Buffet or Boot Camp?

Buffets. Now you’re picturing it, aren’t you?  Mounds of mediocrity under heat lamps which we compensate for by “getting our money’s worth” in consuming five times the amount normally eaten at any given meal.   And as we loosen our belts to make room for our over-indulgent (but economic!) caloric intake, we convince ourselves that quantity made up for quality.  Well, almost.  (That is, until we lose a bit of our appetite in observing sticky little fingers belonging to bodies that can barely see over the counter to the oatmeal raisin cookie that they just grabbed, tried... and then returned to the tray.  It DID look deceivingly like a chocolate chip cookie, after all.) 

Yeah, so I’m not a fan of buffets.  (Which may change as my three little men hit growth spurts and start eating me out of house and home!)  But the Sunday afternoon lunch buffet at Ryan’s is not the only place where this concept proves to come up short.  As the body of Christ in America, we tend to view our weekly gatherings/services as yet another opportunity to peruse the spiritual smorgasbord, picking and choosing what we want for our personal consumption.  Our focus becomes us, what we want to “get out of it.”  I’ll be the first to admit that there have been several times in the past where I’ve evaluated a church service with thoughts like “Yeah, that worship style really worked for me.  And I love what they offer for kids.  And that pastor’s teaching?  Pretty edgy!”  And like a saturated sponge that begins to mold on the edge of my sink, my stagnation sets in as I settle in on viewing the Church as a buffet, with the purpose being my consumption.

But what if we viewed our assemblies as a boot camp instead of a buffet table?  I’ve seen the positive impact that fitness boot camps have had on folks.  With tough workouts, intense coaching, and diet regimens directed by nutritionists, people’s physiques have been transformed as they put their bodies under strict physical discipline.  Physical bodies able to operate at their optimal level, like well oiled machines. 

Could it be that this is more the purpose of our meeting together as believers?  I would wager, according to Scripture, that the answer is a resounding “YES!” 

“It was He (Christ) who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into Him who is the Head, that is, Christ. From Him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.”  Ephesians 4:11-16

 “And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds.  Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”  Hebrews 10:24-25

“Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.  Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air.  No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.” 1 Corinthians 9:24-27

What if edification, admonition, and encouragement of fellow believers really became the purpose of our coming together?  Would we be so prone to programs and popular topical teachings if our focus was on spiritual discipline, spurring one another on in love and good deeds as we see the Day approaching?  What would that translate into being for our ministries within the body?  I think they would end up looking a lot less like crowd-pleasing performances, as the focus could be on establishing intentional, deliberate training grounds for spiritual growth and maturity... whether or not that included fog machines or tight media compilations.

Not that having “attractive” ministries is bad.  But the heart behind making them attractive is what’s key.  If the attractiveness is to aid in the learning process, that’s one thing.  After all, Church “growth” should be measured in the spiritual maturity of our congregation, not simply in how many bodies line our pews.  (‘Cause let’s keep it real; many a cult have been on the fast track for “growth”... but “drinking the koolaid” proved a false message after all.)  Yes.  Our function as believers living in (but not of) this world should most definitely be the “Great Commission,” sharing the Good News of Jesus with a lost and hopeless world.  But it’s that message of Christ that should be attractive, and not because I put the right background music and dim lighting behind it. It’s my life, filled with the Spirit and reflecting the love and heart of our Father, that should be what I try to make “attractive.”  Embodying radical love, forgiveness, and grace will go way further in captivating the lost than any cover of a U2 song by our church band.  And with a mindset of our weekly gatherings being more of a spiritual boot camp, we, through the Spirit, can be personal trainers for each other...equipping one another to run this race with perseverance!  Because in coming alongside our brothers and sisters to promote spiritual growth, our organic body of Christ (whether gathered together or as individuals living our faith out in the world) will be Truly attractive... because it will be CHRIST IN US that will do all of the attracting.