On January 20, 1961 during his inaugural address, President John F. Kennedy spoke these words,

“My fellow Americans, ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.”

Fast forward 50 years, Pastor Craig Groeschel says that this concept expressed by President Kennedy can and should be applied to the context of church life as well.

“When I meet people often times they’ll say things like, I just can’t find a church that meets my needs. What I want to say is we are not called to be spiritual consumers. Jesus called us to be spiritual contributors. We have to recognize the church doesn’t exist for us, but we’re the church and we exist for the world.”

Craig says that not only are we consumerists, but our culture can be downright narcissistic.

“There’s never been a day that’s more about promoting self than the world we live in right now. Social media basically normalizes and applauds pride.”

Jesus Christ calls us to deny ourselves daily and live for others. However, these words of Jesus fly directly in the face of what our culture encourages. What motivation do we have to reject the consumerist and self-centered lifestyle so prevalent in our culture today?

“When we focus on ourselves, we’re going to be miserable. When we’re doing what Jesus called us to do, when we’re laying down our lives, we’re serving other people, even in the smallest, simplest ways, we can really encounter the presence of God.”

Sometimes we try to keep our life to ourselves, but when we withhold parts of our life from God, we prevent ourselves from experiencing the real life God intends for us.

“It’s in giving our life up like that that I really believe we really find God’s will. We lay down our life, we lose it, and then we find it again.”


Craig Groeschel is the founding and senior pastor of Life.Church. Meeting in multiple locations around the United States, and globally at Church Online, Life.Church is known for the innovative use of technology to spread the Gospel.

Key Scripture: Proverbs 16:9

Featured Songs: Impossible – Building 429; Press On – Mandisa; Press On – Building 429

Divine direction with Craig Groeschel