Real Church and Happy Endings

Excerpt from Why We Love the Church

This Sunday's sermon is from 2 Corinthians 5:11-15, which begins, "Since, then, we know what it is to fear the Lord, we try to persuade men" (NIV).

"Our church doesn't exist to give you ten ways to deal with stress, or to help you become a better person," Pastor Kevin says from the pulpit. "We're here to persuade you. We're here to preach to you."

This, partly, comes from knowing what it is to fear the Lord. Currently, if publishing trends are any indication, we serve a Lord who is our friend, our camping buddy, someone with whom we have intimacy, etc.

As I look around the room this morning, I see a great man with Lou Gehrig's disease, holding hands with his sweet wife. I see another husband just diagnosed with cancer that will probably take his life in six months or so. I see a weird military vet guy who fried his brain on drugs in Iraq, and who we follow out to the lobby when he goes to the bathroom because we're afraid for the safety of our kids. I see my father-in-law who has a degenerative brain disease that has destroyed his intellect and ability to communicate and will take his life before it's all done.

As evangelicals we've become addicted to "happy ending" stories where we go through "x" (hard thing) and then start praying and then -- Shazam! -- God makes everything better and we have a nice, utopian story to tell where we are the hero who ends up with the great job, the great family, the time off, the free plane ticket, the lost purse, or the great healthy kids. The fact of the matter is (often) the happy ending is heaven, and the getting there is a really difficult but formative part of our sanctification. And sometimes, what God wants in the interim is for us to find our happiness, holiness, and identity in Him, rather than our perfect jobs, perfect 2.5 kids (or 6.5 kids in the case of our church), and perfect testimonies.

If I could leave you with one thought, it's this: Go. Go to church. Don't go for the coffee, the presentations, the music, or the amenities. Don't even go for the feelings you may or may not get when you go because, no offense, these feelings may or may not be trustworthy most of the time. Go for the gospel. Go for the preaching. Go to be near to God's Word. . . There are many people leaving the church, and supposedly finding God. But I found Him here, and by His grace, I'll keep finding Him here. I love my church.

From Why We Love The Church, Kevin DeYoung and Ted Kluck, Moody Publishers, 190-196