Stop The Competition

John 3 "He must increase, I must decrease."

The competitive nature of Christianity is killing the spirit of Christ in our churches.

There is a game of one-upsmanship that is going on between the local bodies of Christ that is sucking the life out of us and destroying any spirit of unity in the Body. And to make matters worse, it's an impossible game to win.

Last week I had a surgical 'procedure' on my hand, where the doctor had to cut a tendon that was causing problems, and it required four stitches. That night I talked with a friend of mine, saying that I couldn't play in the softball game due to my 'hand surgery' and he proceeded to tell me that he was currently in the Emergency Room because a pit bull had grabbed his entire hand, breaking bones and requiring surgery. Umm..... you win.

Sunday at church we had a group visiting from North Carolina and the leader asked if I coached or played sports. I said, "I played a little bit of high school football." He said, "I played for the Clemson Tigers when we won the national championship and then played pro ball with the Jets and the Giants." Ummmmmmm............ you really win.

You see, the comparison game always reaches a losing point. It has to - because there is always someone better. There is always a bigger church, a better pastor, a more expensive building project - it's a game we can never win.

But it's also a game we should never be playing. Our job is to do what God wants us to do with us right here, right now, with the person in front of us. It's not a contest. This is why so many people are thinking that 'house churches' are the way to go - they're tired of the fight. But big churches can have a positive impact if they're done with the right mentality. There are more resources to send out and support ministries. They can get into the community and do some great things.

I personally like smaller churches, so that I can know everyone and have true fellowship and worship. I don't like the mega-church experience. But that's just a preference. It doesn't make me right or wrong, lesser or greater. However - and I guess I'm finally rolling around to my point: Christ has established the local church as His means of working through communities. It's all through the letters of Paul. So we can't walk away and just sit in our personal Bible Studies, but we also must resist the temptation of church comparison. It's a draining and losing game.