When the Church is the center of the universe

In the 16th and 17th century, both Copernicus and Galileo asserted that the earth moved around the sun.  Of course, the church's opinion that the sun revolved around the earth contradicted the scientific facts, and Galileo was placed under house arrest and forbidden to publish any of his research ever again.

Such a historical story serves as a historical and contemporary metaphor as well; namely that the center of the universe is not the earth, but to many, it is the Church.  (of course it really should be Christ, but we all know what it's like to argue with the church at times).

I've touched on this theme previously, that unless our passion and interests are the same as the Church's they don't seem to matter. Yet if the Church were to realize that there is a place of balance, a place where it is as interested in my life as I am in its life, a wonderful balance occurs.

Our individual calling and service may touch upon the programs and mission of our local congregations, but – here's the part the Church as a whole seems to miss – our individual callings most likely will include other interests outside of the Church.

Even our Christ-related activities are church-centered: if someone from the Church wants to meet with us, often they call us to them; we serve in the Church, at the Church, for the Church. For all that time we spend serving, little time is given from the Church to the relationships we need to form in order to belong, to find community – sadly in the context of serving. How well do we know each other, even when we serve together? How well do those who pastor and shepherd the body of Christ really know the members?  To know the people one must get outside the confines of the Church, spend time equipping and knowing and speaking with.  Consider that Jesus spent more time outside of the synagogue than in it.  If you're a pastor – when was the last time you visited any of those who are closely aligned with your ministry either at their home or in their business?

How ironic that in my profession, I can confidently say I belong to and am a member of the business community – but in the Church the same sense of community does not often exist. (especially not in the way Bonhoeffer thought of community) (Boenhoeffer's Life Together)

Community comes from spending time together, getting to know one another in order to share common interests, common passions, common service. It comes from praying together, being authentic with each other, even from disagreeing with each other. We are the people who share the passion for the cause – people who are flawed, who are busy, who are the center of their own lives, no matter how much evidence there is that the earth revolves around the sun.

If we don't feel like we belong, we aren't going to feel like we want to give, to serve, to love.  There is a give and take that must occur – If the Church were to show more interest in its people, they in return will show more interest in the cause.

Letting God choose where you serve

The way I see it, there are three types of people who serve in Christian ministries:

• Ministry professionals (who by calling serve, and are paid for their service)
  
• People who want to be in ministry but aren't (who serve in volunteer positions and give a large amount of time, while working full-time jobs to support themselves and/or their families)
  
• Volunteers who serve because they enjoy it (who don't feel any call to full-time ministry, but have a passion to serve)
  

Of course, I'm not counting those whose who serve out of guilt. More encouragement for you later.

If you count yourself in the last group, then you're in the majority. There's nothing wrong with loving your career and choosing to serve the Lord with the gifts he has given you as a volunteer.

Let me repeat: there is nothing wrong about that type of service!

Don't let emotion, guilt or peer pressure force you into decisions about service. God's call to you to serve will be clear and satisfying – but you may have a family, a career, a role that he clearly wants you in outside of ministry – and that is part of God's sovereign will for you as well.

An overlooked verse is 2 Corinthians 5:18-20 NLTse

18 And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ. And God has given us this task of reconciling people to him. 19 For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people's sins against them. And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation. 20 So we are Christ's ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, "Come back to God!" 21 For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin,* so that we could be made right with God through Christ.

You are part of the church, the body of Christ. Everybody who believes in Christ is part of the body and fills a different role. No matter where or how we serve, the task is the same for all of us: ambassadors for God, appealing to those around us to be reconciled to God. How He chooses to do that through you should be up to Him, and not up to those around you.