How the Church Hinders the Kingdom of God - Part VIII

VIII. Settling for Mediocrity

Colossians 3:23

Introduction:

Excellence ought to be a priority in the Lord’s work.

We cannot thrive on mediocrity.

At this point, the pastor gave a humorous look at the “slipshod hall of fame.” I will identify the entities, giving some of the detail as I remember it. You can probably use your imagination pretty well.

1. Jerry the Janitor – needed a job, so they’re paying him $200 a week. Cleaning the restrooms involves emptying the waste baskets and flushing the toilets. His entire contribution to the job is about 20 minutes a week, making him the highest paid (by rate) employee of the church.
2. Willie the worship leader – I don’t remember any of the details about him.
3. Sarah the soloist – never saw a high note she didn’t like – or could reach.
4. Pearl the pianist – donated the piano, so no one else will ever get a chance to play.
5. Gary & Gwen the greeters – after the hassle of getting ready for church, they are not on the best terms with each other.
6. Larry the lawn mower – always does the mowing on Monday morning, so the grass is nice and tall again by the following Sunday.

Why excellence is important.

#1 – God Loves Excellence


We know God loves excellence because everything about Him bears its mark.
God’s Creation
God’s Character
God’s Commands
God’s Faithfulness

#2 – The Bible Commands Excellence

“Good enough for government work” isn’t good enough for God's work

#3 – People Respond to Excellence

If you have two churches that are pretty much the equivalent of one another, and one decides to pave their parking lot, people will tend to prefer that one.

This example reminds me of something that happened when I was in my teens. I attended a small country church, and the grass was not kept mowed. When it got very tall, they had a farmer come in and mow it with his sickle-bar mower. The mowed grass was just allowed to lay. I was griping about it once when riding home on a Wednesday night with a neighbor – we had no transportation of our own. One statement made was that “if the Holy Spirit is on the inside, what’s on the outside won’t matter.” I didn’t think at the time to say, “But how can they encounter the Holy Spirit on the inside if they balk at what the outside looks like?” Anyway, before we got home, the neighbor said, “OK, you come over here tomorrow, and I’ll loan you a rake and a pitchfork, and you can take care of it.” I agreed. But I didn’t go alone; my father came with me, and I raked most of the hay; Daddy took the pitchfork and hauled it back into the woods. He also spread out a pile of cinders that had been brought in to make a non-muddy parking surface. I have no idea what the people of the church thought about our action.*

Excellence requires five qualities on our part.

#1 – Courage

It takes courage to make the necessary changes in order to become and excellent church.

#2 – Giftedness

Mismanagement of God’s gifts is one of the greatest obstacles to excellence.
Know your gifts and use them; don’t insist in serving in an area you’re not gifted in.

#3 – Money

Quality costs. “If it bears His Name, it’s worth our best.”

#4 – Planning and Preparation

#5 – Perseverance

When we meet resistance, we must persevere.

Conclusion:

Are you willing to commit to excellence?

Excellence comes when we give up ourselves.


*Anecdote about the church grounds is the blogger’s own experience. I don't think the neighbor expected me to take him up on that.