If you’re like most people I know, you probably have one of those crafty little signs hanging somewhere in your house. You know the ones I’m talking about, those cute wall signs with pithy little three word statements painted on them like, Life, Laughter, & Love, or Family, Friends, & Fun. Well, before you read too far into this blog, can I ask you a question? Does your home life really reflect such sentiment and how about your church? I’m afraid if we’re honest many would have to use such expressions as; Moody, Mad, and Messy, or Compromise, Controlling & Commanding, or Rules, Rigidity, & Routine. Okay, Okay, enough conviction for now. Let me get to subject of this blog.
Recently a close friend of mine and I were swapping stories about our kids. My friend shared a conversation that he had with his adult son which penetrated me to the core. He and his son were talking about faith issues. His son said, “Dad, when I think of Christianity three words come to mind: BOREDOM, ANGER, & FEAR.” Ouch! Ouch! Ouch! Not exactly three words we would want hanging on the wall in our living rooms.
Well, this conversation got me stirred up and I began to reflect on this young man’s perceptions of Christianity. And rather than try to excuse these rants as the voice of a “hater” of Christians or the Church, I thought it more constructive to counter these negatives with a few positives.
THREE WORDS THAT SHOULD DEFINE OUR FAITH
The first thought that came to mind when I heard my friend’s story was of the Apostle Paul’s letter to the Church at Corinth, a Church which was really missing the mark. In fact, this Church was blowing it big time. People were suing each other, judging each other, showing up drunk at worship gatherings, just to name a few of their problems. And to add to the chaos, the Church was fixated on spiritual gifts, to the detriment of the people who attended it. In short, this Church was plenty charismatic and outwardly pious, but their testimony was tainted. In this context that the Apostle Paul exhorts these believers to expend their energy striving after the following three virtues; faith, hope and love.
For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears. When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.(1Corinthians 13:9-13).
You see, when the Church majors on the majors, people begin to understand God and his Church in a positive way. However, when Christians major in minors, i.e. ministry and programs, people are left with an obscure view of God that resembles nothing more than a fogged over image of a distant and strange God.
FAITH not BOREDOM
Is Christianity really boring? You want an honest answer? Yes, judging by what I have observed, many people are boring because they are bored. After all, the modern Church is filled with people who are nothing more than domestic socialites; people who loiter around church lobbies talking shop about God, yet lacking evidence of divine adventure in their own experience. However, the Bible is filled with adventure stories of anything but tame, coffee drinking, suit & tie wearing folks. You know the stories, Moses parting the Red Sea, David killing Goliath, Jonah being swallowed by a whale, Peter casting out demons, Paul floating in the Mediterranean on a piece of wood, etc, etc…. But in modernity, we are told that God doesn’t exercise power through people much anymore. In fact, the only one who seems to be allowed to tap into the power is the preacher once a week to motivate people to think great thoughts about how God used to work.
But wait a minute, didn’t Jesus tell the disciples that signs and wonders would follow them that believe? (Mark 16:17-18) And isn’t healing and deliverance needed today as much as ever? And are not modern Christians filled with the same Holy Spirit as in times past? Well, from my vantage point, as a pastor, the answer is yes, yes, yes! The world has been taken captive by the enemy of our faith and we Christians are called to be the very ones that step into the battle fields of life and exercise our faith for another’s benefit. And this is anything but boring. And to be effective we will need super-natural power won't we?
Well, if I am right, we must repent and muster up the courage to attempt great things once again for God's glory and reputation. After all,apart from faith it is impossible to please God.(Heb 11:6) And faith is not a set of beliefs we give mental assent to but a lifestyle of action that demands radical obedience.
Chip Ingram, a great pastor, preacher and author poses some great questions in his book, From Good to Great in God’s Eyes which are appropriate at this point:
Why does God use some people more than others? Why do some Christians seem to be in a special category while others live regular lives?
