No Spectators Allowed

Chuck Swindoll once described American Christianity as the equivalent of a stadium filled with fans watching two professional sports teams play on the field below. “On the field are twenty-two men badly in need of rest, surrounded by fifty-thousand fans badly in need of exercise.” That imagery stems from a common myth that floats around many churches. It goes something like this: “the real work of ministry is done by the professionals. The rest of us are spectators.” Truth is, God doesn't want fans; He wants teammates actively involved on the field of play.

It’s a common temptation in many churches to conclude that the pastors and paid staff do the lion’s share of the work, and that the congregation is just the recipients or the spectators watching like a studio audience. The average person in the auditorium, according to this myth, is nothing more than the “water boy” who helps the team by ferrying supplies to the pros who are on the field sweating it out. This is a grand misconception, because this is not how God designed the church to operate. God wants all of us sharing and contributing and serving and discovering all the ways and outlets that our presence, gifts, strengths, etc. can be a useful tool for the work of ministry—and ultimately, the building of the Kingdom of God.

One of the things I LOVE about growth groups is that we attack that myth. We slice it and dice it. When all the members are sharing the responsibilities of a group’s welfare, we’re attacking it. When group members identify their passions and strengths and gifts to serve, we are skewering it. When members decide they want to undertake the role of becoming a leader because God is directing them that way, we are killing that myth. We are living out the way God has called us to live by actively engaging and contributing to each other’s spiritual growth and development.

Martin Luther exploded the Christian world in the sixteenth century with a radical new notion derived from the scriptures called the “priesthood of all believers”. I say radical and new because up to that time, people hadn’t seen this truth in scriptures (partly because it was only in Latin and most people couldn’t read, but that's besides the point).

What he meant was that every single follower of Christ was a priest (or priestess) of the King of Kings. What’s a priest do? Act as a go-between with God and man, communicating to each other the desires and wishes of the other. As we serve, engage, and share with our culture (our neighbors, family, friends, co-workers, etc) the good news of Jesus and a life lived in surrender to Him, we are acting as priests, representing the truth of Jesus to people who need Him most. Jesus is the chief priest, of course, acting as THE mediator between God and man. But we are partners in the process of spreading that opportunity to others.

We follow in the tradition of this principle today as we recognize that at the foot of the cross, we are all equal in God’s eyes. There are no second class citizens in the Kingdom of God. Every one of us has been bought with the same blood of Christ through his death.

Not only that, God has gifted each of us with some kind of gift or talent to bless and love other people around us. Whether some of us have five talents, ten talents, or just one or two, the point is that we are to use them. They are a blessing from God, and are meant to be used to bless others. When we discover and serve in them, we receive a strong sense of fulfillment through the glory of God by doing what He’s designed us to do. There’s great spiritual symmetry when we are surrendered to God and serving others in love.

Keep in mind, it’s only when the entire body is actively serving that the body of Christ is completely healthy. If only part of the body is working properly, the rest of the body feels the effect of it. This is why it’s so important to bring up this principle, and encourage as much as possible a fuller involvement by every member in your group, because the vitality and healthy of your group and our church depend on it.