Holiness: A Culture or a Lifestyle?
Christianity has an image problem in America today. Many, who are outside the church, are convinced that lifestyle does not line up with beliefs for the average churchgoer. As a result, Christians have acquired a hypocritical image.
The perception of those who are outside the church is that there is very little difference between believers and the world. Most of us have heard someone say, “the church is full of hypocrites” or “I’m just as good as they are even though I don’t go to church every Sunday so why should I bother?”
These are the perceptions of the world. And while some might be tempted to blow them off, there are at least Four Reasons Why We Should Try To Understand People’s Reactions to Christianity and the Church:
1. What people think reflects their personal stories.
People outside the church have a story.
There are thousands and thousands of what we might call de-churched people in America. The de-churched are those who have been active, regular attenders in a Bible teaching church someplace, at some point, but are now disconnected. Their disconnect might have lasted anywhere from a few months to several years.
They are different than the unchurched, who have never been on the inside. The de-churched have been in the church, or in the faith (which is not necessarily the same thing), but have chosen to walk away.
I am convinced that there are literally hundreds of people who fit that description within a 30 minute radius of this sanctuary. I have no doubt that many of you know people who fit this description. I believe we need to try to understand what happened. We need to hear their stories.
I am not talking about the person who chose to go to another church. This is not about the person who left over music preferences or the color of the carpet. I am talking about sincere people who have checked out because they felt the standards were too high and they could never measure up, or because they saw some kind of inconsistency in the church that caused them to question the validity of the message that they heard, or any one of a hundred other reasons.
What people think is a reflection of their story.
Another reason we need to understand people’s reaction to Christianity…
2. What people think will influence how they respond.
People will choose to accept or reject Christianity, attend or avoid churches, because of their perceptions about the church collectively and Christians individually. Their perceptions are often based on specific experiences they have had in the church. But sometimes they have never been in the church. Even so, they still have perceptions.
If your friend perceives the church as judgmental, boring, insincere, arrogant, or irrelevant, why would they want anything to do with it? You don’t have to agree with their perceptions, but you need to understand them.
I am concerned that far too many churches and many individual Christians are sending the entirely wrong message. Our message is basically, “come to Christ on our terms or go to hell.” We would never say that, but that’s the message we are sending. What’s interesting is the fact that we work hard to understand international cultures where missionaries are sent, but we do a miserable job of dissecting and understanding the culture right where we live.
Whether we will admit it or not, the message we send is that we are rather apathetic when it comes to those who are currently beyond the four walls of the church. There’s a problem when we decide that we are more comfortable with OUR preferences and OUR traditions than we are in finding new and creative ways to reach our world for Christ.
It is so troubling to me when companies Nike, American Eagle, and Aeropostale are more interested and involved in reaching and understanding our kids than we are. These companies want to understand this generation because they intend to reach them. Every church and every parent needs to understand what is taking place.
Don’t you think parents should care more about their own kids than MTV does? MTV knows what your kids are listening to. They know what makes them tick. Do you?
This message needs to be heard in the church. We need to find out what the world thinks, how they think, and why they think the things that they do.
3. People don’t change their perceptions just because we disagree with them.
We need to take an honest look in the mirror. Who are we? And the big question will be, can we be transparent and honest about who we are and who we have been? Our answer to these questions will have a huge impact on who we become.
You are what you are, not what you tell people you are. Let that sink in. That’s an important principle that applies to the church and to each of us individually.
It is important that we understand that people don’t change their perceptions about us just because we don’t agree with those perceptions.
4. What people think of Christians and the Church can change.
This is really good news to me. Especially given the fact that what some people think is not all that flattering. American culture is on the move. It is very fluid. So if the Christian faith has an image problem, it can be fixed. But we can’t fix it if all we try to do is defend ourselves and try to make ourselves look good.
The reputation of the Christian faith should never be managed or spin-doctored, but we can change how we are known and we do that by becoming more Christlike.
Those outside the church have not always perceived Christians to be Christlike. And even though it is not easy to admit, their Claims of hypocrisy ARE NOT always unfounded. Research has shown again and again that lifestyle differences are often hard to find between professing Christians and the world.
Imagine a room full of professing Christians and another room filled with people who make no claim for Christ. Based on lifestyle alone, most research points to the fact that you would be hard pressed to tell these groups apart.
84% of the younger generation said they personally know at least one committed Christian, but only 15% thought the lifestyles of those Christ followers was significantly different from the norm. To outsiders today, Christianity is anything but Christian.
The bad news is that’s only about half the problem. The church is often perceived as irrelevant and out of touch with contemporary culture.
The most common message people have heard from the church is that Christianity is a list of religious rules and regulations. That is probably true no place more than in the holiness church. The world thinks of the church as hypocritical because they have seen the church not measure up to its own standards.
