Every week, I lead a small group of teenagers at a bible study. Every week I start with the same questions. Keep that in mind, we’ll come back.
Years ago
I was a part of a small group of college students. From that small group, a church grew up. One of the first things we did was talk about what we wanted to see out of this group and then search through Acts 2:42-47, which was the passage of scripture that prompted us to meet in the first place.
In both the list we’d mad and in the verses we’d read, we found the same 3 values which are meant to inform everything we do in our church. Those three values are:
- Love God
- Love Each Other
- Love Those Who Don’t Know Jesus
Why do I bring this up?
Probably because I’m lazy. No really. Not kidding there.
I like being lazy and I like getting the job done. It’s called efficiency. In terms of working in a church, efficiency isn’t the most important thing and there are definitely things that shouldn’t be rushed. On the same note, I’ve found that in an American church culture we’ve built here, that’s obsessed with platform, it’s easy for us to jump on popular theological bandwagons from someone else preaching. That’s not the most helpful thing when you’re wanting to get some things done that lend towards serving those around you, sharing the story of a loving God, and seeing a city change for the better.
How does bandwagon theology tie in with being lazy?
Now when I say lazy, I’m not saying afraid of work. I’m thinking more along the lines of picking my battles wisely. The thing about what’s popular theologically is that the theology usually biblical and helpful. This also means that they’re not something you want to try and argue against. The problem for most of us is connecting it on a ground level so that it’s being lived out and impacting lives in a helpful way. Rather than fighting a biblical theology, it’s a lot easier to point to values and ask the question, “How is this thing helping you live these out?”
Biblical based values can serve as an anchor to bring the pitfalls of anything we’re teaching or doing to light. [Tweet That]
Every week
I start with the same questions. What are our values? How did we live them out?
What are your church’s values? Are they being lived out?