In church the other day, I started looking around at those that were there. The service continued. The pastor spoke and gave a prayer. Another person, known to be associated with the activities of the church, stood up to speak about the meetings and activities happening for the week. The singers led everybody in worship, and the musicians provided the music. All the while that this happened, the people sitting down listened, sang, and bowed their heads at the appropriate moments. They were all very polite through the whole proceedings, as the delegated few continued their activities in running the whole service. The thing was that they just never really got involved. They simply sat there the whole time. Passive receivers. They all come, week after week, to the service. They all do the right things during the service, and they all remain uninvolved where possible. A passive resistance. An uninvolved commitment. An unstated agreement that suggests that people can be saved just by attending a church. Where did they get this sort of message? Perhaps their conscience is appeased when they do this, but the situation remains. They are still lost. Still not saved. After all, salvation has nothing to do with church attendance. Not only this, but why is it that we have allowed people in the church to have such a commitment? Why are so many of our churches formed and run in such a way that this is the norm, the expectation for everybody? Why do we have so many people that are relegated to the benches while only a select few run the whole show? And what can we do about it? There is nothing that I can say or do that will save me. Action or inaction in the church is not the answer. It is just that this passive commitment is a sign of a greater problem. A problem that suggests that people are not finding their answers in the church. One that suggests that there is no answer from the conventional sources, the places that people have always looked. Instead they are now turning to other spiritual sources. Looking for something that will answer this need that we all have for a spiritual connection. But they won't find it there either. We as a church have failed many people, and there is no turning back now. We have made the mess and we must change it. It is time to turn the tables, to recreate the form, but this can only be done if we start from the inside. You cannot stop a swearing man from letting out explitives unless he first changes on the inside. It is the same with the church. It is us. People. We must change. The form too must change. But for too long we have expected somebody else to live our spiritual life for us. It is time that we took responsibility for ourselves. On changing the inside, the form and the outside will naturally follow. There is no simple answer, no formulae that will provide the solution. We keep looking for the quick fix. There is none. It is long, slow, hard, and at times painful. But it does work. The question is not how we will change, but are we ready for it? If we are, then it is time to take the responsibility and move ahead. God CAN change the world. He CAN heal people. He IS a powerful God. The church CAN be different. But WE need to change. First.