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I’ve been doing quite a bit of reading and reflecting on some emotionally charged societal issues. These same issues exist within the community of believers but tend to be swept under the proverbial rug. No matter the issue, (insert issue of choice here), the result is crisis.
The root of our sin is rebellion, in one form or another. The result of our rebellion is crisis. Torn relationships, broken covenants, hate, murder, sexual sins and self-righteous judgment of others surface as the direct result of the exchange made between our desire and the desire of God.
The devil runs virtually unchallenged on this earth leaving disaster and broken people in his wake. I think there is a problem when churches seek relevance to culture without genuinely addressing the real life struggles of living in a broken, fallen world.
Jim McGuiggan writes:
We can’t forever stand in silence while the hearts of our friends and neighbors are breaking. Our behavior and theology must offer some comfort to people in crisis. No, we don’t have the definitive answers or the complete cure for their ills; but the community of faith, the followers of the crucified and risen Lord, must have some to say and do.
God forgive us. God forgive us for our silence. God forgive us when we believe telling someone they are wrong is what we are to say and do. God forgive us when preaching “the wrath of God” is our answer to the sin that “entices others.”
Friends and neighbors forgive us for preaching at you instead of walking with you through your crisis. Forgive us for drawing lines between “us and them” as if it were our job to choose sides between saints and sinners.
Forgive us for judging your rebellion to be greater or more heinous than our rebellion. Forgive us for not understanding your struggle because your struggle is not our struggle. Forgive us for talking about love, mercy, compassion, grace, forgiveness and unmerited favor while we’ve insisted you jump through hoops to receive our compassion.
When we were kids we were told not to point a finger at someone else. When you point a finger at someone else three fingers are pointing at you.
Jesus said:
Luke 6:41-42 (NCV) “Why do you notice the little piece of dust in your friend’s eye, but you don’t notice the big piece of wood in your own eye? How can you say to your friend, ‘Friend, let me take that little piece of dust out of your eye’ when you cannot see that big piece of wood in your own eye! You hypocrite! First, take the wood out of your own eye. Then you will see clearly to take the dust out of your friend’s eye.
Perhaps a relevant church is one where the community of faith addresses their own rebellion toward God before they tackle the rebellion of the world?
These are sobering and awesome thoughts. I got cold chills……
Thank you for a special reminder.
I asked my class recently how we could communicate to the world that our church is not a place of condemnation but a place of restoration…a place where everybody knows that they are a sinner. Nobody had any great ideas.
I suggested we try to do it one person at a time.
That last statement may be the best definition of and challenge for relevance I’ve ever read.
At the risk of sounding a bit “60′s”, right on Greg.
Instead of “Physician heal thy self, how about church and church members, heal thy self.‚Äù
Beautiful.