Suppose your church really became concerned about its lack of impact on the world around it, and suppose it vowed to do something beginning with the question ‘How do we see ourselves as a church? What are we here for?’ And suppose you have vision enough to see that if you only exist to keep things going, or to be a nice cosy family together:you are not the church of Jesus. Suppose you have the vision that it is His church, not ours, and Jesus wants His church to exist for others, and to turn unbelievers into His fully committed followers.
Well, if that vision exists among enough of the people in your church, then it can begin to live by the values of the New Testament which involve such clear issues as these:
God cares about all people – so they do matters to us? True or false?
People who are lost to God need to be sought and found. True or false?
Our Sunday services must cater for the unbelievers who come and not to suit the believers already there. True or false?
Our love for people must override our traditions. True? – but does it?
All our services must be people-friendly – not embarrassing, pressurising, or quietly manipulating anyone.
Everything done has to be the very best work we can manage presented by the highest standards. True, or false?
In short, if Jesus wants his church to seek and save, and build up the lost into fine Christian disciples,do we want that enough to accept the values which lead to it?
Listen to how Paul’s vision fixed his values: I Corinthians 9: 19-20, 22-23
“Though I am free and belong to no man, I make myself a slave to everyone to win as many as possible.To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews.
To the weak I became weak, to win the weak.I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some. I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings”

A Prayer:
Lord, save your church from seeking to save itself, but rather let it lose itself, and ;thus find itself saved.

Now read II Kings Chapter 7 (and ponder v.9).