In an article by Clint Opperman last week we looked at how Christians are contributing to America’s productivity crisis and how we should never be involved in being lazy in our work. Unfortunately, millions of people in America are content to “mail it in.” This term, of course, means that instead of showing up to do our job, we give the minimal effort and rely on other people to get the job done for us.
As bad as it is for Christians to mail it in in the workplace, it’s even worse when we do so in the church. Sadly, it’s not uncommon for Christians to expect other people to do the work given to them. This idea of delegation or Christianity-by-proxy is completely foreign to the text of the New Testament, and really of the entire Bible. God has always wanted a developing, growing relationship with His people and He can’t have that if His people decide that someone else can work towards godliness for them. Consider a few examples of how we can be caught mailing it in.
Our votes will save marriage in America.
Yes, as I’ve mentioned in previous articles, voting is an important part of our duty as Americans, and it’s a great tool for Christians to exert Christ’s influence on our nation. But to think that we’ve done our duty to help strengthen marriage in America by punching a hole in a card once every year or two is ridiculous. You want to strengthen marriage in America? Show a commitment to your spouse that you won’t view material that causes lust for another. No more snide comments about them to your friends. Find ways to show them you love them by simple acts of service and thoughtfulness long after your engagement/wedding/honeymoon days. Teach your children that it’s not acceptable to be sexually active outside of marriage (Hebrews 13:4). Church leaders, help strengthen the marriages of your members so the church doesn’t keep contributing to the downfall of marriage that’s been going on in our society for decades. Single people, make a vow with yourself that you’ll treat marriage with respect in your choices and that you’ll understand the seriousness of it when you have that opportunity in life. If the church can’t set the example for the world of what marriage looks like, between one man and one woman, caring for each other, loving each other, sacrificing for each other, and committing to purity together, the people around us will have no idea what marriage should be. No amount of votes can fix that or replace the value of Christian lights in the realm of marriage.
I don’t need to evangelize, that’s what we pay the preacher for!
It’s probably a pretty rare occasion that this sentiment is actually vocalized, but unfortunately it’s a pretty common occurrence in the thoughts and deeds of many churches. Members who take this attitude toward reaching the lost have already determined that their lost friends, family, and coworkers aren’t really worth their time or effort. They’ve decided that the very mission of the church doesn’t actually apply to them, even as members of the church. Yes, your minister needs to be involved in evangelism but if every member of the church only relies on him, the church’s reach will be exponentially smaller than it should be if everyone was working to take the Gospel to the people they know. We can’t afford to mail this one in and expect someone else to do the job for us.
Our church gives to the homeless/orphans/widows, so we’re covered.
While it’s a good thing that churches find ways to help those in need, to think that our duty to help them is over because a small percentage of our contribution goes to them isn’t quite what Jesus had in mind in Matthew 25:35-36. “For I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.” Christians should not only be in tune to the needs of those around us, we should be looking for ways to help whenever we can. That doesn’t always mean financially. Sometimes people just need a visit, a meal, some kind of act that shows concern. We can’t really claim we’re practicing the “pure and undefiled religion” of James 1:27 if the extent of our help is that a little bit of our money is appropriated to those people.
I study my Bible on Sundays and Wednesdays.
Christians that don’t open their Bibles and don’t teach their families about God’s Word at home send two messages, loud and clear. First, they don’t want a relationship with God. Second, they think God is happy with their “checking it off the list” actions of showing up twice a week and thinking they’ve appeased Him. The prophets railed against Israel for their acts of service and temple worship to God while they still worshiped idols in their homes. What good would all of their sacrificing do if they were splitting time with other Gods? Those acts were just filthy rags in God’s sight (Isaiah 64:6). Sound familiar? Assuming that your preachers and teachers can do all the studying for us and impart it in a span of 3-4 hours each week shows just how little some Christians think of God. We can’t afford to mail it in when it comes to our knowledge of God’s Word and our relationship that we build with Him by gaining that knowledge.
I’m sure you can come up with more ways we as Christians can be content with our attempts to “mail it in” and have someone do our spiritual work for us. We’re all guilty of it from time to time in different ways, and so it must be something we constantly guard ourselves against and strive to change in our hearts. We don’t serve God because He cares about the robotic obedience of our actions, we serve Him to show in our own feeble ways that we love Him because He first loved us. Trying to do the bare minimum and get by shows we want a spot in heaven but don’t want to know the One who makes heaven desirable. David didn’t say “someone else will” when facing Goliath. Isaiah said, “Here am I, send me,” not “I’m sure someone will go for You.” Peter and Paul didn’t wait for others to step up and preach. Jesus obeyed in all things, knowing if He didn’t do it, it wouldn’t happen. Let’s follow their examples. Let’s all commit to stop mailing it in and start reporting for duty.
By Jack Wilkie
