Transcript

Moving Beyond Mediocrity

So in my imagination, a family is cleaning out their attic. They come across a big old dusty organ. The conversation goes like this: "I forgot we had this thing!" "Should we keep it?" "I don't want it." "Well, let's then sell it on Craigslist." "You kidding me? I doubt it even works!" "I guess it's heading for the curb." "Aw, I'd hate to throw it away. Plus it will cost us several bucks for garbage stickers." "Hey, I've got an idea; let's donate it to the church!" "Wonderful! I'll call Pastor Randy tomorrow morning and see if he can pick it up!"

I'll be going somewhere with that "almost too close to be true" story in a moment, but let me remind you where we are in this new series. We are taking a brief hiatus from 2 Corinthians to study several issues that have flown under the radar too long for the Christian. These are the gray areas of our Christian life, you know, the stuff we rarely consider as believers and the stuff that cannot be answered with a simple "yes" or "no" answer. I'm intentionally not giving you definitive answers to these issues because there is no one patented answer for everyone. Plus even if I could, you'd miss out in the relational responsibility to process these issues with your Savior!

So how do Christians make these decisions? The goal is to develop a biblical mind or as some say, a biblical worldview. Know principles from the Scriptures applicable to the situation. Pray. Seek wise counsel from others. Be guided by the Holy Spirit. Then make a decision in agreement with your conscience. Each person and each family must choose what works best for them as they deem most God-honoring.

What we must do is avoid are the two extremes. On the one hand we have the brainless - do what you did before you were saved or segment your life between the spiritual and the secular or swim headlong in the current with unbelievers. And on the other hand we have the brainless - impulsive, knee-jerk reactions or cultic submission to legalistic voices or the "if it's not mentioned in the Bible it's evil" mentality.

Every decision we make is a spiritual decision. God wants us to process these issues with a Christian mind. That takes work and wisdom and discernment, but that reveals a heart of total submissiveness to the Lord and allows Him to be in the center of all our decisions, even the center in the process of making these decisions.

We started off this series with the topic of busyness - Is our busyness resulting from pride? Is our busyness causing us to neglect our greater priorities in life? Then we covered media the past two weeks - Are we making media choices in line with Scripture? Media can be bad. That's why we need to, 1 Thessalonians 5:21, "Examine everything carefully [and] hold fast to that which is good." And media can be good. I believe we have used our church Facebook page and City account very responsibly to the glory of God. And I'd encourage all of you to be a part of these. So from media last week, we now move this week to mediocrity.

When I speak of mediocrity, I am referring to the attitude of half-hearted effort. It might not be outright laziness, but it is a mentality that feels comfortable in giving forth something less than our very best. It's the "do what it takes to get by" or "that's good enough" or "whatever" way of thinking. It's a state of living that actually becomes content with a mindset of failure. I believe as a culture, the "commitment to excellence" in our personal lives is rapidly decreasing. And I believe there are many reasons for that well beyond the scope of this message.

So is mediocrity a spiritual problem? That is what we will seek to answer this morning. And if so, how do we overcome it?

The apostle Paul in one of his early letters wrote to the church in Thessalonica. The church was a good church and were for the most part doing well in their spiritual lives. He encouraged them on many accounts, but despite their spiritual success, twice in chapter 4 of 1 Thessalonians he admonished them to "excel still more" (1 Thes. 4:1, 10). Specifically he said, "Finally then, brothers, we request and exhort you in the Lord Jesus, that as you received from us instruction as to how you ought to walk and please God (just as you actually do walk), that you excel still more" (1 Thes. 4:1).

Why? "Excel" is a short word for "excellence." Our God expects among His creation, excellence. Of course we all have different abilities. Of course we all make mistakes. But overall there should be an attitude of putting forth our best effort with a sincere desire to keep improving in all aspects of our lives. So are we settling for mediocrity or are we pursuing excellence?

Our God is a God of excellence. In Exodus 15:7 we read, "And in the greatness of Your excellence You overthrow those who rise up against You; You send forth Your burning anger, and it consumes them as chaff." As God is excellent, there is no doubt that people created in His image should pursue excellence as well. They have all been given talents and energy and creativity and bodies and minds to be used for His glory. And if this is true for all people, how much does it ring truer for the believer? We know God personally. He dwells within us. We have spiritual gifts. We are motivated and energized by the Holy Spirit. No wonder we are specifically called as Christians in 1 Peter 2:9 to "proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light."

Peter in his second epistle makes this comparison between God's excellence and then the excellence He expects from us. He reminds us that God has "called us by His own glory and excellence" (2 Pet. 1:3) and therefore we too are to pursue "moral excellence" (2 Pet. 1:5). Additionally, in Philippians 4:8 Paul told the church that we are to "dwell on the things" that are "excellent." We dwell on the things that are excellent so we can then do the things that are excellent. That is why Paul goes on to say, "The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you" (Phil. 4:9). Earlier in the letter he said that we are to "approve the things that are excellent, in order to be sincere and blameless until the day of Christ" (Phil. 1:10). I think of Ruth, that godly woman mentioned in the Bible. In Ruth 3:11 she is described as "a woman of excellence." It reminds me of Proverbs 31:10: "An excellent wife, who can find [an excellent husband is probably even harder to find!]? For her worth is far above jewels" (cf. Pro. 12:4).

