Vineyard Church of Knox County
A Proper Attitude
When Steve Nicholson, national director of church planting for the Association of Vineyard Churches, was beginning to plant his church in Evanston, Ill, he confessed jokingly that his primary reason for doing so was, "So that I could have a church to go to that I liked." Surely, I hope that you are as thrilled as I am about having a church to go to that you like, but we both know that that attitude alone is quite selfish. So, how can we be both excited about being a part of this profound work of God and not be selfish about it? What is the proper attitude to take?
I suggest that we approach the church and our involvement in it the same way we approach our relationship with Jesus - that is, losing our lives in order to gain his life (Luke 9:23-24). If we each bring this attitude of selfless giving to the church’s life, we will experience an incredible infusion of God’s life in us individually and in the life of the church body.
So, how does this look practically? Well, a person who comes to the Celebration Service eager to give would seek opportunities to welcome others with the love of God instead of looking to be loved and welcomed. This person would focus his or her attention on giving praise and thanks to God instead of seeking a personal “high” from the worship. A person who takes this selfless attitude to the home groups would walk into the living room seeking to bless and love the others in the group without the thought of receiving any reward.
If you were to be this selfless person, the mysterious truth is that you would, in fact, be loved and welcomed at the Celebration Service; your emotions would be touched during worship; and you would receive a blessing at your home group. That’s the way life works in the kingdom of God: when we give (with the proper unselfish attitude), we receive. Jesus tells us, “Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you” (Luke 6:38).
Let each of us individually decide to lose our lives in order to gain Christ’s life in us and through us. Then God will be glorified, the people around us will be touched, and the church will continue to be one that we all (and God) want to go to.
