Tuesday, July 21, 2009

Higher Expectations


"The treacherous enemy facing the church of Jesus Christ today is the dictatorship of the routine, when the routine becomes "lord" in the life of the church. Programs are organized and the prevailing conditions are accepted as normal. Anyone can predict next Sunday's service and what will happen. This seems to be the most deadly threat in the church today. When we come to the place where everything can be predicted and nobody expects anything unusual from God, we are in a rut. The routine dictates, and we can tell not only what will happen next Sunday, but what will occur next month and, if things do not improve, what will take place next year. Then we have reached the place where what has been determines what is, and what is determines what will be.



That would be perfectly all right and proper for a cemetery. Nobody expects a cemetery to do anything but conform.... But the church is not a cemetery and we should expect much from it, because what has been should not be lord to tell us what is, and what is should not be ruler to tell us what will be. God's people are supposed to grow."



Tozer on Christian Leadership: A 366-Day Devotional.

9 comments:

Rev. Barney said...

When I was in the Marines I worked in the "E" club (enlisted men's club). Every day at noon I would turn the T.V. to "All my children."
Sometimes I would have to go play war games for a month or two at a time. When I returned back to base and turned on my soaps, it was always as though I had been watching it every day. I realized I had not missed a thing. It was predictable.

Stay out of my message for this Sunday preacher. I agree with this statement in the strongest way. Wouldn't it be nice if people would come in to God's house and not gravitate to "their" seat?

Wouldn't it be even more refreshing if pastor's broke out of the mode of doing things according to a script?

My how we have boxed God in.

Anonymous said...

Great post and reminder McGhee.

Stay at it brother.

Tony R.

Pastor Rev. Ray E. Owens said...

The only thing more lethal than Tozer is Andre A. McGhee. Bless u for sharing.

HALLELUJAH said...

Who eats the same meal each day?

We need a variety.

Anonymous said...

Thank you for sharing these words Pastor and we must move on with the vision. Even the wind changes and so must God 's people. God bless and keep you.

Yours in Christ,
LLB

Ronald said...

Thanks brother, as usual God uses you to bless many people.

Ron

Jennifer McGhee said...

Amen Pastor. May this bless us to be more free with our worship and not locked in to a mundane routine.

Keith D. Witherspoon said...

Thank you Brother Pastor. As always, you find nuggets of great insight that challenge our thought process.

Pastor Kraig L. Pullam said...

McGhee, thanks for blessing me here with your post. This is outstanding!!! I will purchase this Tozer book in the very near future. Thanks!