As I read through the Bible, I am forever awestricken by God's desire for excellence. He is intrinsically excellent in His being and it comes out in everything He does and commands. Was there anything mediocre about the miracles He performed? Did he run out of bread when He fed the 5,000? How about the construction of the Tabernacle and Temple? Precise dimensions provided. Specific articles prescribed. Precious metals employed. Exacting requirements described for those who would minister within.

Yet sadly, this standard of excellence is rarely seen in today's churches, the very place (if we claim to represent an excellent God) where it should be most noticible!

I can often tell so much about a church before I ever step one foot into the building. Their website speaks volumes. Sermons uploaded weeks late. Words misspelled. Unappealing or archaic graphics. "Upcoming events" that have long past. Calendars that have not been updated. Then if I drive on to the property what do I observe? Grass that is overgrown. Weeds filling the flowerbeds that have been untouched for years. Paint chipping off the building. Is this really representing a God of excellence?

Are these the people you would really trust with a message that could change your life if they can't even take the time to change the light bulb that's been burnt out in the parking lot for the past three months? How many people have already made negative conclusions about churches and often the God the church claims to show before they ever stepped one foot into the building?

And then when you enter, is there a failure to be greeted warmly by the congregation? A service that starts much later than the advertised time? Musicians that are totally unrehearsed? Distractions that are not attended to? And worst of all a sermon that is a boring, uninspired, unprepared, Bibleless, Christless, regurgitated rambling from a commentary that lifted no hearts toward God and gave people in their hearts no reason to attend ever again?

I'm obviously using some hyperbole, but I don't think I am too far from the truth. The people of God have settled for mediocrity in the church. We claim to represent a God of excellence, but we show a God with our efforts that is quite unimpressive and definitely not one to be respected, much less worshipped!

In an article I read this week, one author said, "Christians and churches could often be described as a people plagued by spiritual mediocrity. Knowledge of the Scriptures can be mediocre. Dedication, service, purity, and leadership are mediocre" (Scott Kercheville, Spiritual Mediocrity).

From my observations, it's rather unsettling that Christians settle for things in the church that they would rarely permit in their personal lives. Their ministry is either nonexistent or halfhearted, but they are dedicated to landscaping their homes and faithfully attending to their bodies and being fervently committed to their jobs. Yet as another author said, "In [the] grace-filled church arena…there seemed to be an unwritten rule that whatever we do in the name of the Lord is good enough, even when it isn't our best" Chris Tiegree, A Culture of Mediocrity).

Why do we give our efforts in the church a pass when it comes to excellence? Are we hypercalvinists? Hey, just get the biblical part right and nothing else will matter. Are we all about just applauding good effort even when the product produced is an outright embarrassing representation of Christ? Maybe that person is not the best person for the job. Are we erecting a double standard? We take the "real world" seriously and anything goes in the "spiritual world." Are we settling for second best because after all, "it's better than nothing?" Are we grieving the Spirit in assuming that He will always "bless our mess?" Are we not getting paid so we think we can kick it back a bit? Are we using grace, God's acceptance of us, as an excuse to give Him halfhearted efforts?

Though I'm not a big fan of the author, Franky Schaeffer in his book Addicted to Mediocrity, makes a good point: "The price [we pay for mediocrity] is the ludicrous defacing of God's image before the world. The price is abusing and manipulating God-given talents by turning them into mere useful tools. The price is looking only for cheap shortcuts to the fruit without considering the means of getting there. In other words, the price is the integrity of Christians themselves. This leads to Christianity looking ridiculous. The world quite sensibly wants no part of it" (p. 44-45).

At this juncture it's essential to point out that that I believe our church is committed to excellence. I'm not saying that we are better than others, only drawing a conclusion based on my observations. The ministries we offer are excellent and the commitment that we have to the church and the ultimately to the Lord I believe is excellent. Yet we must "excel still more." We never arrive. We must refuse to settle. We must keep aiming for the standard which is the excellence of God. And with that standard, we can never have ministry standards too high.

Jesus Christ made the expectation of being one of His very clear. "If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me" (Lk. 9:23). I am reading through Mark's gospel. Our Lord's first words recorded, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel" (Mk. 1:5). I think it is safe to say that although we are saved by faith the faith that our Lord demands is one of absolute commitment. He couldn't have made that clearer when He spoke to the church in Laodicea. "I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot; I wish that you were cold or hot. So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of My mouth" (Rev. 3:15-16). Romans 12:11, "Not lagging behind in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord." Commitment! Seeing all things as an opportunity to glorify our Lord Jesus Christ with excellence.

And not just in the church, Christians are to be people of excellence for God's glory in all aspects of their lives.

