The next entry for my Blog is Start Right Here, which was written by Bernie Herms, Mark John Hall, Matthew Joseph West, and Seth David Mosley. The song was first released October 26, 2018. A link to Casting Crowns singing the song is at the bottom of the Blog.
Start Right Here
We want our coffee in the lobby
We watch our worship on a screen
We got a Rockstar preacher
Who won’t wake us from our dreams
We want out blessings in our pocket
We keep our missions overseas
But for the hurting in our cities
Would we even cross the street?
Huh but we wanna see the heart set free and the tyrants kneel
The walls fall down and our land be healed
But church if we want to see a change in the world out there
It’s got to start right here
It’s got to start right now
Lord, I’m starting right here
Lord, I’m starting right now
I’m like the brother of the prodigal
Who turned his nose and puffed his chest
He didn’t run off like his brother
But his soul was just as dead
What if the church on Sunday
Was still the church on Monday too?
What if we came down from our towers
And walked a mile in someone’s shoes?
Hmm ’cause we wanna see the heart set free and the tyrants kneel
The walls fall down and our land be healed
But church if we want to see a change in the world out there
It’s got to start right here
It’s got to start right now
Lord, I’m starting right here
Lord, I’m starting right now
We’re the people who are called by His name
If we’ll surrender all our pride and turn from our ways
He will hear from Heaven and forgive our sin
He will heal our land but it starts right here
We’re the people who are called by His name
If we’ll surrender all our pride and turn from our ways
He will hear from Heaven and forgive our sin
He will heal our land
It’s got to start right here
It’s got to start right now
Lord, I’m starting right here
Lord, I’m starting right now
It’s got to start right here
It’s got to start right now
Lord, I’m starting right here
Lord, I’m starting right now
As I prepare to produce my Blog entries, I take the time to listen to multiple songs and then select the one that really touches my heart at that particular time. As I listened to this song a few times, it helped me to better understand the real mission that each of us has in front of us. We are probably all creatures of habit and we really don’t want to change unless forced to do so, this perspective can be good or bad. Think of some of the habits you have implemented in your life, note that I say implemented not just random things you do every day that perhaps you used to do differently. The writer lists of few of these, some may apply to you and some may not. You may ask, what is wrong with a regular routine or habit? The writer is not condemning habits, the writer is calling out the negative impact of certain habits.
Some of our habits are harmless and are perfectly ok, but some of our habits can take us farther away from God and his mission for us. We are always willing to change if it doesn’t impact us too much since most of us don’t like a lot of change in our lives. One of these habits is how we personally define the role of the church in our lives and how our habits impact the mission we were given from God through his word. Many churches today have live broadcasts or recorded broadcasts, so we can enjoy the message of the pastor without getting out of our pajamas, leaving the house, or worrying about our next cup of coffee. We may be listening to an awesome speaker who speaks about the joys of the Christian life and what the ultimate future holds for us, a promise of eternal life. Perhaps the preacher doesn’t focus on our responsibilities as a Christian, so we count on him to do his job and get the people outside of the church into the building so that they ultimately accept Jesus as their personal savior. The preacher’s message probably helps us grow as Christians every time we hear the message and we want the unsaved to hear that same message. This all sounds great doesn’t it? We don’t have to do anything but enjoy our Christianity from the comfort of our recliners. Before I continue, note that I am not criticizing the broadcast of messages from the church. There are many reasons for some not physically going to church including being out of town, working, not physically able, etc. The issue that the song raises is, what about all of the people in the world who do not know Christ and are completely unaware of the possibility of eternal life. Many of these people have perhaps never set foot in a church and never seen a broadcast from the church. It all comes down to the mindset that it is all about us as opposed to sharing the blessings that Christ has given to us. Who is out there telling people the good message of eternal live that only Jesus can give? Is it really the responsibility that falls only upon the preacher and missionaries?
Jesus did indeed die on the cross so that everyone in the world could have the opportunity for eternal life. He depends on his followers to tell the world what he did for all people, his message to his followers is found in the book of Matthew 28:19-20, “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” This directive applies to everyone who has accepted Christ as their personal savior. It is up to the Christians to share this message everywhere they go. The writers pose the question as to whether or not the followers of Jesus today are even willing to cross the street to help someone and deliver his message. Do we try to spread Christianity merely from our pockets or do we actually support Christ with our presence, our words, and our actions. Can we do any of the above if our Christianity only lives in our family rooms or our churches?
I truly believe that most of us are Sunday Christians, I believe this to be the direct message coming out of this song. As we go to church or watch church on our TVs, we do absorb the message being presented, we do grow in our love for Christ, and we do pray for others to become part of the body of Christ. We leave Church with good intentions, but these all dissipate before we even get back into our comfy recliners or sofas in our homes. The writers then ask a question we probably don’t want to hear, what if the church was still a church on Monday? I would take it a little farther and ask, what if the church was still a church seven days a week? In theory, everyone in the church is like minded when it comes to the teachings of Christ and his directives for all of us. The issue is that so many of us, probably too many, ignore the directives once we get away from the building. Christianity is not a building and that is where many of us fail in our Christian lives. We should be fed the word of God when in the church and we should be delivering the word and helping others when we leave the church. If someone is sick, do we only pray for them once? Do we only visit them once? Do we only take them meals once? If our friends and family need something, we will be there as often as we need to be and provide whatever is needed. If we truly want to follow what Christ commanded, our mission of spreading his word is never complete. As someone once said, “you are the only Jesus some will ever see”, keep this in mind as you start every day.
We all need to attend church if able, but we all need to remember that the church is not really all about the building or the preacher, it is all about the people who make up the church. Christ gave us our mission long ago, have you taken up this mission and become part of the real church? If not, now is the time and outside of the building is the place. If you are not ready to start right now on the mission you were given, when will you start? If your answer is that you have not started, take some time right now and ask yourself what is holding you back from the one mission your savior asked of you. Take the first step right here and right now.
