Jesus told us that he came so that we would have “life to the fullest” (John 10:10). If that was Jesus’ goal while he was on earth, don’t you think that should be a goal of the church?
Most people aren’t living life to the fullest. Sure, most people have full lives. They’re always going from one place to another, from one accomplishment to another, and often from one relationship to another. Many people’s schedules are full, but that’s a far cry from living life to the fullest.
First and foremost, living life to the fullest starts with Jesus. We cannot have a full life without him. Salvation is the starting point to a life fulfilled, but it’s not the end. There are a lot – I mean a lot – of unfulfilled Christians. And that devastates our witness to the world.
After salvation, a fulfilled life is one where four basic needs are met. God has uniquely called the Body of Christ to meet those needs. In this issue of Toolbox, I’ll share those four needs and how the church is best equipped to meet them.
1. Support
Everyone wants to know they’re not alone. God said in Genesis 2:18 “It is not good for man to be alone,” but there are a lot of factors in today’s world that are causing us to be more alone.
- Urbanization: The vast majority of us live in cities, and we don’t know our neighbors.
- Specialization: We’re increasingly separating people into different boxes – further isolating ourselves.
- The breakdown of the family: In just a few generations, we’ve gone from the extended family to the nuclear family to the single-parent family.
- Materialism: To many people, things have become more important than people.
People are coming into your church searching for something to belong to. They want to know they aren’t alone. They want to know someone cares about them.
That’s where the church steps in. God designed the church to be a family (Ephesians 2:19). Small groups are crucial to this. That’s where we meet the need for support in people’s lives.
2. Stability
People are looking for a strong foundation to build their life on. Pastor, this may surprise you, but people want absolutes to center their life on. Every study you read about truth these days says people don’t believe in absolutes anymore. The sad part is that even regular church goers aren’t acknowledging absolute truth. But if you have no absolutes in your life, you’re asking for anxiety and stress.
Deep down, the people in your community know that. Those who walk into your church this weekend want absolutes to build their life around. Whether they want to admit it or not, they’re looking for principles to help guide them. Until people establish an authority in their life, they’ll never have life to its fullest.
You have an opportunity to do that. We must teach people that God’s Word is that kind of authority. It’s an anchor that we can depend upon when life gets rough.
3. Self-expression
God made us all a unique mix of gifts, passions, abilities, personality, and experiences. And he gave us an irrepressible desire to express our uniqueness. When we can’t express that uniqueness, it produces frustration, dissatisfaction, and boredom.
The vast majority of men and women who’ll walk through your church doors this weekend – and the vast majority of people you’re trying to reach – are bored out of their mind. They have no opportunity to express their uniqueness. Often, the media, their jobs, their family, and their friends are trying to stuff them into a box that makes them just like everyone else. When they come to your church, they’re hoping you’ll help them express that uniqueness.
Your church should be that kind of place. Help them discover their uniqueness by finding out about their SHAPE. (spiritual gifts, heart, abilities, personality, and experiences). Teach them how to minister through the unique way God created them.
4. Significance
We all want to know our life matters. We want to be part of something bigger than ourselves. We’ve been wired for this. Man’s search for meaning wrote the history of the 20th century. Communism and nationalism thrived because people long to be a part of something bigger than themselves. Today, radical Islam operates in the same way.
We should corner the market on meeting this emotional need. You and I are a part of the biggest mission imaginable – sharing the Good News about God’s Kingdom. I can’t think of any bigger mission to center our lives around. As we help people see their unique part in this mission, we’re meeting this huge need in their lives.
Philippians 2:13 in the New English Bible says, “For it is God who works in you, inspiring both the will and the deeds for his own chosen purpose.” God had a purpose for our lives even before we were born. One of the greatest things we can do for people is help them to discover that. What is their unique mission? How does God want to use their uniqueness to tell his story? Your church has the opportunity to help people discover that.
The latter part of Romans 5:2 sums up my heartbeat for Saddleback and what I hope is your heartbeat for your church: “We confidently and joyfully look forward to actually becoming all that God has had in mind for us to be.” I want to be able to say that I’ve helped my congregation become all God wanted them to be. That means I have to be meeting these four basic needs in the ministry of our church.
Of course, here’s the underlying message to this article: If you’re built around the biblical purposes of the church (worship, fellowship, discipleship, ministry, and evangelism), you’re meeting those needs. A church committed to fellowship meets the need of support. A church committed to discipleship meets the need of stability. A church committed to mobilizing members for ministry meets the need of self-expression. And a church committed to evangelism and missions meets the need of significance.
