The church's dirty little secret

I have sung and spoken at many funerals through the years. 

This week I prepare to do so again on Thursday at the service of Bob Shaver.  However, Bob was not just a church member.  Bob was a friend.  And this week our church grieves the loss of a wonderful man.

Bob was (and is) and example of so many good things.  He was unselfish in his living, put others first, shared the gospel with others, and worked for love and unity with his church and family. 

I thought of Bob when I read Pastor Joe McKeever's blog entry entitled The church’s dirty little secret.    The reason I thought of Bob is that he displayed such maturity in Christ.  In a conversation a few months ago, Bob told me something like this:

Pastor, I don't need much from you.  I don't expect you or the church to make me feel good or feel better about myself.  What I need from you is to help me walk with Jesus and grow spiritually.  I want you to preach the Word to me and help me grow in the Lord.  And I don't have time to get into whose feelings got hurt or who didn't get their way over something.  I don't get too close to people because I don't want to get into all of that.  I don't have all kinds of expectations about people and what they, the pastor, or the church owes me.  I just want to love people, serve them, and let the church help me grow spiritually, because that is what the church is supposed to be about.

I thought, "Wow, how the church in the United States needs a lot more people like Bob Shaver."

Pastor Joe writes that the biggest danger to the church in America is . . . immaturity among church members.  Pastor Joe lists 7 wrong ideas that people have about the Lord and the Lord's work . . .

“ 'Church is the only place on earth where people can throw hissy fits and get away with it.'  –a friend serving his first church after seminary.

I told my minister friend I was sorry he had to learn this dirty little secret about church life.

I asked for his story.  He had two."

Read the entire article by Pastor Joe McKeever here.