Navigating Truth With Love Series

Navigating Truth with Love

Series: Cracks – Navigating Our Divided Times?

Brad Bailey – February 6, 2022

Intro

Today I am inviting us to into a new series.... a series focused on helping is navigate our divided times. As I shared in some promotion of this series...

The recent season of political divide and pandemic debate has been something like a cultural earthquake. Perhaps the sense of magnitude differs depending on the community that one inhabits...but the wider effects cannot be missed. It’s left many lives and leaders staring at the cracks of division ... with varying degrees of dismay. [1]

The polarizing divide of ideas about what is true and good that has fractured relationships among family and friends. Many have experienced the bonds of even long term relationships seem lost... with a sense of living in different orbits of reality.

And most notably for us here...the very nature of the Christian Church in America has been struck with a level of division and damage that was almost unimaginable just a short time ago.

Randy Alcorn... a nationally trusted pastor and author, recently wrote [2],

“In the 52 years I’ve known Jesus, I’ve witnessed countless conflicts between believers. But never more than in the last year. Many have angrily left churches they once loved. Believers who formerly chose churches based on Christ-centered Bible teaching and worship now choose them based on non-essential issues, including political viewpoints and COVID protocols.

The increase in Christians bickering over non-essentials doesn’t seem to be a passing phase. And it injures our witness, inviting eye rolls and mockery from unbelievers and prompting believers to wonder whether church hurts more than it helps.” - Randy Alcorn

I share that sad reality. This year will mark 50 years of knowing Jesus personally...and what I hear across the whole of Christian culture… particular in America …has been tragic to both our unity in Christ...and our witness of Christ. 

In keeping with the analogy of an earthquake... I believe that we are in a time similar to what might follow after a major earthquake. After an earthquake has caused visible damage… some fear ever going back inside…they don’t trust it’s safe...they need some assurance that things are sound. Many are standing on the edge of Christian Church... wondering if it’s safe.

Some may be quick to just go back to freely living in the house because they see they some form of walls and roof are still there. They may think that he best way to get past the drama is to try and ignore the cracks... and the questions they raise.

But before someone can just consider repairs...they have to assess the damage...and ultimately make sure that the foundations are sound and solid. Structural inspectors often need to issue a warning... helping those effected to understand that before going back to normal... they need to assess whether the structural support may be compromised… they identify where it may need some retrofitting to restore it’s integrity.

And they look for cracks… because the cracks are where there is the most vulnerability to future pressure. When pressure comes again… they will be the sources that will widen again.

That is what this series is about.

It’s about identifying those cracks that may be vulnerable... and seeking God’s word to solidify a strong foundation in what we believe.

In this series we’ll discover the significance of staying centered in Christ... and why it is actually the most radical way of life.

We’ll engage questions like….

How can we know what is true and right in the midst of so many competing claims and controversies?

What does God say to us about how we relate to our nation.... and the problems with what many refer to as a rising trend of Christian Nationalism.

We’ll seek to hear God’s heart regarding some of the current issues including how we relate to foreigners... including refugees and immigrants... what God seeks in racial justice... and how to be proponents of the value of ALL life... beyond merely political positions.

If you have felt the divide of ideas over the recent season...and found it hard to grasp...I believe these weeks will provide some handles of understanding to navigate the future.

If you have just begun to explore Jesus... and found some of the recent conflicts within Christian culture to be confusing...I believe that these weeks will help you see Christ more clearly.

I believe that when we let him shine in all his distinction...we will grasp even more...how brightly he shines in all his divine goodness and glory.

Let me quickly add what this series is not about.

This series is not about simply denouncing a political party. It’s not about denouncing everything Trump…. or denouncing everything Biden.

And more importantly, my focus in this series is not on political positions per se...but on the posture and positions that have emerged within Christian culture… on clarifying what God calls us to embrace...