The price of Kingdom thinking

Going back to this weekend, Tim Brown told a story about a woman in his church who approached him after a particularly moving service. She said, "Pastor, I would do anything, give up my life even, if my children and grandchildren would just come to church!" Fresh out of a confrontation with an angry church lady about new people sitting in "her pew", Tim asked this grandmother a series of questions kind of like these:

• Are you willing to give up your pew so your children and grandchildren have a place to sit?
• Are you willing to give up your parking space by the door so your children and grandchildren have a place to park?
• Are you willing to give up your music preferences so your children and grandchildren can learn to worship Jesus in a style that is relevant to them?
• Are you willing to give up your "program" and it's leaders so your children and grandchildren can have someone to lead them to Christ?
• Are you willing to give up your translation of the Bible so your children and grandchildren can hear the Good News in language they can understand?
• Are you willing to work in the children's department or youth department or young adult department so your children and grandchildren can learn about God's Word in a way that is age-appropriate?

;Do you want to guess what this woman's answers were? That wasn't what she meant when she said she'd do "anything." All too often we are willing to "give up our life!" but are unwilling to give up those things that make us comfortable. Show me what you won't change to further the Kingdom and I'll show you who or what you truly worship.

How much time during an average day do you spend:

• Reading a novel?
• Watching TV?
• Searching the internet?
• Finding an app for that?
• Lying in bed?
• Talking about work?
• Serving yourself?

If you're anything like me, the answers to those questions are distressingly uncomfortable.
And it gets better.

How much time during an average day do you spend:

• Reading a novel the Bible?
• Watching TV for open doors?
• Searching the internet Scriptures?
• Finding an app for that a way to apply God’s Word?
• Lying in bed on your face in prayer?
• Talking about work how God is working in your life?
• Serving yourself God and your community?

How many of us spend time doing something to escape from the world when we should be doing something to help the world escape from hell?

This would be what I (not-always-lovingly) call one of God's 2x4s being swung soundly at my backside. How about you? What if you and I did something radical? What if we chose just one of those things on the list above and replaced it with the work God has for us?

Kingdom thinking.