The Spam Gospel?

I once visited Austin, Minnesota to visit a friend, and lo and behold I discovered the Spam Factory was there! What an interesting surprise. I knew of Spam...yes, even tasted it...but to now be in the shadows of the actual factory that produces the product...now that was something. What I discovered, was much like the old Oscar Meyer Wiener Mobile...Spam had its own vehicle...a box truck...shaped appropriately like a can of Spam. How cool is that? Interesting the promotional ideas companies come up with. Some brilliant. Some not so much. The Spam truck was cool...as was the factory. I remember being at the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in 2006 and seeing a Harley looking t-shirt that read "Austin, Minnesota, where all good hogs go to die", Spam Factory 2006. That was brilliant...I wanted one. They were only available at the Spam Factory. They were all sold out. Bummer! In spite of the brilliance of Spam's Sturgis t-shirt, and the Spam Mobile...it still doesn't change the biggest question. "What exactly is 'in' Spam?" In spite of the brilliance of the external marketing that peaked my interest...eventually I had to deal with... "what in the heck is this stuff?" and "Would I dare buy it and eat it?" It reminds me of how we often live in church circles and perhaps how we tend live as humans in general. We know that what's "inside" is of the most importance...yet we often gravitate to the "external". In church, the environment for people to experience God and to experience love from others in a godly way, is clearly the mandate scripturally. Yet we spend more time and energy and resources on "how things look". Most churches are mostly focused on where they are located...is it a high traffic area...is it in the "right" part of town...does it look impressive...etc? Most churches worry more about how long the service is...the style of music...the performance of said music...the length of sermon time...the lighting...the videos...the techie stuff to look cool...even stuff like coffee...artwork...dress codes etc...? The assumption is "if" we position ourselves properly and look good enough and perform well enough...people will pour in the doors. Huh? We are so driven by this external focus, we often miss whats most important, the internal. Do we spend as much time, energy and resources on cooperating with God's Spirit to have a spiritual environment where people can genuinely gather and experience God in community? Do we spend as much time, energy and resources on considering how we may be able to create an environment where people can actually connect relationally in an authentic way...so that the love of God may actually flow from one person to another? How often do we focus on and consider these "core" internal things that should drive our churches? I believe if people experienced an authentic encounter with God...and were surrounded by godly loving people that really would journey with them through life...I believe you could not keep people away from that church! Even if it was in an old dusty warehouse somewhere...people would be looking for that place! People would be enthusiastically bringing there friends and work associates and neighbors! Not bringing them because they hope they will be impressed by the "show" or the "building"...but because they knew the environment had so much God stuff going on that there was a good chance their friend may experience God and His love through His people gathering. Funny, we as individuals, tend to gravitate to the same thing. It seems we like to focus on the "external" aspects of who we are (or seem to be)...way more than we focus on the "internal" aspects of who "we really are". Its a human tendency I suppose. Its this thing in us to gravitate towards "performance" over "being". Its easier to look good, dress right, drive the right car and develop "status" ...than it is to be kind, forgiving, generous, sacrificial in serving others needs over your own and other godly qualities. The bible says that it is the "Spirit of God working in us" that produces these godly qualities...not what we do by self will. Yet we gravitate to what "we can do"...perform to impress or attract. As churches we do the same thing. Its easier to have an impressive building or put on a good "Sunday show" than it is to cooperate with God's Spirit in loving others in an authentic way. Its easier to have a tight hour and a half performance with God stuff sprinkled in...than it is to experience God's Spirit touching lives in a deeply personal way. Its easier to serve coffee, have a greeter open the door with a smile, and shake hands after the second song...than it is to actually share your life with another and journey with them through the messiness of life, as you build authentic relationship together. Why do we gravitate to the "external" so easily? Why do I do it too? Is it to avoid dealing with the "internal"? Is it because we feel like we can control the external? Is it because we fear surrendering the "internal" into God's control? Maybe we'd rather depend on us more than God? We hate trying to perform and be good enough...yet we tend to go that direction...as individuals...and as churches. At FRIENDS we realize how easy it is to "do church"...actually, to "do the mechanics of church"...yet often miss the core, essential, internal things that God desires His church...His people...to be. We gather to explore...and experience God together. We gather to share life...to really share life with each other. This requires patience, forgiveness, kindness, compassion, acceptance, and love. All things people crave. All things God desires His people to share. These are the internal things that drive people deeper into relationships with God...and with His people. Without it we may as well being selling Spam...cool factory building...cool truck... nothing of substance on the inside. Once people discover that...they won't be back for more. At FRIENDS, we hope to be a people of substance...godly substance...not settling for performance based church. But allowing God's Spirit to build within us something that truly is life transforming for us...and those we come in contact with! Trusting and cooperating with God's Spirit to do within us and through us...what we could not do on our own. Join with us on this journey...its a harder road...but well worth it...for everyone concerned :)

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be God's!

Brian O
ECHO

Lead Pastor dude
Friends Community Church
Tyler, Texas