A Christ-follower with a limp: rules

Sunday, February 4, 2018

When the church fails like the NFL

“Starve your distractions. Feed your focus.”

Just when you thought that the Super Bowl couldn’t get worse or the NFL more foolish, even if you aren’t into football, there were always the commercials. Sometimes, particularly in a lopsided game, the commercials were the only redeeming feature. Yet, now one traditional commercial has been canned. Budweiser’s Clydesdales have been put out to pasture.

The NFL has successfully alienated the military and veterans as players kneeled during The Star-Spangled Banner. Flag waving Americans have been disgusted much of the season. More recently, the NFL turned down a pro-national anthem commercial by a veterans group for the Super Bowl.

The interest in the game is way down since it’s an east coast Super Bowl with one generally despised team, the Patriots (though Eagle fans do little to endear themselves). And now the non-offensive Clydesdales have been given a pink slip, irritating animal lovers. Sunday’s winner may be The Puppy Bowl XIII, that’s been dubbed the “alternative Super Bowl.”

Remember when football was about football? It wasn’t about commercials, halftime shows or political statements. It was about 22 men pouring their guts out to move a piece of pigskin down the field. Those days are gone. With increased anxiety of brain injuries, football may be headed to the dustbin of sport’s history. Yet, much of the demise is because professional football lost its focus. Football is no longer about football.

A church can do the same thing. They become distracted on nearly anything and everything beside their God-given purpose, being the church.

Some churches are little more than political action committees. Though evangelicals have recently been accused of this, it’s long been true of African-American churches. God never called us to be a voting bloc, to be consumed with political issues or endorse candidates. While the church must make a stand on biblical issues, like life ones, that is not political.

Some churches are consumed with social issues. While hunger, homelessness and poverty are serious, they’re not to be our primary focus. If all those issues were resolved, (which would be wonderful), the greatest hunger of our world wouldn’t be. Our great need is “soul hunger” and only the gospel can satisfy our world’s greatest need.

Some churches are consumed with non-biblical rules. God is holy and the Scripture commands believers to be holy. Yet, some churches teach that holiness is externalism and become obsessed with mundane non-biblical rules about dress, music, even whether someone attends a movie. Scripture’s emphasis is heart holiness. While the principles never change, culture does. It’s why God is more concerned with attitudes than actions. When a Christ-follower has a righteous attitude, right actions are the fruit of that attitude.

Some churches are focused on increasing numbers not disciples. Many churches buy into the American success myth: bodies, bucks & buildings. It’s not a biblical model of success. Ultimately, Jesus ended with eleven disciples, a failure from our world’s perspective. One of the fastest growing “churches” is the Mormon Church, yet it denies the Deity of Christ.

Some churches are self-absorbed. Jesus did not command us to come in, but to “go out.” A church must focus on those still outside of it. While Body Life is important, our passion must be on seeing the lost come to Christ. It can’t be just about our own children and families. Many churches focus the greater percentage of their resources internally. Fear of a corrupt culture can result in isolation, but we’re not to be isolated from the world. God’s power is greater! We’re to be an assault team on the gates of Hell.

Some churches are seeker driven. They’re focused only on evangelism. Our purpose is not to make converts, but disciples. The Christian life is not just having your ticket punched for Heaven. It’s wholistic. It must revolutionize your whole life. We’ve not fulfilled the Great Commission until every believer has come to the place of maturity where they too are sharing the gospel and discipling others. Our purpose is to reproduce ourselves. We’re to equip believers so they’re able to reach their world.

Some churches are just a big show. God did not call us to entertain or make people feel good. Scripture is compared to a sword for heart surgery (Hebrews 4:12). Sin lies deep, usually undetected in each of our hearts. God has called the church to be like a team preparing for the Super Bowl. We will not fulfill our purpose unless we do exhausting spiritual work and sweat “holy sweat.” We don’t gather to have our ears tickled, but to be challenged, have our souls dissected, go through pain until we rip down every idol in our hearts so that we become more and more like Jesus. God’s goal is our sanctification. That means pruning, the refiner’s fire. It’s not comfortable, yet it’s the only way to have God’s best.

Should the NFL players care about the needs of African-Americans? Absolutely! But that’s not its purpose. The purpose of the NFL is to play football. Most of the things that distract a church from its primary focus are good things. They’re not bad or sinful. It’s why they’re so attractive.
Satan doesn’t usually do a frontal assault. Instead he loves to just distract us. I’ve never heard of a church being tempted to become a strip club. Our Enemy knows that if he gets us to focus on good things, we’ll forget the best things. King Jesus gave us our marching orders. The mission has not changed: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.”

Can we help you spiritually? Can we help you know Jesus better? Please check out more resources on our church's web page, Gracechurchwi.org. Or, call us at 262.763.3021. If you'd like to know more about how Jesus can change your life, I'd love to mail you a copy of how Jesus changed my life in "My Story." E-mail me at Carson@gracechurchwi.org to request a free copy. Please include your mailing address.

