Obesity in the church!

Hold on! This isn’t exactly what you may be thinking. I’m not talking about the body mass index of believers in the American church and the need to get into physical shape. Though I will mention that January has more gym membership sign-ups than any other month. Maybe this New Year you even told yourself, “I’m going to get into shape this year.” That’s not a bad resolution. You might not be going for the look of a Greek god, but you at least want to lose a few extra pounds and increase your health. Those are great goals! And many join a gym to achieve those goals. Unfortunately, one study found that 80% of individuals who join a gym in January will quit within 5 months. 80%! I’ll mention a simple practice to overcome those odds later in this blog, but for now let’s shift to this matter of spiritual obesity.

What is spiritual obesity? There is a parallel between spiritual obesity and physical obesity. Now let me pause and acknowledge the struggle many face trying to maintain a healthy physical weight. Thyroid issues, other hormonal imbalances, psychological and stress factors can all contribute to the struggle of weight management. So please understand that I in no way want to minimize this struggle that many face. But the parallel between physical obesity and spiritual obesity lies in the basic biological reason for weight gain apart from any contributing factors—calorie intake versus calorie expenditure. Without intending to minimize the real struggle for many, the basic biology of weight gain amounts to taking in more calories than you burn. Someone with a sedentary lifestyle will often consume more calories than they burn and thus gain weight. Resting metabolism, age, secondary health factors, etc. all play a part in weight gain, but at it’s core it remains the reality of too much going in and not enough being burned for energy. If such a pattern continues over a long period of time a person can reach a state of obesity (a body mass index of 30 or higher).

So here is the parallel. Spiritual obesity develops from taking in more than we burn. We learn and learn and learn, but the doing is minimal. We have our bible studies and can recite passages of scripture, but we’re not sharing Jesus with our neighbor. We’re not practicing forgiveness with that co-worker that frustrates us. We’re not using our spiritual gifts in the local body of Christ. We’re not storing up our treasures in heaven. We’re not ____________ (fill in the blank).

In Matthew 28:19-20, Jesus told His followers, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.” Did you catch those two words? I feel like we subconsciously skip those two words “to observe” and read the Great Commission as “teaching them…all that I have commanded you.” But that’s not what Jesus said. He said, “teach them to observe all that I have commanded you.” A follower of Jesus is not someone who simply knows what Jesus said, but someone who follows what He said.

Jesus illustrated it this way at the end of the Sermon on the Mount, “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock…And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand.” Hearing without doing is the action of a fool and leads to spiritual obesity.

James says the same thing in James 1:22-25, “22But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. 23For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. 24For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. 25But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.”

What we learn and hear in scripture must be obeyed and lived out or we’re simply eating calories and burning none. The result—spiritual obesity. Now I recognize that this side of eternity none of us will obey perfectly, but we should be getting healthier spiritually. Are we merely consuming more calories of scripture, or are we’re obeying and putting to practice what we learn? Bible study alone will lead to spiritual obesity if it’s not combined with Bible practice.

Maybe you should start a “Bible Practice” group rather than another “Bible Study” group. Get with some other believers and support each other to not only learn Jesus’ teachings but practice them in your daily life. It’s been shown that one of the greatest contributing factors for sticking with a workout program is having a workout partner (this is the simple practice to overcome the odds that I referred to at the beginning). One study demonstrated that couples who went to the gym together only had a 6.3% dropout rate compared to couples who went separately and had a 43% dropout rate. (https://experiencelife.lifetime.life/article/strength-in-numbers-the-importance-of-fitness-buddies/) That encouragement and accountability pays huge dividends when trying to get into physical shape, and it is just as essential for getting into spiritual shape. God doesn’t intend for us to walk this spiritual path of discipleship alone. We are to encourage one another daily. So get with some believers and support each other in being “doers of the word and not hearers only.”  

Let’s get in spiritual shape this new year!