There is no question about the fact that Jesus calls us to be different. That difference will be reflected in our lifestyle. It is not wrong to think that there should be a distinct difference in how we think, how we act, and the way we live.
Scripture makes it clear that the fruit of our lives is the evidence of our faith (See John 15:1-8). We should be constantly aware of the kind of fruit our lives are bearing in our walk with Christ? James points out that without some way of measuring the reality of our faith, which happens to be our deeds, faith is nothing more than a series of empty beliefs. (See James 2:20-26)
As most of you know, the Church of the Nazarene is a holiness church. That means that we believe God is holy, that He has called us to be holy, and the Holy Spirit will enable us to live the holy life that He has called us to live.
Hebrews 12:14 (NIV)
14 Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord.
If we really believe that verse, we had better understand what it means to be holy. And just because we call something holy, that doesn’t mean that it is. Actually I am concerned that what we have called holy in certain instances was anything but.
There is a huge difference in living in a holiness culture and living a holy life.
This morning I want to contrast the two.
Let’s begin with a simple premise - “True spiritual transformation means becoming more like Jesus Christ.” The call to holiness is a call to be authentic, honest, and humble. How can we be more like Jesus? What does holiness culture look like? How does holiness culture compare to a holiness lifestyle?
1. Holiness as a Culture:
The holiness culture, that many of us have grown up in, was characterized by…
a. Rules and Regulations.
We had rules and regulations about Movies, Dance, Alcohol, Tobacco, Makeup, Jewelry, Clothes, etc.
I remember getting a call from a District Superintendent one time. He was asking about my interest in coming to a particular church and one of his big concerns was if my wife had pierced ears. I actually think that was more of a concern to him and the church than my theology or ability to lead, preach, or teach. The holiness culture is characterized by rules and regulations.
b. Centered on Self.
In the holiness culture, people are constantly trying to measure up and make the cut. It’s about looking the part and making sure that you are accepted in the holiness culture.
There is a distinct fear of condemnation if people really knew you were struggling in some are of your life. Would you still be accepted? The answer is probably no.
The odd thing about centering on self and concern for self is that holiness is supposed to deal with issues of self will. The selfish nature was supposed to be gone, but there was still a high degree of carnality, characterized by selfishness. And I will be the first to admit that we should not judge all Christians based on the conduct of a few. No doubt there were some who made professions of holiness but who were not in the experience, but the fact remains that self was often at the center of holiness culture. We will contrast that with true holy living in a moment.
Most of us are familiar with Jeff Foxworthy’s “You might be a Redneck if…” books and quotes. They have one for preachers. “You might be a preacher if…you’d rather negotiate with terrorists than with the church organist.” I can relate! When good old sister so and so sing “I shall not be moved”…she means it…especially as it relates to getting off of the piano bench she has been on for 40 years.
We must be careful not to become centered on self. Holiness lifestyle, as we will see in a moment, is characterized by selflessness.
c. Law
This is where the Pharisees got into over 600 rules and regulations. Life was lived by the measuring rod. In a holiness culture it is all about the law and you hear very little about grace.
Many of us have grown up in the holiness culture/tradition. The tragic issue is that we have alienated a generation defending legalistic issues that have no long-term significance. Instead of focusing on what not to do in the holiness culture, it is too bad we didn’t emphasize what we should be doing to live the holy life. This may be why the church is known more for what we are against than what we are for.
d. Focus: External Things.
There has been an undue emphasis on the external things and too little emphasis on the heart and what it means to truly live like Jesus. We have often made these things issues of right and wrong rather than admitting they were issues of tradition or personal preference.
e. Judgment and Condemnation.
The holiness culture can sometimes be very judgmental. People who tend to live life by the measuring rod often compare themselves with one another and pass judgment, sometimes focusing on the speck in their brother’s eye while keeping attention off of the log in their own.
We’re not to measure up to one another. It’s not about being as good as someone else in the church. Jesus is to be the standard for every believer.
f. Pride
In the holiness culture it is very easy to slip into a prideful mindset, looking down our noses at those who we don’t think are measuring up. We can become very critical. Pride is often a characteristic of holiness culture.
g. Emphasis: Rules, Traditions, and Personal Preferences.
We have to be careful not to intermingle personal convictions, personal preferences, or manmade traditions with God’s truth. Soon our preferences and tradition will become the standard of right and wrong. (Example – Music)
h. Results:
The people who grew up or lived in these environments for long usually went to one of two extremes; They lived with incredible Guilt and Shame, never feeling like they could measure up, feeling like they were the only one that couldn’t make the cut. So they suffered in silence and they lived with a deep sense of guilt and shame.
