Clay in the Hands

Last night, my youngest son was doing homework and he asked me for a little help.  I have to be honest, there is very little homework these days with which I can actually help.  He asked me to define a deferent society.  I had to admit to him that I had heard the word but could not recall what it means.  So we looked it up together and I learned that it means mutually respectful – a tendency to yield to the will of another.  So a deferent society would be one in which everyone gets along because each person would be equally concerned about others’ feelings and desires.  Sounds good to me.  Unfortunately, sin has thrown a kink in that plan.

But it got me to thinking about the family of Christ followers – the church.  Surely, as believers, we could realize such a community.  Unfortunately, as followers of the Way, we are not immune to sin and selfishness.  We allow our own desires of getting ahead and getting the things we want to supersede our relationships.

Possibly even worse is when we allow our beliefs to drive wedges in our relationships within the family.  This morning I was reading in Romans 14 (yep, I’m still in Romans) about a different kind of problem we face in the church.  The problem of being judgmental – of drawing our circles of what is acceptable smaller and smaller – until we are the only ones left inside.

Paul says this in Romans 14:1-4

¹ Accept him whose faith is weak, without passing judgment on disputable matters. ² One man’s faith allows him to eat everything, but another man, whose faith is weak, eats only vegetables. ³ The man who eats everything must not look down on him who does not, and the man who does not eat everything must not condemn the man who does, for God has accepted him. ⁴ Who are you to judge someone else’s servant? To his own master he stands or falls. And he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand.

Accept him whose faith is weak and don’t pass judgment when it comes to issues that are matters of opinion.

Now I realize that the issues I deem as disputable may not be issues someone else sees as disputable.  But what I understand Paul to be saying is that we should have respect for others and their opinions.  Ultimately, it is God that we will all answer to anyway.

If the church could truly grasp this concept and begin to live it, I believe we would see a community of mutual respect and love, just as Jesus intended.  That would be a deferent community – one the world needs – one for which people are longing.

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One of the best movies I have seen in recent years (yes, years) is To Save a Life (for more info on the movie click here).  It is a story of a high school senior who comes to realize that there is more to life than being popular and having fun.  He and a childhood friend had become estranged.  He had gone the popularity route and his friend had been left behind and shunned.  After years of being alone, the friend took his own life.  At that point, the main character realizes that there has to be more to life than what he is experiencing.

He begins to give God a try – trying out a youth group in a local church.  But there he finds a bunch of kids who are just playing at being Christ followers.  In one scene, out of frustration he asks the youth pastor why the church is full of of fakers.

That scene still haunts my thoughts and burdens my heart.  Why?  Because it is true.  People are hurting and even dying all around our manicured lawns and pristine buildings while we sit inside and play Christian so that we can feel better about ourselves for another week.

Wow, that was harsh!  But please understand my heart in saying it.  God has no plan B.  God’s one and only plan is for Jesus followers to be salt and light in a world that is tasteless and dark.  If people are going to be drawn to God then Jesus must be lifted up and if Jesus is to be lifted up, that must happen through us – the way we live, the way we love, the way relate to others.

I realize, if you have even made it to this point in this post, that I may have offended you to the point that you never visit this blog again.  I certainly pray that is not the case.  Rather, my prayer is that every person who reads my ramblings here would take this as a challenge to be real.  Jesus would rather have followers who are passionate – the lukewarm are of no use to him (Take a look at Revelation 3:15-17).

God has created the church of this generation for this particular time and place.  Are we as a church doing what God expects?  Are you as a Jesus follower doing what God expects.  It’s time to be real.  Don’t be a faker.

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The other day I was looking through the upcoming concert dates for one of the bands I heard at Rock the Desert two weeks ago.  As I was scrolling through the venues, the name of one of the churches caught my eye – The Third Reformed Church.

Now, many of you know me personally and thus probably know that I have somewhat “unique” sense of humor.  As I read the name of the church, my first thought was, “Third time’s the charm – maybe they got it right this time.”  I mean, how many times does a church need to reform before it gets it right?

After repenting . . .  I began to reflect on the idea of a church needing reform.  Honestly, I think if a church ever thinks it has “arrived,” then the folks probably ought to shut the doors and find a new place to socialize.

The New Testament refers to the church as a body.  I am no anatomy expert but I am pretty sure that when a body stops growing and changing, it needs to be buried because it is dead.

The church should be seen from the same perspective.  The church should never stop growing and changing – adapting to the environment in order to minister in a relevant way.  (Now don’t hear me say that the message should be changed – just the way we minister)  Just as individual followers of Jesus are in a constant state of being formed to be more like him, the church should also understand that she is being formed and reformed as well.

Maybe every church should consider putting “reforming” in its title.

Something to think about.

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