‘Sabse Saste 3 Din’. Republic day Parade. ‘Isse sasta aur achcha kahin nahin’. Pay Less, Get More……. Sale, Sale Sale!

Every mall, whether online store or outlet, is competing to lure customers to them. They are coming out with newer and newer schemes – Republic Day Sale, Weekend Sale, Great Online Shopping Festival, Greatest Friday, and the list goes on, all to get customer’s money. If they can attract one to their mall or website, chances are that he will end up buying something even if he doesn’t need it.

Are our local churches getting influenced by these marketing tactics? Are we more inwardly oriented with people focused programs like Children’s Ministry, Youth Ministry, Women’s Ministry, Men’s Meeting, etc.? It is concerning how we are interested in attracting and increasingly focussed on making people comfortable – comfortable seating, controlled air conditioning, adequate parking spaces, best instruments, audio visual aids and lighting to make the performers of the worship team and preacher look the best.

Is the local church a worshipping, equipping, spirit led community to change the world around them? Is it a reaching out community? Is it aware of the cultural context around it – being aware of the lost people around the place it congregates and makes every effort to bring the love and truth of Jesus to them?

The purpose of the church is to worship God (Luke 4:8; John 4:23; Rev. 4:10), study His Word (2 Tim. 2:15; 1 Corinthians 4:6), pray (Acts 2:42), love one another (John 13:35; Phil. 1:1-4), help each other (Gal. 6:2), partake of baptism and the Lord’s supper (Luke 22:19-20), to learn how to live as godly people (Titus 2:11-12), and to be equipped to evangelize the world (Eph. 4:12; Matt. 28:18-20). And in all of this, the focal point is the King and His Kingdom.

Is our service and preaching focused on the King and His Kingdom or is it more to make members comfortable but to never convict them? If the purpose of the church is for spiritual maturity so that the church is strengthened in the faith (Acts 16:5), it is imperative that the preaching, based on the Word of God, should be to bring transformation and not for titillating the ears of the congregation (2 Tim 4:3).

Church is not like Subway: Make your sub the way you want it or like Burger King: Have it your way. Church service is not a show; it is a call to action. “Without action we aren’t going anywhere” (MKG).

Church is not just a soul-winning station by reaching out but also a soul-building station by taking the Gospel to the unsaved and teaching them so that people are not just saved but the saved people might be Christ-like.