I’ve been processing the tragedy that occurred Sunday morning. I was about to wrap up my teaching about 300 miles north of Sutherland Springs in the same state of Texas. I remember looking at the clock in the back, hanging on the wall of our sanctuary, to make sure I was on time in my sermon and saw that it was 11:30am.

I had no idea that at that very moment a gunman was shooting up a church, killing 26 people.

It was weird to think that at the very moment of me looking at the clock, not far away, people were being killed in their own service similar to ours.

I thought of what they must have experienced and what it must have been like for them. I guess you could say it hit home for me in a way. I feel so sick for those precious people.

I thought about the pastor and his wife, and how they must have felt hearing the news as they were away. I thought about what it would be like to lose so many in our own congregation in an instant like that.

There is a special connection a congregation has with one another, like family. A congregation goes through life together, shares one another’s burdens, triumphs and griefs. The pastor lost half of his spiritual family, half of his flock, as well as his own daughter. I can’t imagine. This is not something a human can absorb I thought, but by the grace of God.

I remember thinking as I was teaching about heaven that I was glad this world is not all there is.

How sad it must be to have no hope beyond this evil world. I remember looking at the clock, and feeling pressed because the Lord was moving so heavily on my heart, I felt this heavy burden about what I was talking about and wanted to get it all in. I was way off “the script” at the time and felt the Lord was speaking through me, and I was spectating.

We were having communion that morning as well, so time was even more precious. The topic that morning was “Home,” a teaching about where the Christian’s real home is, and how a heavenly obsession has a profound effect on our earthly existence.

I challenged our congregation to take this week and think about, meditate upon, pray, read and apply the fact of our eternal home to everyday life. I challenged them to apply eternity to the present and to live their life in light of eternity.

As I looked at the clock, 11:30, and then looked at the faces in the congregation, I felt myself looking into eyes and not just faces. I’m not sure why, but it was different than normal. I felt like God wanted me to see them like He does.

I remember thinking how badly I wanted everyone of them to be right with God and to be sure that they will go to heaven. I remember thinking how much I loved and cared for each one so much, and yet that was only a drop of how much God loves them.

I remember thinking how important it was to be sure of our eternity now.

That morning it was like God wanted me to know how deeply He loves each one, emphasis on each, and He wanted them to know how deeply He loves each of them. I’m not sure what they saw or felt in me at the time, but God was moving in a certain way that morning.

The message about the Christians real “Home,” which I don’t think was by accident, was taken from Revelation chapter 21. As we looked at some of the aspects of the Christian’s eternity, the Lord was speaking to us and encouraging us as to how short life is, and how this life is merely a preparation for how we will spend eternity.

Like a “mud room,” this life is not a place for comfort, rest and ease but a transition and preparation for our eternal home where there will be eternal comfort, rest and ease, not to mention love, joy and peace. The Lord showed us how death for a believer in Christ is a release into our heavenly existence, and how it is the beginning and not the end.

We looked at some of the aspects of what it will be like in eternity, and how we are to see this life now always in light of eternity; or that we are to keep eternity in view as we live this life. We talked about how, for a Christian, heaven overshadows everything we do; it is our future hope, our present motivation and our freedom from our past.

I saw some tears as I looked into the eyes of the precious people there that day, as well as smiles, nods and a few “amens.” Now in hindsight I know why the Lord was burdening my heart that morning with this particular message, as it was at the same exact time some of our brothers and sisters down south were going home to be with the Lord, that the Lord wanted our congregation to be ready at anytime.

There was a feeling of urgency as I explained that it is by God’s grace that we are saved and not of ourselves.

That no amount of good works, religious activity or whatever else can save us except the precious sacrifice of Jesus Christ that we put our faith in.

I remember looking in those eyes like I was seeing their souls and urging them that one must repent and ask God to forgive them of their sins, that Jesus came into this world to pay the price for their sins on the cross, and that He rose again on the third day just as scriptures said.

Just a couple weeks before this message in Revelation 20, we learned about the Great White Throne Judgment, and how all those who aren’t written in the book of life will appear there to be judged by God and sent to the lake of fire (hell) for all eternity. That after this life there are no more chances, and now is our time to determine our eternity; that all our eternity hinges on putting our faith in Jesus Christ.

