Indonesian church becomes a club!

I was in Sumatra recently visiting Christian ministries in the southern part of this large Indonesian island. Though the population of Sumatra is largely conservative Muslim there are pockets of effective Christian witness – especially through the good work of Christian-run schools.

During the course of my visit, I met a very interesting Indonesian Christian. We shall call him Brother T. Brother T who is in his early forties is a very successful businessman who owns thousands of hectares of plantations and employs over 800 people. He started his business from “scratch” and is still aggressively expanding his business. And though he is so busy, he never fails to offer help to those serving the Lord. His driver picked us from the airport and we used his vehicle for the duration of our trip. He also offered us accommodation in his lovely home.

One night at dinner he told me that he had left his church because they were not interested in reaching out to unbelievers. He told me that when he gave out Christmas gifts to the poor in his city, he was rebuked by his church pastors. They told him that it was unbiblical to give gifts to unbelievers because, according to them, the Bible teaches Christians only to help their own! I told him that while it is true that we should help our own people (1Tim 5:8), we should not ONLY help our own but also others who are in need. Didn’t our Lord help helpless irrespective of who they were?

That Christmas incident was not the only time that he had attempted to reach the unbelievers. He has used his businessmen’s creativity to reach them through various means and was rebuked for his attempts.

Sad to say, Brother T’s experience is not an isolated one in Indonesia or almost any other Asian country. Many of our churches have become exclusive clubs catering to our own needs. Those who do not fit our “Christian standards” are not welcome to join in. Sinners, tax-collectors and prostitutes, whom our Lord reached out to, will be unwelcome in these “Christian clubs.” The reasoning is that such people would be a bad influence on us and our kids. Such Christians do not see their lives impacting others. They see their church as a hospital of weaklings needing protection rather than an army of Spirit-empowered Christians that have been given the Great Commission to make disciples of ALL people-groups.

Of course, if we believe that we are so weak that even one sinner can destroy our church, then how can we believe that we can go out into a sinful world and reach unbelievers for Christ?

When I heard Brother T say that he had left his church, I told him that in reality he never left a church because what he left wasn’t a church, it was just an exclusive club.

I was so glad that Brother T was discerning and obedient enough to follow his Lord rather than a man-made tradition. May God raise up many more Brother T’s who would rather obey God than men! May God use such dear men to build His church!

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