I talk and write a lot about the fact that I believe that it is likely that we are living in the latter part of the last days but that I also believe that there is time for at least one more big revival. If revival is to come, of course, the Christian church has a big role to play in that process, as it is largely us that God works through to reach the world. I would like to take a moment to talk about how we think about our role. Though we may mean well, in some ways, rather than facilitating the process of revival, many of us are currently getting in the way of the process.
Look with me at 1 Corinthians 6, verses 9 and 10.
1 Corinthians 6
9 Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites,
10 nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God.
Here we have this big list of characteristics of the kinds of people who will not inherit the Kingdom of God and the world today is full to overflowing with all these things. We look at this and it is very frustrating. We wonder why these people won’t listen to us. We wonder why they won’t be more like us. We had better be careful about that kind of thinking. Look at the next verse.
1 Corinthians 6
11 And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God.
We look at these people and we look at how far they have to come and we think it can’t happen, all the while forgetting how far we have come, how far God has brought us. Do we think we are some how better than them? Do we think God can save us but not them? Do we forget that it is God who does the saving and do we sometimes forget just how big He truly is? I think sometimes we do.
Too often, rather than leading people to Christ, we try to push them to Christ. Sometimes it seems like we believe that, if we can just make people aware enough of their sin, they will just automatically come to Christ to fix that problem. This may work occasionally but, in general, this is a very poor approach that mostly just makes us look angry and makes the world turn away from rather than toward Christ.
Adrian Rogers said “the Word makes an excellent sword but a terrible club”. That is very true but many of us like to use it as a club. All of us are called to unashamedly proclaim the Word of God but how we proclaim it very much matters. You cannot beat people over the head with their sin and get them to listen to you. A club is pretty safe to the one who holds it.. When you handle a sword, if you aren’t careful, you may cut yourself too. Maybe that’s why we sometimes like a club better. We don’t want to be cut. But we need to be cut. We must be cut.
Remember, such were some of you. And so was I. We need to be open about this fact and not act like we are somehow better than the rest of the world in which we live. We are not better. It is He Who is better and He has called us to Himself. It is His goodness shining through us that makes us different. That works the other way too. It is us being different that lets His light shine through us, so that the world can see that light, to make them want to have it too. The question is, are we really acting different? Many of us are not. We must put down the club and pick up the sword and get cut a little ourselves. It will be painful but it is absolutely necessary if we are to truly live for Him.
Not long ago, the pastor of my home church asked me to fill in for him and this got me thinking about something that I would like to share with you.
Preaching at home always feels a little strange. When I go into most churches, I don’t usually know many, if any, of the people in the congregation well. So, if my message steps on some toes, I don’t have to worry about them thinking I’m doing it on purpose. At my home church, I have known some of these people for decades. If person ABC has issue XYZ, and I preach about issue XYZ, person ABC may assume that I may know of their issue and that I am literally talking to them and get offended. No one wants to be disliked and I am not confrontational but I have never been one to worry too much about what people think. We are all called to unashamedly proclaim the Word and sometimes the Word offends. Through a message that I bring, if God offends someone about an issue, then they needed to be offended and God is dealing with them and that’s fine. However, if they perceive that I have personally offended them about that issue, that is not OK because, if they are mad at me, they aren’t as likely to listen to what God is trying to tell them about that issue. This isn’t something I usually have to think about but, at home, it is something I think about. To be clear, I am not aware of having offended anyone at my home church. It’s just a concern I have.
Some would say that I should just get up there and proclaim God’s Truth and not worry about who I offend. That is both right and wrong. I have to balance this. I absolutely cannot hold back on delivering a message that God has laid on my heart, in order to spare someone’s feelings or win a popularity contest. On the other hand, I have to be careful how I go about presenting what God has laid on my heart, lest I be perceived as using a club when I should be using a sword. I think all Christians, whether standing in a pulpit or not, need to be mindful of this. However, a quick glance at social media will tell you that too many are not mindful of it.
There are a lot of opinions concerning everything going on in the world and everyone thinks their opinion is right. When making that determination about your own opinion, ask yourself if it is solidly rooted in the absolute Truth of God’s Word. Spend some time in The Word and in prayer, sincerely asking Him to reveal His Truth to you. You may be surprised at the things that you are sure you are “right” about that are not supported by His Word. If not, you may want to consider remaining silent, rather than adding to all the worldly noise.
If your opinion really is solidly grounded in His Word, go ahead, share it and defend it. As you do that, please remember one thing. If you are a Christian, your life is not your own, for you were bought at a price (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). If you are a Christian, you represent Him, first and foremost. If you make a post praising God and talking about all the things going on at your church and, in the next post, you insult someone because they don’t share your opinions, what message does that send? What does that do to your witness for Christ? If you publicly proclaim His name, then you are a witness for Him. You have no choice about that. It’s just a matter of whether your witness is positive or negative. Please remember that. Please be respectful in your disagreements. There is nothing wrong with sharing and defending your opinion. In fact, if it is truly grounded in His word, we are commanded to do that. But please, please be kind.
