In many ways we have slipped into this rut in the church today and I think it has led to the disillusionment of a lot of the people regarding who Jesus is and what the church is supposed to look like. Too bad really. I guess the good news is that, as Bryan Kimball noted in his book by the same title, that people today like Jesus but they don't like the church. That should not be a surprise really. I mean, setting aside the obvious, that they really don't understand who Jesus really was and is, they are drawn to a person that truly cares, has convictions, and is not bound by the machine. Someone who looks out for the poor and stands against the hypocrisy of the church. Funny because the things that they like about Jesus are in fact true characteristics about Him (there is of course so much more than just that), yet they are largely absent within the church culture found today.
Sad day. In so many ways we within the church have abandoned the cultural necessity of the Gospel and have made the church walls a haven for the apathetic. Rather than reaching out to a lost and dying generation, that needs Christ, with tenderness and care as Jesus did (while maintaining a call to abandon sin as Jesus did as well), we instead all too often condemn the sinner outside the church and, like the Pharisee that prayed in the Synagogue next to the tax collector, thank God that we are not like him. Then, within the safe boundaries of the church we pad godly living, and discipleship. We forget verses that command us to work out our salvation with fear and trembling, and instead of calling the people of God to strive for holiness we pad their existence.
It does not have to be this way, yet it has to begin with you, within your heart before the Holy God who canceled the certificate of debt against your life and mine through the shed blood of Jesus Christ. Mark Driscoll reminds us that the world is not made up of good guys and bad guys, but bad guys and Jesus. It is all about Christ. Is your life hidden with Christ in God? Then why not you? Why not now?
Friday, October 9, 2009
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Something Blue
We are going to experiment a bit tonight at six30. It seems as though the distractions and chitchat during our worship and message time have gotten pretty rough, so I am going to dismiss those that don't want to be there just before we start the message. You won't be looked down upon if you go to the gym for a bit, but what we need to talk about is of such importance that we need to keep those distractions to a minimum. Don't get me wrong, we want you here, but we do need to focus up a bit.
It is hard to describe what it is like being up in the front, trying to share a message that is so real and tangible and life altering, and yet having it blown off by those who are in the crowd. Heartbreaking really, I don't know, it is as if we have decided that church is a game that we do once or twice a week that has no real bearing on life. Somehow I think that those Christians 2000 years ago, who were seconds before death because of their faith in Christ, saw things differently. How do we bring the reality of that perspective into a culture as apathetic as this one? I really don't know.
We do need to abandon the freaking candy coating that is too often slapped onto a flannel graph Jesus. We need to stop neutering the Gospel. We need to not be afraid to cling to Jesus Christ as the only source of hope in this dark and dying world. We need to not be afraid of others knowing that we personally do in fact cling to Christ.
What does it mean to pursue Christ? Let's talk about that. Let's be real about that. Pursuing Christ is hard, it really is. But I imagine for just a moment, I imagine what it would be like if the youth I see in this church would abandon the comforts of their cocoons and make a stand. I know their is a need that burns inside them to have value in something. This is it, they have value because Christ has given them value. From that they are now able to pursue Him. To gain nothing but a knowledge of Him and the power of His resurrection.
Anyways, we will see how it goes tonight. I do believe that God is able.
It is hard to describe what it is like being up in the front, trying to share a message that is so real and tangible and life altering, and yet having it blown off by those who are in the crowd. Heartbreaking really, I don't know, it is as if we have decided that church is a game that we do once or twice a week that has no real bearing on life. Somehow I think that those Christians 2000 years ago, who were seconds before death because of their faith in Christ, saw things differently. How do we bring the reality of that perspective into a culture as apathetic as this one? I really don't know.
We do need to abandon the freaking candy coating that is too often slapped onto a flannel graph Jesus. We need to stop neutering the Gospel. We need to not be afraid to cling to Jesus Christ as the only source of hope in this dark and dying world. We need to not be afraid of others knowing that we personally do in fact cling to Christ.
What does it mean to pursue Christ? Let's talk about that. Let's be real about that. Pursuing Christ is hard, it really is. But I imagine for just a moment, I imagine what it would be like if the youth I see in this church would abandon the comforts of their cocoons and make a stand. I know their is a need that burns inside them to have value in something. This is it, they have value because Christ has given them value. From that they are now able to pursue Him. To gain nothing but a knowledge of Him and the power of His resurrection.
Anyways, we will see how it goes tonight. I do believe that God is able.
We are blogging!
Okay guys and gals, this should allow for some easy updating of events and such for the FBIYouth group (aka Sunday School, and six30). It will also be a page for me to muse about various topics. I hope you enjoy, feel free to comment on the various posts! -Kevin
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