Preaching to the Choir

Do you ever talk to yourself? Most of us do, I suppose—though not out loud in public. Even in the Bible, David engaged in some self-talk when he reminded himself, "Praise the Lord, O my soul" (Psalm 103:1). Sometimes we need to talk to ourselves in order to keep ourselves in line!

But too much self-talk is a sign of self-absorption, and this malady can even afflict the church if we mainly just talk to ourselves instead of taking Christ's message to the world. Too easily, we end up preaching to the choir—telling people we already know things they've already heard about ideas they already accept. It's relatively easy to talk about spiritual things with someone who already believes the Bible and considers himself a Christian. But how often do we discuss matters of faith with those who identify themselves as Hindus, Muslims, Jews, doubters, agnostics, atheists, and freethinkers? Do we even try? Are we just preaching to the choir?

If we're not careful, our churches, homes, and Christian colleges can become holy huddles where we hide from the world like lights under a basket while we rehash our favorite arguments and criticize other sections of the choir instead of building up the body of Christ. We're talking to ourselves—trying to convert the already-converted, nit-picking when we should be soul-winning, criticizing when we should be evangelizing, shrinking back when we should be reaching out. Our disunity and self-centeredness distract attention and drain energy away from our disciple-making mission, in direct defiance of the prayer of Jesus: "May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me" (John 17:23).

Don't misunderstand. Part of the church's responsibility is to teach, shepherd, and encourage those who already believe. We haven't fulfilled the Great Commission if we leave new disciples untaught and unnurtured. Paul and Barnabas not only "preached the good news . . . and won a large number of disciples," they also spent time with those who'd previously accepted Christ, "strengthening the disciples and encouraging them to remain true to the faith" (Acts 14:21, 22). Paul told Timothy to "keep reminding" the believers about the things they'd already accepted as true (2 Timothy 2:14). Peter wrote, "I will always remind you of these things, even though you know them and are firmly established in the truth you now have" (2 Peter 1:12). Christians need to be encouraged that God still exists, the Bible is still true, Heaven is still our hope, faith still makes sense, sound doctrine is still important, and Christian living is still worthwhile.

But we must do more than just talk to ourselves. There's a big world out there that needs Christ. It's as close as our neighborhoods and as far away as the other side of the globe. It's time to grow up in our salvation and declare God's praises to those who live in darkness (1 Peter 2:2, 9). We need to cross cultural barriers, burst out of our protective bubbles, and find creative ways to engage non-Christians in respectful dialogue. We need to invest more prayers, more dollars, and more tears in world evangelism and less on programs and comforts that only serve ourselves.

When lost people come back to God through Christ, there will be rejoicing in Heaven. And who knows? Maybe the choir’s harmony will even improve.