Even though Subway has been around as long as I have lived, the sandwich shop never entered my peripheral until the turn of the century. In fact, I didn’t really see the store until Matthew started talking about his friend, Chandler, telling him it was his favorite restaurant (I think the slogan, “Eat Fresh,” was part of the reason he enjoyed the franchise). Soon after, my friend, Terry and I, started eating lunches together and we often chose Subway as a healthy alternative to the local Mexican or the local buffet. Having fresh vegetables to add to sandwiches allows for healthier choices to our food.
Soon after moving to Elkton, I discovered that Subway became my “go to” restaurant in a town with limited dining opportunities. Not only was it a relatively healthy and affordably priced, but it was also delicious. I ate there as many as four times a week, and created a strong friendship with the Indian husband/wife owners and their workers. When I moved to Scioto County, Ohio, I had high expectations about the local Subway stores. To be honest, I never realized how spoiled I got eating at the Subway in Elkton, as something has been missing from the number of the local Subways in Scioto County (not all, but some).
I can’t help but wonder why the same franchise, offering the same product, has quality-control problems. How the one in Elkton could become almost an addictive treat, and the ones here struggle to satisfy? A number of reasons may exist to explain the discrepancy, but we might focus on the Subway slogan, Eat Fresh. Could it be that some Subways cut corners on freshness? Maybe. But you’re not reading this for a critique of Subway, are you? In that case, what can we say about churches? How come certain churches, even within the same fellowship of believers, are almost addictive to be a part of while other churches within the same fellowship struggle to satisfy? Could the answer be found in Freshness verses something Stale?
If Jesus is the Bread of Life (Jn. 1:35), then some churches are offering a Fresh Jesus, while others are offering a Stale Jesus. Let me offer three areas where we can replace the Stale with the Fresh.
FreshWorship > When Jesus was talking to the woman at the well, he talked about worshiping in “spirit and truth” (Jn. 4:23-24). When Jesus spoke these words, he wasn’t arguing a doctrinal position about worship. In fact, he had just told her that the “place” of worship was about to mean nothing to God (Jn. 4:21). Jesus was addressing issues of integrity, honesty and authenticity. We come to worship God with so many agendas and motives. Sometimes we want people to pat us on the back to tell us we’re spiritual (see Mt. 6:1-18). Sometimes we’re just punching our ticket thinking we’re doing God a favor by showing up. Sometimes we arrive as critics, dissecting the worship leaders, the preacher, and the leadership. If enough members are acting out of such agendas, the worship will be Stale. Fresh Worship means checking our hearts at the door and throwing ourselves into the worship of God.
FreshRelationships > the New Testament contains over 100 “one another” statements (love one another, serve one another, serve one another, etc.). These statements force church members to move from peripheral relationships into something real and authentic (try that “forgiven one another” when you don’t want to forgive). Stale church relationships remain on the surface, never allowing times to share dreams, struggles, and hopes; they tend to be disposable too. Fresh Relationships love spending time together. They create safe areas where confession is encouraged and accountability is present. Fighting for each other is far more common that fighting with each other.
FreshPreaching > When Paul wrote to Timothy and Titus, he coined a phrase unique to those epistles, “sound doctrine.” The teachings of the church is the best way to understand, “doctrine.” On the other hand, “Soundness” is best understood as “healthy.” The teachings of the church is supposed to be healthy for the members of the body. The word and the context of the “Pastorals” also speak to the moral and ethical message. In short, Fresh Preaching is less about the preacher’s dynamic or props he uses, nor is it about holding to party-line beliefs, but is more about healthy teaching that leads members into making changes in their lives.
While I’m still looking to capture the Subway experience from Elkton, I’m far more interested in watching churches capture the freshness of God’s vision for the church. Stale bread needs to be thrown out and replaced with something fresh. A stale church needs the Holy Spirit to breathe freshness through it. When that happens we’ll find a new way to Eat Fresh!
Soli Deo Gloria!
(i.e. only God is glorified!)