How to motivate a church for 2014

The quote below was written about motivating a university Christian Union for mission but it applies equally to motivating a church to give or serve or how we preach to congregations at the beginning of the New Year:

There are basically three ways to motivate people to mission. Option one is to whip them. The Pharisees understood this very well. If we continually remind people of their obligations and the consequences of non-compliance, they will most likely do what we ask, especially if we have a position of power over them. Or, we can whip them up. Many a CU leader (the author included!) has been guilty of this: ‘God’s going to do great things!’ is the promise. ‘If you come to the prayer meetings, if you bring your friends to the CU events, then God will transform this university!’ God may do great things! But, the desire for success in evangelism cannot be our primary motive.

Whipping people with guilt and whipping them up with promises of immediate fruit can be successful at modifying behaviour, but only temporarily. But the gospel changes hearts! ‘If you love me, you will obey what I command’, Jesus said. ‘We love’, John explains, ‘because he first loved us’ (John 14.15; 1 John 4.19). The love of God in Christ is able truly to transform us, so that we want to make him known, so that we want to take up our cross. (Angus Moyes, Evangelicals Now, May, 2011)

Is this not relevant in our context?
Let's not be whipping people up at the beginning of this year with promises that this year really will be your year of breakthrough and overflow. And let's not be hitting people over the heads with calls to raise your game, make a load of resolutions and get with the programme. Let's point people to Jesus the author and finisher of our faith, the Cross which speaks the radical message of complete deliverance and a new life in Christ, and the great hope of His returning which will give us the strength and joy to endure and grow spiritually for another year (if there is another whole year) until that Day.

Happy New Year!

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