City on a Hill
Matthew 5:13-16
You’ve heard about the new lumberjack who on his first day out performed all the veteran loggers in camp? On the second day, he kept up with most of the loggers. And on the third day, his production was the poorest of the group.
When his supervisor asked him when he had sharpened his saw, he complained he was too busy to sharpen his saw.
Steven Covey then uses the expression of “sharpening the saw” to describe our need to continually refresh and reshape who we are. Life rarely proceeds in straight lines. Most of us going through continuous cycles of growth and decline. For most of us, our personal and spiritual growth looks like a giant slinky stretched out. We continually grow through repeated cycles as we circle closer and closer to our destination.
This seems true with Biblical history, too. Israel seemed to respond well to God’s leading, and then they wander off. The judges, kings, and prophets of the Old Testament are constantly calling Israel back to faithfulness.
Effective spiritual leaders go through those cycles, too. Where would you rate your own spiritual vitality today? If 12 o’clock is at peak performance and 6 o’clock is in the doldrums, what time is it for you?
The good news is that we continually spin around the clock. With attentiveness, no stage will last long. Often God uses our unfulfilled yearnings of 5 and 6 o’clock to point us upward towards a new cycle of growth at 9 and 10 o’clock.
What does this mean for the church? Do churches go through periods of increased and decreased mission and ministry? What would be the signs of it for you?
Cathy and I enjoy a certain spot on the interstate when we are coming home after dark. From that spot we know we are almost home. We can see the lights of our hometown in the distance.
Jesus likened the lights of a city on a hill to be like the witness of the Church. People should be able to see the signs of our presence from a distance, and know they are near safety. Is your church like that for you?
The story goes of a business office that had difficulties with a copier. No matter what they did, it always produced a thin line down the right side of the paper. For an internal memo, it was a nuisance, but still usable. But for external presentations, it was a poor reflection on the quality of work of the business. They had several repairmen come to service the machine, and they tried every technique in the book; but nothing repaired the thin line.
They finally solved their problem. What did they do? They bought a new copier and gave the old one to a church. “It was good enough for a church!”
Some churches have dim lights on top of those hills, because we assume that the standard of accomplishment is much lower in churches. It’s good enough for the church.
Churches that are growing and engaged in ministry realize that it has nothing to do with the church. It has everything to do with one’s personal relationship with God. Would we say, “It’s good enough for God?”
A bright light on a hill is a sign of excellence given as a personal gift to God. What are the ways you give excellence to God through your church?
A second bright light on a hill is a sign of relevance. Some churches struggle to make the gospel relevant to the prevailing culture. That is not necessary. The Gospel is clearly relevant. What is often not relevant is life in the church.
Sometimes the church is more engaged with personal politics and self-absorbed agenda instead of a mission of self-sacrifice. Consequently, control of the kitchen or the pace of the music is more important than feeding the hungry or visiting the sick. In some parts of our country, churches engage in worship wars. These are the inevitable conflicts over what styles of music will be acceptable in our worship.
What is often lost is that it generally does not matter which style of music is used. If the church is not passionately interested and engaged with people outside their doors, the best music in the world will be meaningless. How would you measure the relevance of your church?
Thirdly, a light placed on a lampstand is intentionally done so to provide light for the entire room or area. The purpose of the church is to express God’s love for the world. Consequently, the church’s mission is external to the organization. The purpose of the church is to serve the needs of folks who have not yet come.
This is a Copernican revolution for many churches. It turns their whole perspective upside down. Do you recall this phrase from last blog?
It is not about me.
It is about us.
It is not about us.
It is all about what God wants to do in the world
through us in Jesus’ name.
What would be the signs of a church that is excellent, relevant, and externally focused? What would you expect to see and experience if you visited such a church? How does your church measure up? And the critical question, how do you help your church become a lighted city on a hilltop?
For some additional reading on these questions, check out these passages:
Acts 2:42-47
Ephesians 4:1-16
Titus 3:9-11
