with other Christian sisters and brothers in their community.
The church of Jesus Christ only has power and authority when its life is focussed on God. There is nothing wrong with having shiny buildings, ample finances, smiling congregations and streamlined teaching programmes – but without the life of God surging through our life together, it is worth nothing. Let’s not only decide to look to God - but let’s live like it!
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