As I finished the sermon I felt this assurance in my own heart that God was ministering to me more than I was to them, that heaven is so near, and that to live is Christ and to die is gain. I remember thinking that the best gift a person can have in this world is knowing where they will spend the next.

Our brothers and sisters in Sutherland Springs are now experiencing their home, the place where their Lord and Savior is, the place where there are no more tears, no more sorrow, no more pain. They are home.

Like all of us, we don’t know when our time is up, but we can know where we will be when that time comes.

We want you to know, Sutherland Springs, we love you. We are so sorry for your loss. We are heartbroken. We are grieving with you and praying for you. May the Lord pour out His love and peace in this horrible, unimaginable time, and for those of you who went home Sunday, we can’t wait to meet you when our time comes to go home.

May God bless each and every one of you with the assurance of eternity.

Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.” Then He who sat on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.” And He said to me,“Write, for these words are true and faithful.” And He said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts. He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son. But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death” (Revelation 21:1-8).

Enjoy the first part of this two part series!

While having the wrong expectations from our church can stifle spiritual growth, having the right expectations will give us discernment that will lead us to a healthy church body where we can grow in our faith, maximizing all that God has for us. Here are some things we should expect from a church.

Things I should expect from my church:

1. The Bible

Front and center of any church should be the teaching of God’s Word. This is how we grow; how we distinguish between good and evil; how we are spiritually nourished; how we are equipped to battle Satan; what we base our lives upon, and what the church is to proclaim. Expect your church to teach the Word of God.

2. Unconditional love

Love is the primary characteristic of God working in a Christian’s life and in our church fellowships. This is how non-believers know we are followers of Christ, and this is what we will need in a church to nourish our lives and our relationship with Christ. We won’t always love perfectly, but that’s what a church should strive for, and what we should be willing to give. Expect your church to love you or at least strive to love you unconditionally.

3. Integrity in leadership

I should expect my leadership to exemplify Christ’s teaching morally. I should be able to trust that church leadership is following the Lord, making every effort to be holy and pleasing to the Lord, just as every follower of Christ. Leaders should not be looked at as perfect, but should want to exemplify Christ’s teachings, being careful not to misrepresent the gospel, especially in the areas of finances and sexual morality. Expect your church to value integrity in leadership.

4. Jesus-centric

I should expect my church to have Jesus front and center of all that goes on. Jesus should be the star of the church, the famous One, and the One the church magnifies. All should revolve around Jesus, as He is the head of the church. Expect your church to be centered on Jesus.

5. Gospel preached and lived out

I should expect my church to be a place where the message of who Jesus is and what Jesus has done to save mankind from sin is proclaimed and lived out. I should expect the gospel to be clear so that people will know the message of salvation, and so I can live by this message. I should expect my church to be clear about elements of the gospel like sin: How sin effects me. What God did about my sin. How to receive what God did about my sin, that only Jesus can take away my sin and why, about heaven and hell, grace, mercy, forgiveness and resurrection. Expect your church to preach and live out the gospel.

6. Dependence on the Holy Spirit

I should expect my church to follow, not lead God. This means that my church should make it clear by teaching and demonstrating that it is not by human abilities and strength but by the Spirit working in and through the church. I should expect my church to not rely on human means to accomplish God’s work, but that God’s work would be accomplished by God’s Spirit. Expect your church to depend on the Holy Spirit.

7. Support of the needy

I should expect my church to be compassionate and to help support those within the body who are needy and those without where the Spirit leads and provides. The church should always have the great commission in mind to make disciples by preaching the gospel and teaching people to obey Christ’s teaching as we reach out to help those in need. Expect your church to support the needy.

8. Unity in the Spirit

I should expect the church to strive for unity within the church body, which means that I will have to do that as well. The unity we will experience is in the Spirit and is focused on glorifying Christ in our actions. This means that we will have to often yield to others, consider others as more important than ourselves and to put others ahead of ourselves, so that Christ is glorified. This may mean that I will have to put my personal desires and wants behind the greater good of God’s glory. In other words, unity is more important than getting what we want. Expect your church to strive for unity.

