This week I have the priviledge of taking a roadtrip with my mom to Santa Fe, NM, to a conference for educational administrators. I, however, am only a lowly teacher, but I tagged along to get out of school and travel, which I love to do.
So, with the scene thus set, I turned on the TV in our hotel room this morning and we watched a church service of a fairly world-renowned preacher from TX. In the past, I have not had a favorable impression of this guy, even though I know he is reaching millions and Jesus has given him favor. All well and good. Personally, I have issues with people that name their ministries after themselves, which this guy does. To me, loving Jesus and, in turn, loving others with Him in ministry should not be about us, but Jesus. And, I really hate books that people write (such as he) that include “steps” to some sort of state-of-being with God. Anyway, that’s not the point of this musing – it’s kind of an insignificant factor anyway ’cause God’s big enough to work through people with an ostensibly big head. 
The beef I did have with the guy was his sermon topic. Don’t allow Critical Voices to Steal your Dreams. Now, ostensibly (once again), that’s a good topic, but what I was hearing from him made me not like it. The premise of his sermon was encouragement to dream big even though you may get criticized for it. He went on to site several examples from the Bible, Jesus being one of them (which I think would be a good idea to quote Jesus if you’re a Christian preacher) about how you need to let your actions do the talking. So if someone is criticizing you, don’t fight back with your words, but with your actions. Now, that sounds all well and good, but it got me to thinking.
It seems to me that the preacher had an empty platform on which to base his premise. Where are these dreams coming from? Exs. Is it your life’s dream to become wealthier than Bill Gates and Donal Trump combined? Is it your dream to see your colleagues crushed as you climb the ladder of success? He didn’t seem to mention that dreams need to line up with the heart of Jesus. Pondering this made me think of Psalm 37:4 that says:
“Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart.”
My interpretation of that scripture is that when you cultivate intimacy with Jesus and desire to walk according to His will, that He will actually download desires in your heart, or the previous desires that you’ve had will align with His because you want to be where He is and do what He does. So, my problem with that message is that the preacher didn’t mention the motivations of the heart and aligning them with Jesus. I’m all for going after your dreams (especially my friends who have decided to “waste” their life in a prayer room in an obscure midwest town (I love you Chi, Molly, and Katty).
Apparently, my beef with most churches is that they get off on these sermons that seem to be for our “betterment” but fail to talk about Jesus in the process. This preacher used Jesus as an example of what he was talking about, not as the source of his ideas. When will we come back to Paul’s cry of “For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.” (1 Cor 2:2) I want Jesus, not the fluff of how to better myself. I will better myself when I know Jesus more.
Jesus, take your American church back to the roots of what the point of church really is – to know you. Come break off the lethargy of pastor’s to conform to the happy, peaceful, prosperous messages that people want to hear. We need a revival of hearts to be stirred for the things of You! Awake us, Jesus. And let me not just be a speaker of criticism without reality within me of Truth.
