We finished our January focus on small groups last night by praying for our small group leaders. Afterwards one of our Elders said there is such potential for growth in these small groups, if we will just take advantage of it. I agree and I hope this month is a beginning point.

In the middle of consumer driven America it’s very difficult to see clearly when it comes to the church. To often we seem to be wearing glasses that don’t focus too well. Just exactly how do you know when the church has succumbed to the fast food culture? When has a church given into the society, and turned into a place dedicated to serving it’s self? I wish I knew.

When a church becomes more concerned with it’s self then it is the Kingdom, there’s a problem, but how do you know when it happens? Are there specific warning signs that tell us were headed the wrong direction, and if there are, is there a point at which a church is too far gone to recognize them?

Possibly the key is to turn our attention to the kingdom and nothing else. If we seek to be led by the Spirit, feed the hungry, clothe the naked, house the homeless and seek the lost, we will find our way out of a societal obsession with us.

When serving over rides self-preservation, when others are more important then us, when Gods Kingdom takes the place of my church, maybe, just maybe, we won’t have to worry about answering these questions.