Four Questions

Ray and I have are trying to understand the state of the church today. As part of this little journey we have been visiting various congregations, just to get a better picture of what's out there.

But in thinking about the state of the church one other question comes to mind: If the church is indeed made up of the people who make up the body of Christ, and not just the building at the NE corner of X St. and Y Ave., then what is the state of God's people?

With this in mind 4 questions occur to me; questions that I would suggest anyone who claims to be a follower of Jesus might want to consider:

1. How long have I been a believer, a follower of Christ?
2. Where am I in my walk with my Lord?
3. How am I growing in my walk with the Lord, and where is He leading me?
4. How is my church helping me to grow in my walk with the Lord, and equipping me to follow His leading?

I am especially interested in the answer to the fourth question, since I believe this is an area of serious weakness in the church today. We are taught the Word every Sunday, at least on a superficial level. And of course, some churches do a better job of this than others. But are we being taught to develop our own Bible study and ministry skills? Or is everything focused the Sunday morning sermon, perhaps supplemented by a Sunday school class or a Wednesday evening service? And are we truly being trained in ministry, or does everything except usher, greeter, sound board and choir/worship team depend on paid staff?

I'd love to see people's thoughts on this. So drop me a line, and let's see what we come up with.

james@tvpl.org