Monday, January 9, 2017

Mercy: You need it and need to share it!

“Those who are furthest from giving mercy are furthest from

receiving it.” John MacArthur

In the early days of his presidency, Calvin Coolidge woke up one morning in his hotel room to find a burglar going through his pockets. President Coolidge spoke up, asking the burglar not to take his watch chain because it contained an engraved charm he wanted to keep. The President then engaged the thief in quiet conversation and discovered that he was a college student who didn’t have money to pay his hotel bill or even buy a ticket back to campus. So President Coolidge counted $32 out of his wallet, which he’d also persuaded the dazed young man to give back, told him it was a loan, and advised the young man to leave the same way he’d come in so as to avoid the Secret Service! And yes, the young man did pay the loan back. That was mercy.

Mercy is compassion, kindly forbearance shown toward an offender or an enemy. It’s graciousness, pity, or benevolence. It’s a very biblical trait…it characterizes God. Sadly, ours is a merciless world. Mercy is rarely found apart from the Christ’s Church because our God is a God of great mercy.

If you’re a Christian, you’ve been shown great mercy. We are to give mercy just as it has been given to us and we’ll never give as much as was given to us. Jesus promised, too, there’s a blessing for the merciful, “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.” This means the unmerciful miss out on God’s blessings. How can I be a person of mercy?

Be kind with the quirks of others. We all have them. God is not in the mass production business. Our quirks are part of what make us unique. I’m not talking about sin but unique mannerisms. A pagan, heartless world humiliates those who are different, yet quirks are what often distinguish us. Sometimes we call them idiosyncrasies or peculiarities. They can be odd behavior, even irritating habits. God wants us to demonstrate mercy so we don’t become impatient, irritated or uptight with someone else’s quirks.

For example, some people put ketchup on nearly everything they eat. Big deal! My wife loves for things to be organized. Me, well…I file chronologically. A great marriage is a union of two great forgivers. As you consistently show forgiveness to your children and teach them to show it to each other, you’re modeling your Heavenly Father because the very first place we must learn to show mercy is at home. Why? Because it’s there we see each other’s faults and quirks far more clearly than anywhere else.

Help anyone who’s hurting around you. We’re surrounded by hurting people. Unfortunately, we’re too busy to notice. If you care you’re aware. God designed our eyes to look outward not inward for a reason. Jesus taught the story of the Good Samaritan to teach us to help the hurting around us. Our neighbor is whoever hurts, regardless of how different they are from us. You must be merciful to love your neighbor as yourself.

Give others a second, third…or fourth chance. I’m often embarrassed when I come to God because I’m confessing the same sin over and over again. But He always forgives me (1 John 1:9). We’re to do the same for others. When a lost person is wronged, they respond with harsh words, anger…bitterness. Watch Facebook during some media controversy. Watch how merciless people react to each other. That can’t be those who know the God of great mercy! We’re to be known as the people of mercy.

Do good to those who hurt you. Mercy is giving people what they need, not what they deserve. It’s what God does for us. Yet, wounded people often wound others. Jesus modeled for us that those who you want to despise are those you must love and who need it the most. The most hurtful people are those who need massive doses of love and mercy.

Be kind to those who offend you. The attacks on Christians will increase. Believers represent God’s holiness to a devolving world. We must hold on to God’s truth. How should we respond when we’re attacked? We must be kind to those who are hateful (Romans 12:14-21). We’re in the midst of a culture war. Wars come with tragic costs. We must decide whether we want to win arguments or people to Christ. You never win people by being caustic, harsh or mean. Just begin by praying for those who offend you.

Be a bridge builder of God’s love, especially to the unpopular. Every school, neighborhood and workplace has some. We all have those around us that others dodge, usually ridiculing behind their backs. They may have quirks, lack basic life-skills, have a different lifestyle or belief system. They may have a different religion or dress differently because of their culture. They’re not part of the “in crowd.” Essentially, they’re outcasts. And reaching out to them may even bring ridicule upon yourself.

God has called us to be the mediators of His love. Why? Because you’ll never win your enemies to Christ; you can only win your friends. If you live a life of mercy you’ll be criticized, sometimes even by other Christians. Jesus wasn’t afraid of guilt by association – He knew exactly who He was and His mission: to seek and to save that which is lost.

Relationships are more important than rules. I’m not just talking about written rules but also unwritten ones. Determine to commit an act of premeditated kindness this week. Who can you reach out to, invite out for coffee or lunch…or to your home for a meal? Read the Gospels and mark down every time Jesus touched the life of someone that according to the “rules,” He shouldn’t have. His disciples were the odd bunch, held together by His love. That’s what He wants to do with us and our church. He wants us to be a community of mercy. Choose to be merciful! Start now!