A Question of Motivation, Part 1

I heard a sermon yesterday by a young preacher who hit the nail on the head in identifying a glaring problem. He asked  the the congregation how many of them wanted to be like Jesus? Most people dutifully raised their hands. Then he pointed out the hypocrisy of the 200-300 people in the congregation saying they wanted to be like Jesus and yet only 10 of them had been in the pre-service prayer meeting (busted!). He exposed the yawning gap between what most Christians say they want and what they are willing to go after--as though the character of Christ was going to magically fall upon them from heaven one day. He said, “this is the problem,” and then put a picture on the screen of a man sleeping with a smile on his face, head half buried in his pillow. He used the passage from 1 Cor. 9:24-27 where Paul talks about athletes disciplining their bodies and going into strict training to try and win a crown that will soon perish; therefore how much more should we do the same to win an everlasting crown?

This is not popular preaching in most circles, as the American church somehow seems to think there is nothing more to the Christian walk after salvation than sitting around waiting to die or get raptured to heaven.

They young preacher went to great lengths to exhort the people to do what the Bible says; that they who seek the Lord shall find Him when they search for Him with all their hearts  (Deut. 4:29).

I answered the altar call with a few others, probably many of whom had already been  in the prayer room before the service, but basically it seemed to go over like a lead balloon. “Probably won’t add anyone to the prayer room before the next service,” I thought.

Ass I meditated on this it seemed to boil down to a question of motivation. People know they should do better—pray more, read the Bible more, witness more, etc.—but how do we motivate them to do it? Guilting them--as he was trying to do—doesn’t work. People have learned to live with the guilt of underachieving. Besides, they reason, “I’m saved by grace, not works, so all I really have to do is believe.” We can’t scare them with threatenings of hell for the same reason. I myself have tried preaching the once-in-eternity opportunity we have been given here on earth to be changed into His image and acquire His character, and how Christians will be weeping in heaven when they realize their lost opportunity that will leave them far off from Jesus throughout all eternity—all to no avail. The flesh with its comforts has great power. ("I'll be in heaven; what difference will it make how close to Jesus I am?") How do we break through and motivate Christians to take advantage of these few brief years on earth that will set their destiny for eternity?

(To be continued)