Well, Chip answers his own questions with the following statement:
Every believer’s life will be marked by windows of opportunity that demand radical steps of faith in order to follow Christ and fulfill his purpose for their life. And what makes a step of faith radical is that it will always involve significant risk. Where there is no risk, there’s no faith; where there is no faith there is neither joy nor power nor intimacy with God. There are also no supernatural miracles, no reward, and ultimately no pleasing God. p.120
My blogger friends, faith is not boring, we are. Perhaps we all should begin to examine our lives afresh and pray for a rediscovering of the great adventure of living by faith and not by sight.
Questions to Consider: What is exciting about your faith walk? When was the last time you did something for the Lord that required risk or stepping out of your comfort zone?
HOPE not ANGER
Anger of all words is not a word that Christianity should conjure up in the mind but apparently for some it does just that. The question I pose here is why? Why would anyone get angry when thinking about a faith that is established on such a great hope, i.e. eternal and abundant life? Well, I suppose for some, it’s because they hate the fact that God is sovereign (large and in charge) and has the final word in life and death. But I think for many such people its because Christians often do a poor job communicating the good news of the gospel. Just recently Harold Camping’s ministry rolled out a Bill Board Campaign across our nation with a loud and resounding phrase, judgment is coming! But is this the motto and message of Christianity? Is God really up in the heavens anxiously waiting of bring damnation upon of the human race? And is God so angry with mankind that only a few lucky ones will escape his wrath?
Well, the truth of the matter is that God loves mankind immensely and wants all men to be saved (1Timothy 2:4, 2Peter3:9). In fact, He is referred in scripture as the God of all hope, not the God of all judgment! (Romans 15:13)
Jesus once said to a lost but religious man named Nicodemus, “I did not come into the world to condemn it but to save it.” (John3:17). You see, yes mankind is separated from God and has a sin problem but that’s the reason he came. He said himself, "I did not come to call the righteous but the unrighteous." (Luke 19:10) In fact, a careful examination of the life of Christ would cause one to discover that the worst of sinners were the very ones he loved and related to the best! So, my Christian brothers and sister, let’s not be people of doom, but rather proclaim the grace and kindness of our God from a place of great hope for the race of men.
LOVE not FEAR
The Bible states that perfect love cast out fear! Well, if this is the case, and it is, why are so many people afraid to attend our Churches? Perhaps they fear being judged. Judged for what they wear, judged about their hair, judged about the habits, judged about their friends, judged, judged, judged. I believe this is the number one reason people avoid going to Church. People are simply fearful of not being accepted for who they are, sin and all. But Jesus taught something much different did he not? You know, judge not lest ye be judged. (Matt.7:1-2)
I remember reading somewhere that people are fearful of Christians because Christians are against so many things in the culture. Christians are against homosexuality, against drinking, against, cursing, against abortion, against divorce, against secular music, etc, etc….. And this is exactly where many people find themselves in life, morally flunking out. In this context such people conclude that we are against them. After all, such people know nothing about the , love the sinner hate the sin thing that we talk about.
Therefore, we Christians must strive to disarm people by sincerely loving them where they are. After all, we ourselves were saved by grace apart from any moral excellence on our part. Our faith was a gift, based solely on the kindness and grace of God(Eph 2:8-9).
In this context it’s worth reading the following statement made by Christ to his disciples the night before his crucifixion.
Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you. This is my command: Love each other. John 15:13-17
My friends, we have been chosen to bear fruit which is directly linked to loving one another, starting within the community of believers and working its way outward (love your neighbor as yourself). And love is the greatest of all virtues because love is the essence of who God is. According to the scriptures, when we love people we best display the heart of God toward them. In fact, the invisible God becomes visible through us!
No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another,God lives in us and his love is made complete in us. (1John 4:12)
And lest we be tempted to think of love as merely some gooey feeling or non tangible expression without substance we must look at how the Apostle Paul defined love:
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. (1Cor13:4-8)
Okay, enough said, let me wrap whole thing up with an exhortation. My brothers and sisters, I believe God is calling out to his people once again, his message is the message written to the Church at Corinth. And we must chose the most excellent way, the way of faith, hope and love. For in this, I believe we will help the hard-hearted, disillusioned and even the haters in our world redefine Christianity in terms we can be proud of. Therefore, may our spouses, children, neighbors, co-workers, and even enemies see in us that which they would best described as Faith, Hope and Love!
