I am back from a month long period of travel. I spent about 2 1/2 weeks on the road with Pam, in Florida, Tennesee, and Kentucky. Then about 10 days in Oregon with my folks. Great times !
I did alot of reading while away from home. I read a statement in a book that really caught my attention. The baisc premise of the statement was that the "church has been guilty of being more known for what we are against, than what we are for" in this culture. I have let that incubate in my heart alot over the past few weeks. I think in large part it is a true statement. Outsiders often view us in a very negative light. They hear that we are against abortion, against pre-marital sex, against materialism, against, against, against.
But what are we for? Well I am for anything that points people to Jesus. Read the gospels and look at how Jesus approached the culture. He did not tear down the culture around him, and criticize it. He just offered a different way. The Kingdom of God way. In his "model prayer", Jesus said " Your Kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven." John Ortberg has spoken a great deal on this. He sums up that statement by saying, "Make up there come down here...." I think that was Jesus' way. He told the woman at the well that there was a better way to worship. He told Zaccheus that there was a better way to live, and to be generous. He told the disciples that living by faith was better than having everything figured out ahead of time.
What are we for? We are for the poor being fed. We are for the sick being healed. We are for people finding lasting meaning that goes beyond this life. We are for kindness, gentleness, peace in the world. We are for understanding of other viewpoints, all the while maintaining a committment to the truth of the scriptures. We are for lifting people up, not tearing them down. We are for patiently waiting for someone to take a step of faith. We are for seeing people surrender their lives to Christ and being born again.
There are lots of things that we are for. And we don't need to cut each other down, just because someone approaches things different than we do. Here is what I am getting at.
I was going to attended a specific church this Sunday. I had not been there, and it had been on my list to attend this summer. I got on thier website and read the welcome from the Pastor. It started out okay... but then it degenerated into a criticism of the church in America. One comment really turned me off... A comment about "Are you tired of going to a church where it is the latest fad of the week, and where the preacher is a "David Letterman wannabe?" The implication was that "the way we do church is the right way and if you want to be right, then you should be at our church." Turned me off... so I did not go. I can't go to a church that in one breath says it wants to preach the gospel, but does it by appealing to people of other churches, implying that they are right and everyone else is wrong.
A couple questions.... One, what does the non-believer see when he reads that? Two, why do we have to tear others down, in order to build ourselves up? That is the human condition I suppose, but it is distasteful. I have no doubt that this church is doing some really great things... but they don't need to criticize others who use different methods to reach people. They are not my enemy. And I am not theirs. Satan is our common enemy. Together, we fight him, hard!
I say all this because I want to grow into a person who is known more for what He is for, than what he is against. I resolve to speak well of others, and thank God for the incredible variety that he displays in the church.
It is good to be home.
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