“You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stones but on tablets of human hearts.” 2 Corinthians 3:3
We live in an achievement culture. In this culture, worth is measured via quantifiable results, be they units produced, dollars gained or likes, shares or retweets. We judge ourselves not on who we are but on things we do which earn the praise of peers. Of course, what we do should flow from who we are. The problem is, in our short-cut prone society, we naturally tend to maximize the latter and minimize the former. We turn our focus to results rather than healthy growth. The results of this kind of behavior is that the growth we do see lacks depth. Focusing primarily on quantifiable results may lead to greater outward success, but inwardly it produces shallow, unhealthy people. The ramifications of the achievement culture, according to the book, The Burnout Society, often culminates in burnout—follows from overexcited, overdriven, excessive, self-reference that has assumed destructive traits. The exhausted, depressive achievement-subject grinds itself down, so to speak. It is tired, exhausted by itself, and at war with itself. Entirely incapable of stepping outward, of standing outside itself…. It locks its jaws on itself; paradoxically, this leads the self to hollow and empty out. It wears out in a rat race it runs against itself. (Byung-Chul Han, 42). We see this all around us in politics, religion, civic life and business. At a personal level, the achievement culture pushes us to pursue greater recognition whether it’s at work, at play, at church or simply in the stuff we amass. By focusing on achievement, to the detriment of being, we flame out, sometimes in spectacular fashion, other times in a slow, sad smolder. This reality can also be seen in Christ’s church as we, often imperceptibly, shift our focus to quantifiable, external achievements over and above heart-based spiritual growth. As a result, we end up with churches neglecting Spiritual ministry in the pursuit of buildings, budgets, and bottoms…bottoms on seats Sunday mornings, that is. Strangely enough, the early church was not immune to these temptations either. In fact, in Paul’s second letter to the Corinthians, he is writing in response to criticisms of his ministry by those who place the focus on supposed achievements and accolades of men rather than on the Gospel-driven, Spirit-led fruit of genuine heart transformation. Earlier, Paul indicates that those who sought to undermine his ministry pointed to letters of affirmation they carried with them to prove their worth. But Paul indicates that the letters which prove the authenticity of his ministry are not written by men. This is what inspires him to write, “You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.” Here is where we find Paul’s focus, not on human affirmation, but divine transformation; not on quantifiable results, but on changed lives. The truth is, God is more concerned with the process than He is the results, more concerned with our hearts than with our achievements. What is the application for Renton Bible Church? Well, in the midst of a building expansion, it is easy to be over-awed by the beautiful building we are constructing. It is an awesome achievement that moves us to give glory to God. But even more awe-inspiring are the numbers of people, many without great experience or confidence in construction, who are sacrificing weekdays and weekends in order to serve God’s kingdom purposes alongside God’s kingdom people. Even more awe-inspiring than a new sanctuary are those who show that God rules in the sanctuary of their hearts by sacrificing hard-earned wages to further the work of Christ’s kingdom. Of course, the building expansion is only one example. The same could be said regarding the weekly ministries of the church. The wonder of these ministries is not the fact that we have efficient programs, but that we have people willing to sacrificially serve others, willing to partner together with God’s people to further the Gospel, willing to speak into each other’s lives for the sake of heart transformation. The issue, in all of this, is not the things we are doing (construction, AWANA, Life on Life groups) but why we are doing them, who we are doing them for, and how God is working through them. It’s all about Jesus, about His work of transformation on “tablets of human hearts”. May we selflessly and sacrificially let the Spirit of the living God work transformation in us and through us for the sake of His eternal Kingdom and glory.
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Dan GannonDan has ministered at Renton Bible Church, with his wife Debbie, since 2003. Archives
June 2022
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