Featured Over Involvement

.... on an all expenses paid guilt trip?

Guilt trips have replaced motivation. Guilt trips will make you sick at heart. No matter what you do it just "ain't" enough. If you hang around long enough you're gonna get beat into submission. You'll become a Sheeple. Guilt trips will drive you over the edge. Make you say and do stupid things.

It should not be a burden to be a Christian. Don't be had! When the grip trip sermons begin..., get up and walk out. Your mental health is more important. :thumbs::thumbs::thumbs:

 

Mary had a little lamb
It would have been a sheep
If it hadn't joined a Baptist church
And died of lack of sleep.


There is always tension, between doing something, action and quiet contemplation. Many hide behind business. Many are simply programed to be busy and expect others to be busy. Many of those programmed to be busy are pastors, SS teachers, deacons, etc. and enjoy being busy and believe everyone should be busy.

The person who is programmed for quiet contemplation is not understood by the busy people.

.... all above IMHO.

 

The hard part is that many times, it is the busy people who can get things done.

 

The sad truth is that most people in the church do nothing and then complain about the ones who do everything.

In answer to the OP, if you're asked to do something that is not your gift, just tell them that God didn't gift you in that area, then find something to do that does use your gift. I've been asked to sing in the choir a hundred times but God didn't gift me with song so I say no thanks.

 

I've been in churches where they almost beg for volunteers to help with kids church just one Sunday a month or door greeting and various other menial tasks that could be done to ease up the workload of others and see people say things like "I can't because my duty to be an intercessary pray-er for the pastor and music team while the service is going on." Whatever that means, I don't know, but I'm sure they could pray for the pastor while doing at least one of these things.

 

Whatever God has gifted you with is something that you are good at. Would God give a bad gift? Your gift is something you feel compelled in your heart to do. I have a LOVE for the scriptures. I love bible study. I love learning about God. Not everyone is that way. So God has opened the door for me to teach.

I don't have a talent for singing, so I don't get up in front of the church and belt out a song. That would only be exalting myself and not God. (plus people would get up & leave :laugh

Sometimes we can find out what our gift is by listening to what others say about us. If people say what a beautiful voice you have, then you should sing. If they say you have great organizational skills then you should use that. If they say you are a natural leader, then do that.

Just don't ignore your gifts and keep your light hidden under a bushel.

 

I've been in churches where they almost beg for volunteers to help with kids church just one Sunday a month or door greeting and various other menial tasks that could be done to ease up the workload of others and see people say things like "I can't because my duty to be an intercessary pray-er for the pastor and music team while the service is going on." Whatever that means, I don't know, but I'm sure they could pray for the pastor while doing at least one of these things.

Squidward, as things are in many churches for which you describe..., then the Pastor needs to take to the podium one Sunday morning and tell it like it is by calling a Spade a Spade.

"THIS CHURCH IS DEAD!!!" Even should it cost him his job. What good is there with teaching and begging and preaching and begging and on and on and on. Tell it like it is!

Should the folks become offended by his comments then so be it. A dead church is a dead church.

 

The reason so many of us are so busy is because we're picking up the slack for those who refuse to do anything. If everyone would pull their fair share, the rest of us wouldn't be spread so thin.

I think what should happen is this: if people are too busy, they should STOP doing so much and just cut back to what they can do well. If this means something doesn't get done, then so be it.

 

I never let myself be guilted into doing things for which I have no talent.

And I never let myself be guilted into doing things I don't think should be done.

So, no, sorry, I won't be helping with "kids' church" as I think they should be in the regular service. But I will happily teach a SS class for them during the SS hour.

Some folks are lazy, yes, and some folks aren't happy until they've assigned everyone some busywork to do.

Most churches, it seems, manage to get what really needs doing done. The rest--yeah, folks run from it.

Rightfully so.

 

I believe that God gives us certain gifts and abilities to use for His honor and glory. For a person with a great singing voice to refuse to use it and claim "I can't sing", that is sin and disobedience. The same holds true for the ability to preach, teach, the gift of helping, or other gifts and abilities that God gives to His people. He doesn't give them for them to hidden and not used.

I was given the gift of singing and used it and improved it with voice lessons, directing lessons, and studying music in order to read it and have a better idea of what I was doing.

Like the parable of the talents: some of them doubled their talents and were blessed by God. Others hid their one talent and did nothing with it and was cursed by God. The choice is yours to be obedient or disobedient to God and use whatever talent(s) He gives you. You may have only one as I did, but use it to its fullest. My singing ability has become rather limited due to allergies, but I used it faithfully for 40 years.

 

My pastor now does do a sermon a couple times a year about being active. We have a three hour seminar for those that desire to join the church and one thing the pastor says in there is "don't expect to join and just sit. If you plan to belong here you need to find and fill a need. There is plenty to do here and a lot of those details do not require much work."

 

My pastor now does do a sermon a couple times a year about being active. We have a three hour seminar for those that desire to join the church and one thing the pastor sa....

Then what might be the problem?

 

The problem isn't as prevalent in my church now. Just past churches.

 

When I was in my senior year of high school and freshman year of college I started going to the Mormon church (yeah, it was for a boy I was seeing at the time and it didn't work out). Mormon churches have three hour long Sunday services. There's an hour of Sunday School, an hour of Scripture Study (men in one room and women in another, also divided up by age group), and then an hour of worship service. I was 18 years old and had no plans for marriage or kids. When the bishop of the church found out that I had no intention of getting married and having kids right away, he assigned me a position in the nursery. I was absolutely miserable spending two hours every Sunday with a bunch of toddler-aged kids. I left the church a few weeks after that and never looked back. My talents do not lie in working with little kids.

At my current church, a sermon was preached two weeks ago on using your spiritual gifts. I know my gift is music. I can sing. I can play the piano (a little). I can play the flute. I actually majored in music education in college. So the next week I did a special song and everyone enjoyed it. Ever since, people have requested me to sing songs and I am joining the choir. I have found my niche in the church and am comfortable serving there.

Everyone needs to find their gift and use it in the church. With all working together, each position will be filled.

 

The problem isn't as prevalent in my church now. Just past churches.

That's good. The last church we attended unless you were from the Parker or Marshburn clan about all you could do is sit on the pew and tithe.

 

onlybygrace--amen and amen!

 

Amen, and very well said. You've hit the nail on the head!

I would add that "being" the church is more important that always being in church meetings. I wish we would spend less time AT the church building and more time actually interacting with one another, helping each other. "Church" is more than sermon after sermon, revival after revival, class after class. It's about loving each other and serving each other, not just staying busy for the sake of business.