Country Club to Church: The Membership

COUNTRY CLUB TO CHURCH: THE MEMBERSHIP

THEME: OVERCOMING A ME ATTITUDE FOR A CHRIST ATTITUDE
TEXT: PHIL. 3:1-11
Feeling the hot sun upon me is heavenly. Walking to the pier to eat an ice-cream cone is one of the simple pleasures. Reading a great book as I hear the consistent waves in the background is relaxing. No timetable, no appointments, no duties, no work, and having someone ask me what I want, what I need, and how can they please me, this is what vacations are all about. I love the family vacation to kure beach every year. It is a small little area, no buildings over three stories high, no driving in a car, just bike riding, with no place to be. Someone cleans the room, someone fixes the supper, and someone else has to work. This is why we take vacations. Vacations are all about me, me, and me.
Vacations are part of the country club mindset in the church. The vacation is a wonderful parallel into the mindset of some Christian people. The mindset of me, me, me, and a little more me is overwhelming in the church today. The church moved from being a first century movement, to a powerful organization in the middle ages, to a consumer mindset in this present world. The church moved from being concerned with the lost to being concerned with the insiders of the church. The church moved from concern for the lost to concern for those who were inside the church. It dealt with the needs of the clergy, the members, and the leaders more than those who needed to hear the gospel. Now the church seems to be on permanent vacation. The church moved from being evangelistic to meeting all the needs in the pew. It seems that everyone changed from evangelism to vacation with the me, me, mindset.
Paul certainly felt like he deserved a vacation. He earned one. He was a important man in the Pharisees, he was a Jew with great talents. He would rule the Jews one day, if he did not stop his vacation for the service to Christ. These are Paul’s words in Philippians 3:1-6 “Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things again is no trouble to me, and it is a safeguard for you. Beware of the dogs, beware of the evil workers, beware of the false circumcision; for we are the true circumcision, who worship in the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh, although I myself might have confidence even in the flesh. If anyone else has a mind to put confidence in the flesh, I far more: circumcised the eighth day, of the nation of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the Law, a Pharisee; as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to the righteousness which is in the Law, found blameless.”
The problem in the first century was that there were some Jewish teachers. These were some false teachers that were trying to enslave the new Christians into maintaining the Jewish cultural practices. These individual was exulting themselves, were bragging on their accomplishments. These false teachers were demanding a voice because of their past. It was the classic country club problem. Look at all we have done, look at how important we are, everyone needs to do what we say. We are the most important, the most powerful, and most accomplished people around here. The people were demanding everyone follow their preferences, follow their wishes, their ideas.