Jesus called at least two tax collectors to Himself. One was Matthew and the other was Zaccheus. To Matthew, He said, "Follow Me!" The text says Matthew "got up and followed Him" as one of His twelve disciples (Mt. 9:9). Zaccheus was the short guy who climbed the sycamore tree to see Jesus (Lk. 19:3). Zaccheus repented (Lk. 19:8) and Jesus said, "Today salvation has come to this house" (Lk. 19:9). Zaccheus went back to his profession as a tax collector. Is there any indication that one of these two men is to be praised as more spiritual than the other?

Excellence in our walk with Christ. Excellence in our ministry. And excellence in everything else we do, because again, every act is a spiritual service of worship (Rom. 12:1). Every act is an opportunity to represent Him to a lost world.

Schaeffer goes on to say, "Whenever Christians, and evangelicals in particular, have attempted to "reach the world" through the media - TV, film, publishing and so on - the thinking public get the idea that, like soup in a bad restaurant, Christians' brains are better left unstirred." He continues, "The behavior in the area of the arts and the media has caused some intelligent people to reject Christianity outright on their observing this phenomenon" (p.11, 25).

In yesteryear the greatest minds producing the greatest products were often Christians. Noted scientists like Louis Pasteur, Galileo, George Washington Carver and Sir Isaac Newton were Christians. Noted artists like Michelangelo and some say, Leonardo Da Vinci were Christians. The great composer, Bach, was a Christian. The Wright brothers who invented the airplane were Christians. Great authors such as J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis were Christians. William Wilberforce (who led the abolition of slavery), Florence Nightingale (the founder of modern nursing), Eric Liddell (the devoted Olympian) were Christians. Shouldn't Christians still be leading the way on excellence? Today I think most Christians are simply following the leadership and products of the world.

Now I know there are many dangers of striving for excellence. After all, haven't we learned that Satan will take anything we do for good and seek to bring forth evil. We've be taught, 2 Corinthians 2:11 to not be "ignorant of his schemes." I know if we are not careful, a pursuit of excellence can lead to pride whereby we look down on others or desire to draw personal attention to ourselves or seek to be man-pleasers. It can lead to a reliance on our own strength and not God's strength. It can lead to misplaced goals that believe the product is more important than the spiritual goals it aims to produce. It can lead to misplaced trust that excellence alone can achieve God's purposes. And it can lead to misplaced methods, looking to worldly techniques more than Scripture. I know all of these and now you do as well, but we can't operate in fear as an excuse to excuse the behavior expected of us from the Lord.

Mediocrity is a sin not unlike the other sins we battle as Christians. And mediocrity, like all sins, begins in our hearts (Jas. 1:14). Mediocrity is one of those sins that we can't blame on others. It starts with the sin of pride deep within us that spills over to indifference or selfishness and then reveals itself in mediocrity. Overall, it is a lack of faith in God. It is a lack of rightly understanding and then believing and then being overwhelmed by the greatness of our God. It is the failure to be awestricken by God's excellence. Simply put, less-than-excellent efforts are a result of not admiring a nothing-but-excellent God.

In his excellent book, Dangerous Calling, Paul Tripp said, "Mediocrity is not a time, personnel, resource, or location problem. Mediocrity is a heart problem. We have lost our commitment to the highest levels of excellence because we have lost our awe. Awe amnesia is the open door that admits mediocrity. Awe of God is fear-producing, inspiring, motivating, convicting and commitment producing. There is no replacement for this" (p. 141).

Let's remember that only God is truly excellent. As a child of God, He came to you when you were anything but excellent. Through Christ, He now dwells within you. You are a partaker of His divine nature. You are not God, but you are now freed from the false excellencies of human pride and mediocrity. You can no longer be content simply with things as they are. Set high goals. Use your time wisely. Be inspired by Christian heroes from the past. Develop convictions. Leave a legacy behind for others to be inspired. Understand that God made you with a purpose. Understand that God made you for Himself. Remember the One you are representing in all things. Keep your eyes on Christ. Be His ambassador (2 Cor. 5:20). Display the glory of His presence and grace by His grace as clearly and powerfully as you can.

We have all failed, but don't wallow in shame and guilt over your failures, but run to your Redeemer and live the victorious life for His glory that you were intended for!

A.W. Tozer in his sermon, Why Be a Mediocre Christian?, said, "Be an uncommon Christian. Average Christian is 'half way up between the valley and the peak…halfway where we used to be and where we ought to be.' When we hear the call to take up the cross and follow toward the hills we begin to bargain with God like a huckster. What will it cost me in work? What will it cost me in money? What will it cost me in relationships? Is it safe? Is it convenient? Is it fun? Is it popular? - You'll never be more than the common Christin until you give up your own interests and cease to defend yourself and put yourself in the hands of God and let Him alone. We want to help God out. No, no give yourself to God. Turn yourself over to God and say, 'Father, I'm sick of being a common Christian. I'm sick of this mediocrity. I'm sick of being half-way up to where I want to be. I'm sick of seeing other happy Christians and I'm not. I'm weary, God, of the whole thing and I want to go on, I want to know You" (paraphrased).