Yesterday, we saw the solar eclipse, an event that media talked about for weeks. People traveled from around the world in order to see it. All of this publicity has made me think about “eclipses” in the church – that is, those things that seem to block the Son in the church. Here are some that come to mind:
- Unrepentant sin. When we choose not to turn from our sin, we hinder God’s work and turn our attention from the saving grace of God’s Son.
- Personal agendas. It’s tough to honor the Son and defend our own turf at the same time.
- Gospel-less preaching. You’d hope that it doesn’t happen, but it does. A message that never gets to the gospel neglects Jesus.
- Congregational division. The church that’s continually fighting among themselves cannot be pointing others to Jesus.
- False gospels. Preach the wrong gospel, and you probably eclipse Jesus all together.
- Kingdom building. Broadcasting our own achievements so we build our own kingdoms rather than God’s kingdom robs Christ of His glory.
- Bad teaching. Some teaching is so poorly done that it’s almost impossible to follow its train of thought – and seldom does it clearly point to Jesus.
- “Tradition idolatry.” I’m not at all opposed to tradition, but some churches allow an unhealthy traditionalism to get in the way of clearly proclaiming Jesus to a non-believing world.
- Unspoken pluralism. That is, many churches have members who believe there are multiple ways to God—in addition to a personal relationship with Jesus—though they seldom admit that belief publicly.
- Directionless small groups. A small group that has no intentional guidance and accountability will likely wander in multiple directions, and seldom will it default into a deep focus on Jesus.
What other causes of eclipses in the church come to mind for you?
lack of preaching on Acts Chapter 2. Without the leading and operation of the Holy Spirit we are left to man-made methods that will never accomplish what Jesus intended for His New Testament Church.
Thanks, Jim.