Strength for the Week - Selfishly Alone

Selfishly Alone

I heard a preacher I like talk about why Christians should go to church.  He used this story as an illustration:

‘A pastor was having a barbeque at his house.  The entire congregation was invited.  There was one man in particular who came with his wife. She was a member of the church, but he himself, though a professing Christian, was not.

So while the pastor was grilling, he called the man over and asked him why he did not come to church.  The man replied: “Pastor, I believe in Jesus Christ.  I know my soul is secure. I don’t need church.  I am just fine being a Christian on my own.”  As the conversation continued, the pastor pulled one piece of charcoal that was too hot to touch out of the fire with tongs, and placed it on the ground.

When the man was growing tired of the conversation he started to excuse himself, but the pastor asked him to pick up the piece of charcoal first.  The man did and he held it out to the pastor.

The pastor said: “When that piece of charcoal was in the fire with the other burning pieces, is was too hot to touch.  After only a few minutes alone, separated from the other charcoal, it cooled down enough to be handled by anyone.  That is the Christian that does not go to church.”’

The point of the story is easy to see.  The preacher that used this illustration went on to explain that in order to stay on fire for Christ Christians need to be in fellowship with other Christians.  He explained that not only did the individual piece of charcoal cool down, but the fire in the grill was a little cooler without all of the charcoal staying together.

Now, while I can appreciate what the preacher was trying to say with this illustration and with his sermon, I don’t find it to be very Biblical.  This illustration presumes that the source of heat is the charcoal itself, but it fails to recognize that the charcoal was lit by something else.  You see, God is that source of heat.  Even an individual piece of charcoal, if it is continually lit by the heat source, will continue to burn hot. 

So am I saying that it is okay to be a Christian and not go to church?  Absolutely not!  It is sin!!

I think a greater point of that illustration was missed.  It is not that the individual piece of charcoal, or the solo Christian, would cool down.  It is not even that the charcoal in the grill, or the Christians that faithfully go to church, burned any cooler without him.  The point that was missed is that the charcoal was made for a purpose that it was not fulfilling.  A piece of charcoal, sitting alone outside of the grill for any length of time, even if it is under constant heat, is useless.  It is not contributing a darn thing toward the intended goal of the charcoal or, what’s worse, the goal of the Master Griller.  It is not doing what it was created to do. 

There is a responsibility we have to each other as Christians.  We were made new creations for a purpose.  We are not here to only to have a relationship with God, we are here to be one body.  That is thoroughly Biblical.  If you want to see where the Bible clearly states this, please pick any one of the 27 New Testament books and start reading.  You won’t have read for too long.

And there is a responsibility we have to God.  God works through His people.  And God works on His people through His people.  If you think you are burning hot enough so you stay home Sunday mornings, you are, to put it very bluntly, quite selfish.  I am very sure God does not want you to keep all of that heat for yourself.  Your Christian walk, your mission here, your very salvation – it is not about you.  It is about Christ.  And He wills and commands that you be a part of a Christian congregation, actively taking part in worship and ministry on a regular basis so that He can work His purposes.

You were created new in His image for a reason.  Sleeping in on Sunday isn’t it.  Finding another excuse not to worship Him with your church isn’t it.  Rationalizing how missing one more week is no big deal isn’t it.  Convincing yourself that God does not command you to be part of a local church isn’t it.  All of these excuses are what I would call selfishly putting yourself before Christ.

So I look around at Christianity in America today and I don’t see a burning fire.  I see patches of flame here and there, but the grill surface remains largely cold.  If you are satisfied with that, sleep in tomorrow.  Convince yourself that you don’t need a church.  Rationalize it as better for you or your family if you don’t go.

But if you want to see what God wants to do with us, what can happen when we all burn together, stop with the excuses, stop being selfish, and get to church tomorrow as you have been commanded by God. 

Brothers and sisters, our Master Griller needs all of us burning together to set the world on fire for Him.  He is ready to cook.  He wants you in the grill, and the rest of us need you in the grill.  You may not think you need us.  But we need you…