9. Opportunities to serve

Considering that every Christian has a spiritual gift, and that gift is to be primarily used within the body of Christ, I should expect my church to give me opportunities and even encourage the use of my gift. I shouldn’t expect to be placed in certain positions or offices within the church right away or at my choosing, but I should expect to be able to serve in the church and let my gifts and calling come to the surface as I do. Expect your church to give you opportunities to serve.

10. Spiritual growth

I should expect to grow spiritually in my church with my participation. With healthy doctrine, teaching of the Word, opportunities to serve, using my spiritual gifts, accountably, encouragement, support, unconditional love and prayer, I will find that my church is the best instrument for my spiritual growth. Part of our growth is following the two prescribed “sacraments,” which are baptism and communion. These sacraments are outward signs of inward grace. Expect your church to help you grow spiritually.

11. Spiritual Attacks

Jesus said to His disciples that if they hated Him, they would hate them too. I should expect that a church that is following Jesus will encounter often and repeated attacks from Satan on the work of God. We aren’t to think it strange that we have these attacks but to think they are normal. The attacks are directly to stop the work of God. The most effective churches are the most spiritually attacked churches. Expect your church to be attacked spiritually.

12. Prayer

I should expect prayer to be a major focus and emphasis in my church. Jesus said that His house should be a house of prayer. I should expect there to be opportunities to pray corporately with the whole church, individually with others in the church, and with pastors and elders at the church. I should expect that my church knows the power of prayer and the gift of prayer, and that all that is done in the church is bathed in prayer. This means that I too should be praying with the body, with others and in my personal life. Expect your church to be a church of prayer.

13. Spiritual family

I should expect my church to be close like a spiritual family. I shouldn’t see my church as something I attend, but something I am. A church family should be a place that all are welcome to join, where there is mutual love for Jesus and for each other, where I can be connected with others, where I can be open and honest with others, where I can feel safe, valued, built up and where I can experience close fellowship. Expect your church to be a spiritual family.

14. Equipping for ministry

I should expect that involvement in my church would help me be better at serving the Lord and serving others. I should be more loving, more passionate about God, more understanding of His Word, more intimate in my relationship with Him, more grounded in His truth and a better instrument for God to use. If this is not happening in my church, then either you are in the wrong church or you are not participating in what the church is doing as part of the body of Christ. Expect your church to equip you for ministry.

15. Church Discipline

On occasion, I should expect my church to have to deal with those in the church who are causing division, or who are living in sin and won’t repent. These are those who are serving in the church and not mere attendants or guests of the church. Expect your church to exercise church discipline when necessary.

God uses the local church as a powerful instrument for a believer’s spiritual growth and maturity. The early church was a simple model where believers came together to hear the Word taught, to pray together, to take communion and to fellowship. The early church was an exciting place of love, power, fruitfulness and where Jesus was all-sufficient.

Like the early church, our local churches today should be a place where we can grow in our relationship with the Lord. However, today, especially in western culture, where we have a lot of things in the church that may or may not be wrong in and of themselves, but when we expect them to be a part of our church or use them as a premise and motivation in choosing a church, these expectations can actually be sabotaging our own spiritual growth.

Here are some things to think about if you have been expecting too much from your church and thus sabotaging your spiritual growth.

Things I shouldn’t expect from my church:

1. Perfection

A church is a body of imperfect people worshiping a perfect God. No one has arrived, and we are all at different places in our walks. We fight against the flesh and our selfish desires constantly; therefore imperfection is the norm not perfection. We won’t always be treated as we’d like to be, and the Bible gives us ways to deal with those things. It’s more about direction than it is perfection. Don’t expect your church to be perfect.

2. Status quo

The church is a living organism. It is always changing, and we shouldn’t expect to hold on to “the way it used to be” or “the way things were.” Change is good and keeps us from worshiping “relicts to the past” or making idols of things that are not of God. Change can flush out some of our false motives and old “wineskin” tendencies. Don’t expect your church to stay the same.

