I'm a competitor. Regardless of the game being played or the setting that it is being played in, I'm going to do my best to beat my opponent and beat them soundly. Sometimes even when I or my team win I am still not satisfied because I feel like I didn't give my best effort over the course of the match. A little compettion can go a long way. In the sports world, it drives players to push through injuries and other difficult stretches to help their teams win championships. In the business world, it drives companies to make better products for consumers and offer better services to clients. In the church world, however, competition is deadly. It kills the life and health of the church. It not only destroys the church but it also goes against everything that the Bible teaches. Jesus never intended for us to be divided. He never intended for us to waste our time arguing over the less important secondary issues of our faith (I'm not saying that these issues aren't important, I'm simply saying that they don't need to pull our focus away from the true nature of the Gospel). For those on the outside, many of whom have only been exposed to the church through the numerous advertisements and buildings that they see lining the streets, seeing churches compete with each other for members often drives them away and turns them off to the message of the Gospel. During this month in Nicaragua I got to see and experience the opposite of this. I got to see what happens when the church works together, regardless of denomination or theological leanings. I got to see what Jesus intended the church to look like, one body with many gifts and roles loving on each other as they served one Lord.
The American church can learn a lot from the Christians in San Bernardo, Nicaragua. Regardless of whether or not they are Baptist, Church of Christ or Assembly of God these people simply seek to share the good news of the Gospel. They understand that the core of Christianity is our fallen nature being redeemed by Jesus's work on the cross and affirmed by his subsequent resurrection. I often wonder what would happen if we got back to these basics. How much more of an impact could we have on our generation if we were focused on, what Steven Furtick calls "the simplest systematic theology ever", the idea that God is good and he is great and we love, trust and serve him and others because of it, and not our personal preferences. In Nicaragua they are leaving their mark on their generation because they understand this idea. God is honoring their pursuit of him and their desire to see lives changed by him. I am convinced that same desire lies within the American church. The tender and kindling are there, it's just a matter of lighting the fire.
