On The Road Again

On The Road Again

Matthew 7:24-27

July 30, 2006

If I were to identify the top issues, causes or concerns of Christians in the United States, 3 come to surface immediately for me.

Based upon letters to the editor and Supreme Court Decisions.

Based upon agenda items at School Board meetings and news reports on the TV.

3 issues seem to get a lot of attention from Christians these days.

The issues of homosexuality

abortion

and evolution

Perhaps you might add 1 or 2 that are different, but I would make the point that these issues - homosexuality, abortion and evolution are among the top issues that Christians are concerned about these days.

Now hear me closely, I too have opinions on each of these issues. I believe the Bible does give guidelines to us that can help us to address these but my concern, my conviction of late is that our God has other concerns in addition to these 3.

Our God is passionate about other matters as well.

Our God has an opinion, a teaching, a desire that his people not just focus on these but on other matters that at times seem to be closer to his heart.

Issues such as poverty

racism

injustice

finances

adultery

to name a few. But the list could go on.

I believe that these 3 hotly publicized issues are indeed popular:

1st-because our current culture is causing us to respond to these issues as it wants to lead our country in ways that our contrary to the ways of God.

2ndly, I believe these 3 issues, homosexuality; abortion and evolution are also popular among us because for many, if not most within the Church, they don’t really affect us. We don’t deal with them personally or regularly.

If I were to ask how many of you have a friend who is a homosexual, many of us would say we may know some homosexuals, but are not friends with them.

If I were to ask how abortion has touched you personally, I’m guessing some here have had close contact, but most not.

And when speaking of evolution, most parents of children from my experience don’t get too emotional about this.

And it is because these 3 specific issues don’t contact us regularly that they have become I believe easy points, issues, concerns for us to rally against, because they don’t affect us. Jesus’ teachings on these matters are easy for us to follow. Obedience is easier here.

Some of you are thinking, I’ve never heard him begin a message like this in 6½ years. Does he know what he is doing? He’s stirring up a can of worms here. I may wonder when I’m done if it was the right thing to do.

But I begin this way to make this point. We cannot choose certain issues on which to advocate a Christian position and neglect others.

Said another way - we cannot only select these 3 issues/or whatever your top ones are and ignore other matters that matter to God.

Does a cook only choose certain steps in a recipe or certain ingredients in it to follow and ignore the others?

Does a good referee or umpire only follow half of a rulebook?

Does a car mechanic change only half the spark plugs or balance half your tires?

Do teachers only teach students half of the alphabet?

Of course not.

But far to often and far too easy is it for us/ for me to choose the rules, guidelines, teachings of Jesus that are easy for me to follow, while ignoring the one’s that would ask too much of me.

And far to common is the temptation to want to be vocal about matters that are easier for me to obey while keeping silent on issues that I struggle with.

I believe in many ways Jesus followers, of which I am one, have mixed up Churchianity for Christianity. We have settled for, created and institutionalized a way of thinking, living and worshipping and following of Jesus that is vastly different from what Jesus intended.

Even though we sing, "I surrender all - All to Jesus I surrender, I surrender all.

Churchianity says it is ok to select what you surrender to God

Even though we sing, "Seek ye first God’s Kingdom and His righteousness." A song about moving forward, seeking God and desiring to be made more holy.

Churchianity often doesn’t allow God in to lead, direct and guide.

"We’ve never done it that way before." Is the mantra.

Well could it be that if God is alive and is all powerful and knowing that he may be creative and do something in a way we’ve never experienced? You see Christianity doesn’t necessarily preserve the past, its rules and regulations but instead is open to allowing God’s new work, his new methods in.