A TIME TO BREAK DOWN AND A TIME TO BUILD UP
For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:
…a time to break [things] down, and a time to build [things] up. -- Ecclesiastes 3.1,3b
When I graduated from college I was the typical “angry young man”. I wasn’t outraged to the point of radicalism, but definitely angry at what I deemed stupid mistakes made by previous generations. I was determined, not only to not make those mistakes, but to repair, at least in my little corner of the world, the damage that had been done.
I was adept at negation -- criticizing, diagnosing ‘the wrong’.
I was critical of the big church mentality that seemed interested only in amassing numbers (both in attenders and dollars) and that treated people as numbers, of churches and pastors that stamped out cookie-cutter Christians using pre-packaged programs rather than personal discipleship that required personal involvement, sensibilities, and thought.
I was critical of blind traditionalism that confused petty rules of evangelical social culture with divine law.
I was critical of legalists – of those who were critical of everyone and everything.
I was skilled at breaking things down and tearing things apart.
Our church grew. I found myself surrounded by people disillusioned with the same things that angered and embittered me, people that thrived on breaking things down and tearing them apart.
And I discovered that unless you can build up and replace what you’ve torn down, people that relish “tearing down” will eventually turn on each other and on you – because they relish “tearing down”.
Demolition is much easier and requires far less skill than building things back up. Building up requires a vision of what to build and then the skill and resources to build it. I’ve discovered this to be true in both DIY housing projects and church ministry.
The few brief paragraphs I’ve penned here look like such simple common sense. It took me a little over two decades of wrestling with others (both enemies and friends), with myself, with circumstances, and with God to figure out, or perhaps I should say “flesh out”, these truths and to turn from tearing down to building up. One of the great regrets of my life is that it took me so long to learn this lesson.
…a time to break [things] down, and a time to build [things] up. -- Ecclesiastes 3.1,3b
When I graduated from college I was the typical “angry young man”. I wasn’t outraged to the point of radicalism, but definitely angry at what I deemed stupid mistakes made by previous generations. I was determined, not only to not make those mistakes, but to repair, at least in my little corner of the world, the damage that had been done.
I was adept at negation -- criticizing, diagnosing ‘the wrong’.
I was critical of the big church mentality that seemed interested only in amassing numbers (both in attenders and dollars) and that treated people as numbers, of churches and pastors that stamped out cookie-cutter Christians using pre-packaged programs rather than personal discipleship that required personal involvement, sensibilities, and thought.
I was critical of blind traditionalism that confused petty rules of evangelical social culture with divine law.
I was critical of legalists – of those who were critical of everyone and everything.
I was skilled at breaking things down and tearing things apart.
Our church grew. I found myself surrounded by people disillusioned with the same things that angered and embittered me, people that thrived on breaking things down and tearing them apart.
And I discovered that unless you can build up and replace what you’ve torn down, people that relish “tearing down” will eventually turn on each other and on you – because they relish “tearing down”.
Demolition is much easier and requires far less skill than building things back up. Building up requires a vision of what to build and then the skill and resources to build it. I’ve discovered this to be true in both DIY housing projects and church ministry.
The few brief paragraphs I’ve penned here look like such simple common sense. It took me a little over two decades of wrestling with others (both enemies and friends), with myself, with circumstances, and with God to figure out, or perhaps I should say “flesh out”, these truths and to turn from tearing down to building up. One of the great regrets of my life is that it took me so long to learn this lesson.