Inclusion and relationships are what many of my brothers and sisters seek. This speaks more to constant contact and connection…without which leaves people feel alone and lonely, self-conscious and inhibited by their own thoughts. We must force ourselves into being outgoing and inviting, always approaching others with open hands and arms, offering what resources we have, and genuine interest in what they are doing and what they are thinking.
Dear Rick,
Thank you for this message! In my opinion you’re right on. There are definitely so many different answers to this question.
I just had lunch with my senior pastor in which he asked me what do people need the most in this life. I responded Love, Acceptance, & Purpose. He continued to let me know he agreed with two of my points but changed purpose to forgiveness; Love, Acceptance, & Forgiveness. He is working on a sermon about Jacob, Rachel, & Leah’s love triangle about how Jacob loved Rachel more than Leah Gen 29:30. Leah was able to have children but Rachel was not. Rachel & Leah both wanted Love from Jacob. They both had children and their servants had children with Jacob to find favor(Love). Quite a story with so many “Truth Diamonds”. It has points of our four deepest needs intertwined in & throughout from your message.
I shared your message with my pastor to give him another perspective & pray it encourages him as much as it did for me.
On another note I just attended the Celebrate Recovery Summit West at your church. I was so Blessed by Kay’s & your message to us. It also was so touching to me to hear how John & Cheryl Baker have touched your elder team and your body through the last 25 years. I’m a pastor’s son and to see the unity you displayed on stage in front of so many of us is rare!
Thank you Rick for supporting, mentoring, & befriending the Baker’s in your life. Celebrate Recovery is changing my life, my wife’s life, & my children’s life. I’m committed to seeing lives changed through Celebrate Recovery one life at a time at my home church in Santa Fe, NM.
Blessings & Hope IN Christ,
Mark
THANKS,IT IS DIVINE PROVIDENCE THAT I CAME ACROSS THE BOOK YOU WROTE:PURPOSE DRIVEN CHURCH THIS MONTH OF AUGUST IN STREETS OF NAIROBI ,KENYA .I SHOULD ADMIT THAT YOU INSTANTLY PLAY A ROLE OF A MENTOR TO ME.ASKING WAYS WE CAN PARTNER MORE WITH YOU?
Couple of questions to each point:
1. How can the modern church be compared to a family while we have two classes of people, the clergy and the laity? Seems to be more like a customer/service-provider relationship.
2. Why must the Bible be foundational? Christians don’t seem to agree on how to read and understand it to the point we create separate denominations to avoid discussion or living in the tension of ambiguity.
3. The modern evangelical church leadership seems to be dominated by Type-A extroverts. How do quieter, introspective people contribute when they’re constantly being over-looked and talked over by louder people?
4. Why does the modern church feel like building man’s kingdom rather than God’s kingdom? With all the big buildings and programs and scheduled events, how is this any different than attending sporting events, movies, concerts?
1.) By faith.
2.) By exalting Christ and others above self the need to be right dies with the division it creates.
3.) Through prayer. Humble servitude is praised by Jesus the King Himself. Being looked and talked over is fine when our heart and conscience is pure before the Lord. In fact it’s the meek that shall inherit the Earth.
4.) A city on a hill cannot be hidden. These buildings invite the elect to gather together and promote the gospel by serving eachother. Does anything happen outside of God’s will? Do these buildings promote their builders or their savior? Just because something is big, detailed, structured, and organized does not mean it is without conviction. It just means you have a few more people, a little extra room, and a few more activities to join alongside a family of believers to seek our loving, forgiving, Lord of Lords and King of Kings. Jesus is here. His message is clear and His purpose is redemption. Don’t let the size of a church or the volume of a preacher distract you from that. Bless you.
1. You’re absolutely right, Mike. Rick’ Warren’s church is the only one I’ve ever seen (in my very limited experience) where the clergy elevated the laity to ministerial functions, thus eliminating the class distinction. Seems most pastors are too jealous of their superiority to do this.
2. The Bible is not the problem, it’s our ignorance. Also, many denominations don’t differ all that much, they just fight over trivialities. Further, denominationalism serves in much the same way as nationalism by preventing groups from getting big enough to destroy freedom of thought.
3. I couldn’t agree more, but refer back to #1. The leadership has to deliberately include us introverts.
4. Probably just because we’re all human so we tend to work for what we can see, rather than what we can’t see. Thus, in so many cases there’s no difference; and using the name of Jesus to entertain the crowds does not make it a spiritual experience. Again, refer back to #1. It has to be the intentional policy of the individual church to make the difference we’re looking for.