As many of you know, the economy leads the news all of the time these days. You can't pick up a paper or a magazine without seeing something about the economy. Even in some of my recent Christian publications that I receive, I see comments, articles and thoughts on the economy.
From a business perspective, how does a business survive these times? This country has had economic downturns before, sometimes lasting for years with no end or relief in sight. How do those businesses survive in a recession? I think that some of them just choose not to participate.
In every economic downturn the country loses some businesses, both large and small. You can tell by the company's demeanor and attitude early on whether they will be able to survive the storm or not. Some companies and businesses don't believe in themselves enough to survive and you can see it in how they conduct themselves. There will be businesses that not only survive, but also thrive through this time. What really is making the difference? I would say that it starts with confidence in who you are and what you are doing.
How does this relate to the church you ask? I think there is a lot we can learn. There are more than 300,000 churches in this country. Many, for various reasons, are struggling to survive. Maybe their mindset is narrow and they can't minister or relate to people's real spiritual needs. Some churches seem to be "status quo" churches, happy to be the "saint's club", keeping the lights on and having a good program once in a while are highlights of church life. They have little concern for the unchurched community around them, for reaching out to the lost. I think that a lot of these churches will disappear in the next few years, like many businesses, and that might be a good thing for the body of Christ. Where will these people go? Into churches that have vision and life and are doing what God has called the church to do.
It's time to seize the opportunity. We must remain faithful to the One who has called us. We must be obedient to his commands. We must pray. We must read and study His word. We must stop worrying about the "light and momentary struggles" and get on with what we are called by God to do. We must look beyond ourselves to the lost and dying world around us and offer them what we have. We must listen to the questions the lost are asking and provide them God's truth. We must reach out to the people who based their lives on their company pension, portfolio, and their next tee time. We must get the word out that even though we live in the same world as our neighbors do, and struggle with the same things they do, that we have some answers. In fact, we have the Answer.
We have confidence in our vision. We know the world needs our product. It's not time to survive...it's time to thrive!!! Now...wouldn't you say it's time get after it?
1 comment:
Right on! God never told us to worry about money-just the opposite. Worrying is not trusting God. It's reasonable to evaluate and see if there's any "fat" to trim but God told us to put His kingdom and His righteousness first and He would take care of the rest. When society has less to depend on, maybe they will turn to the only One worth depending on. As you said, we, as Christ's followers, have the answer!
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