Feb 18, 2008

When Being Good is Sin

Jim Collins writes in his book, Good to Great, that good is the enemy of great. It is because we have good government that we don't have great government. It is because we have good schools that we don't have great schools. And in the same way, I believe it is because we have good churches that we don't have great churches.

The problem with being a good church is that a good church is not that different than a good mosque or a good buddhist temple. You would have good people who do good things in all these religions. But God made us to be set apart and holy. God made us to be the salt and light. We are to be different. Jesus told Peter, "Against such a church, the gates of hell shall not prevail." The gates of hell have no chance against a church that is holy and set apart - a church that is great.

Thomas Rainier in his book, Breakout Churches, writes "It is a sin to be good when God has created you to be great."

When God has given to each and every Christ-follower, and when God has given to each and every church the potential to be great, it is a travesty to be good. When we settle for being good, when God has created us to be great, that is a travesty.

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