This is the 3rd in a series of in-the-moment reflections on planting Mercy Church. 

The Idol of Now

So we are only 2 weeks away from our first “preview service.” Which is our way of saying..we are doing church…but we are still pretty clumsy…so don’t knock us. But in my head, the timer is ticking. And when it goes off, we should be a fully functional church. Community Groups, Volunteer Teams, Mission trips, signage, t-shirts, kids supplies, lanyards, FIT tents, and everything else should all be fully up and running…right?

Enter the holy spirit and my tumultuous tuesday. Yesterday I had a meeting with poor John where I basically communicated I want everything to be done by July 19. 20 days. Let’s Build it! Know what? We cannot build a church in 20 days. I am foolish to think we can. By God’s grace we will build a church over the next 20 years and longer.

The only thing I know how to call what I saw in my heart and mind today is the “Idol of Now.” I was wishing away this infancy stage of Mercy Church where we try to walk, fall, and get up again. Why? because fueling the idol of now is fear. Fear that someone may come to Mercy Church this sunday and see that we don’t have it all together, and never come back. And then Mercy will fall apart. And I will be a failure. And I can’t fail, I must not fail. There it is. The “Success is more important than Jesus” trap I’d never fall into….and I fell into it before we even “launched.” Way to go Spence.

So here’s my solution: Repent, and get back to work. Work like its all up to me, and pray like its all up to him. I really don’t make apologies for trying to make Mercy Church a church where unchurched people feel at home. We are going to work hard at that. But Spence must seek to please Jesus, not people, in that process. The heart is fickle man. The end of Rom 7 is starting to become a mantra for me. “[24] Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? [25] Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! “

Welp, hope this was encouraging. Carry on.