Departure. They checked out. They decided that what was required to live in this holiness culture was beyond them and since they could never measure up, or perhaps because they chose not to even try, they threw in the towel.
Sadly, when some threw in the towel they did so not only on holiness culture, but on Christ, the church, and Christianity as a whole. That’s the tragedy that we face today and that is precisely why we must do our best to understand our culture better so that we can minister to those whose lives have been affected and so that we can do our best to prevent this from ever happening again.
So if that is what holiness culture looks like, what characterizes a true holiness lifestyle?
2. Holiness Lifestyle
What does true holy living look like? This list is not all inclusive, and it is not intended as a checklist for you to try to measure up to. Instead, it is offered as a starting point and a guideline to get each one of us thinking about the profound implications of what it truly means to live a lifestyle of holiness.
You can connect these points with their counter-points under the corresponding letter under point #1 in your worship folder.
a. Relationship.
Holiness is not about rules but about your relationship with Christ.
b. Centered on Christ.
Not on self. Where holiness culture is often centered on self, a holy lifestyle will be centered on Christ and concerned for others not with ourselves.
If the holiness culture is based on the law, then a holiness lifestyle is based on…
c. Grace.
You don’t need a long list of rules when your heart is one with Christ.
d. Focus: The Heart.
Holiness is a matter of the heart. And from the overflow of the heart there will be some obvious changes in we think and act, but the focus has been backwards. When the heart is right, these outside conditions will usually take care of themselves.
e. Compassion and Forgiveness. (Judgment and Condemnation)
f. Humility.
Holiness culture is looking down their nose at people they perceive don’t measure up. Holy living involves an awareness that none of us are good on our own apart from Jesus Christ. (Pride)
g. Emphasis is on Christ.
We are to be like Jesus. Spiritual maturity involves becoming more like Christ. That is God’s goal for every one of us. That we be shaped and molded into the image of His Son. (Rules, Traditions, Preferences)
h. Result: Spiritual Maturity. (Guilt, Shame, Departure)
1 John 2:6 (TLB)
6 Anyone who says he is a Christian should live as Christ did.
Are you living like Jesus did? I have known some who lived in the holiness culture who weren’t living like Jesus. But if you are living the holiness lifestyle, people will see Jesus in you.
The true evidence of a Spirit Filled life is The Fruit of the Spirit (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self control (Galatians 5:22-23).
The Bible doesn’t say, “they shall know we are Christians by the rules that we keep.” It says, “they shall know we are Christians by our love.” Our lives will be characterized by the Fruit of the Spirit.
Holiness is about being transformed into the very image of Jesus Christ. We cannot be content with copouts or excuses. This is about being real. It is about growing up in your faith. It is about maturity and spiritual growth.
Holiness is not all about the rules and regulations. In fact, the closer you get to Jesus, the less you need that kind of thing because you would never want to do anything that would discredit Christ or the Kingdom and most of all you would never want to disobey or displease your Father in Heaven.
Holiness is characterized by love. It flows from the inside out. It is the result of an inward transformation brought about by the Holy Spirit at work within us. And when a genuine transformation takes place on this level, it will change the way we think, the way we act, and the way we live.
Holy living is not about adopting a belief system. It is about a lifestyle. My concern for many who have grown up in the church is that experience has defined our belief system. Not God. Not the Bible. Not the Holy Spirit.
When we allow holiness to be defined by experience, we are in danger of experiencing a very pale imitation of what authentic holy living is really all about. My concern is that experience has been unhealthy, unscriptural, and even un-Christian in far too many instances.
I want to challenge you this morning to fall in love with Jesus all over again. For some, you will have to lay aside guilt, shame, and stereotypes that you have carried your entire life. But today, through the power of God’s Spirit, a light has come on and a flood of light has filled your heart, your mind, and your soul.
I believe some will find a renewed sense of optimism in your walk with the Lord. A new sense of hope has come and a realization that God is in your corner and He wants you to make it. He will help you live the life He has called you to live. You don’t have to do it on your own. The Spirit of God will enable you to live the life God is calling you to live.
The closer you get, the more you will desire to be like Him. It will make a difference in the way you live, do business, worship, relate to family, etc.
Conclusion:
For holiness to be what it ought to be, it must begin in the heart. There must be an inward transformation, and yes, it will result in outward transformation. But it works so much better when we allow the Spirit of God to do His work within us. Suddenly you don’t have to legislate right and wrong. God’s law is written on our hearts. And the thing that really motivates us more than anything is love. Our love for God and our love for people is now the driving force behind all that we say and do.
I have found that people will go so much further in their walk with Christ when they operate from a heart of love, than they ever would when you are trying to regulate and legislate their lives by forcing them to live up to some set of rules.
The Holy Spirit is far more effective at transformation than you or I will ever be.