3. Getting my way

At the root of our sin nature is selfishness. This can manifest itself in a church when we have our own agenda, when we don’t get to do what we want to do or when things are different than what we like. One of the great benefits of a church is that it teaches us to submit our way to the Lord’s way and to trust the Lord. When we don’t get our way, it’s a chance to exercise our faith and die to ourselves, which helps us grow in God’s ways. Don’t expect to always get your way in church.

4. Not be offended

A church body is like a family. We live in close connection with each other, and we serve the Lord together. It’s inevitable that we will be offended or get our feelings hurt as well, as there is a good probability we will also hurt someone else’s feelings. Not to mention, we may and at times should be offended by the pastor’s sermon as Jesus offended many people by proclaiming truth. This is a great opportunity to exercise grace toward others. Don’t expect to not be offended in your church.

5. Entertainment

It’s not the job of the church to entertain us. The job of the church is to feed us (spiritually). When I expect the church to be an entertainment center, I may have missed what my real need is as a spiritually bankrupt sinner. There is nothing wrong with having fun and having a good time, of course, but I shouldn’t expect my church to provide that nor should I evaluate the church on how well they entertain me. Don’t expect your church to entertain you.

6. Wealthy

I shouldn’t gauge spiritual prosperity with material prosperity. Jesus wasn’t rich; the disciples weren’t rich, and the early church wasn’t rich. If God blesses the church with riches, then those riches can be used to further God’s kingdom, not to build a gaudy empire on earth. When we equate all the “bells and whistles” with the legitimacy of a church, we are left missing the immeasurable realization in the power of the Holy Spirit. Don’t expect your church to be wealthy.

7. Programs

The church is to be driven by and empowered by the Holy Spirit. When I expect my church to have programs to meet all my needs, it can often be a substitute for the Holy Spirit. The early church focused on prayer, doctrine, breaking of bread and fellowship. It was a simple model. They had all they needed to change the world, and we do too. Don’t expect your church to have all the programs you want.

8. Politics

The church is not a political institution but a spiritual one that is to preach the gospel and make disciples of all men and women and then teach them to follow the Lord. When I expect my church to push political agendas and be involved politically beyond clear biblical issues and with a clear biblical approach, then my expectations aren’t right. As individuals we can pray and follow the Lord as He leads us in politics, but that is not the role of the church. Don’t expect your church to push your political agenda.

9. Comfort/Ease

A church is to be a place of sanctification, not comfort and ease. We have peace in the Holy Spirit always, but we should not expect the church to be a place where we value comfort and ease. The church should be a place where we value being stretched in our faith and a place where we will be able to go beyond the boundaries of our comfort. Don’t expect your church to be comfortable or easy.

10. Absence of conflict

The church that is honoring the Lord, led by the Spirit, filled with love, proclaiming the gospel and standing on truth is a place where Satan will attack. We are to use our spiritual weapons of warfare and engage in this conflict, understanding that when the Lord opens a door, there are many adversaries. Don’t expect your church to be conflict free.

11. A place to watch

The church is not a place where I should expect the “professionals” to do the ministry as I watch them. A church is a “body of believers” like the human body, made up of many parts, and all parts are to be involved. All believers have been given spiritual gifts to be used within the body of Christ to build the body. My expectation as a believer is to participate in the church, not spectate. Each Christian must be personally responsible for their own relationship with Jesus. No one can substitute for that. Don’t expect your church to be a place where you merely watch others exercise their gifts.

12. Have all my needs met

Jesus is the only one that can meet all our needs. I should not expect the church to do that. When I feel something lacking, I can go to Jesus Himself. The church is not a substitute for Jesus Himself. Don’t expect your church to meet all your needs.

13. “Cool”

It’s not the job of the church to be “cool;” it’s the job of the church to be “salt “ and “light.” That doesn’t mean the church shouldn’t recognize the things that are going on in the world and culture in trying to best orient people to the gospel. It is not more spiritual to be outdated and out of sync with culture. However, when a church is judged by how “cool” it is and when we value “cool” over “Godly,” we might really be judging a church by how “worldly it is.” Don’t expect your church to be “cool.”