In our 'fast-food' society, where "have it your way" and "Delivered in 30 minutes or it's Free" have become the standards - that mindset has bled its way into the church. People come to church to "get" what THEY want, WHEN they want it, HOW they want it, WHERE they want it ... and at the cheapest possible cost to them.
Understand ... I am not talking about EVERYBODY. I know there are those (and probably more than not) who actually come to church with the right heart and mind ... but it does seem that the "McDonalds Members" seem to be the ones that make the most noise. Their favorite Praise song would be a modified version of "The Heart of Worship" - where they sing, "It's all about me - Jesus. It's all about me" and their favorite hymn would be "We shall not be moved."
This all stems from recent events where people in the congregation don't want to do something that the Pastor and the leadership sense is God's leading. The change would not be convenient for them - and they "don't want to" do it. Well, as my mother used to say, "who died and made them boss?" Don't get me wrong - I am all in favor of the church coming together to make decisions ... I've seen the opposite happen, where one person made all the decisions - and that wasn't pretty, at all. However - when a pastor, who is called to be the shepherd of the church, tries to lead in a direction that God tells him to go ... who in the world do the sheep think they are to say, "no"?
If you see a shepherd leading sheep along a road ... the sheep NEVER get to tell the shepherd where to go. The shepherd leads - and the sheep follow. I just wish people in church would understand that concept. God has placed His man as His shepherd for His people ... and we need to stop wanting things OUR way ... and start doing things GOD'S way.
Sorry for venting ... but this one has really been eating at me today.
