9Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good; 10love one another with mutual affection; outdo one another in showing honor. 11Do not lag in zeal, be ardent in spirit, serve the Lord. 12Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer. 13Contribute to the needs of the saints; extend hospitality to strangers. 14Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. 15Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. 16Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly; do not claim to be wiser than you are. 17Do not repay anyone evil for evil, but take thought for what is noble in the sight of all. 18If it is possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. 19Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave room for the wrath of God; for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” 20No, “if your enemies are hungry, feed them; if they are thirsty, give them something to drink; for by doing this you will heap burning coals on their heads.” 21Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. (NRSV)
We’re continuing our look at Christian Non-Conformity. We began this series with defining a CNC – a Christian Non-Conformist. It’s a reflection of the “hinge” you see when you turn over the Bible’s page between Romans 11 and 12. In Romans 1-11, you read all about God’s gracious sacrifice of grace for our sins. The great divide between grace and duty begins at chapter 12, and Paul tells us that a CNC will serve God as a response to all that grace he just described in chapters 1-11.
We saw that Paul defined the CNC as a person who resists conforming to this world’s ways, but relinquishes control of his life to Christ. What happens to us is similar to the life of a caterpillar as he changes to a butterfly in a cocoon. God uses His grace to transform a believer into a different strain of the human species – a child of God, born from above, living a life of sacrifice – in His name.
The practical conclusion about that change is that our theology – what we know about God – must determine and drive the actions of our everyday lives. The CNC follows Jesus, not the world’s fads, customs and behaviors; otherwise….why bother?
This week we will take a look at what a church full of CNC’s looks like. The passage before us is all about relationships, how CNC’s treat one another and work together so we can serve as God’s ambassadors to the world. There are six words that show the character of a CNC…
1. Genuine (in relationships)
To be genuine in relationships is the foundation of Christian living. If there was ever a character trait which does not conform to this world’s ways, it is truthfulness. A little girl had developed a bad habit; she was always lying. Once when she was given a St. Bernard dog for her birthday, she went out and told all the neighbors that she had been given a lion. The mother took her aside and said, “I told you not to lie. You go upstairs and tell God you are sorry. Promise God you will not lie again.” The little girl went upstairs, said her prayers, then came down again. Her mother asked, “Did you tell God you are sorry?” The little girl replied, “Yes, I did. And God said sometimes He finds it hard to tell my dog from a lion, too.” [1]
A CNC must be genuine; being false in relationships in any form is a form of lying. God hates it because it destroys relationships.
2. Gracious (to all people)
10love one another with mutual affection; outdo one another in showing honor.
There is a tendency to tear-down one another today, especially in American society. The old word “gossip” is generally thought of as being a “behind the scenes” or “behind the back activity”. Today it isn’t even that quiet; today even the ugly attitudes and rudeness of anger and careless words are flung around like cow dung in a pasture. The Scottish preacher Alexander MacLaren once wrote: Ugly Christianity is not Christ’s Christianity.
Gossip is the opposite of gracious. You cannot “show honor” to anyone if you’re willing to gossip about him or her.
A gossip separates the closest of friends. Proverbs 16:28b (GWT)
A Christian Non-Conformist does not accept the Jerry Springer way of relationships; we must be gracious towards one another.
3. Gathered (in worship)
11Do not lag in zeal, be ardent in spirit, serve the Lord.
Our enthusiasm for worship (both in and out of the church) is a true indicator of spiritual health. I was reading our Book of Discipline the other day, and was amazed at just how relentless and comprehensive is the passage on how we are to care for one another concerning faithfulness at worship. It reminded me that we are accountable for being consistent in worship.
It shall be the duty of the pastor and of the members of the church council….to aid the members to keep their vows to uphold the Church by attendance, prayers, gifts, and service. The Church has a moral and spiritual obligation to nurture its nonparticipating and indifferent members and to lead them into an active church relationship. [2]
A CNC today must go against the tide of typical behavior which is to ditch faithful attendance at worship. Can you quantify how much worship is faithful? I think you can. At the very least it is every Sunday! At the very best it is every waking and sleeping moment of your life. A Christian Non-Conformist allows Jesus Christ to be LORD over every aspect and every moment of his life.
4. Generous (with giving)
13Contribute to the needs of the saints; extend hospitality to strangers.
Grasping and materialistic pride are the hallmarks of our culture. The ethic goes something like:
If you have it, you hold onto it;
if someone else has it, do your best to outdo him;
if nobody’s looking, get it any way you can.
Generosity isn’t just a cultural thing – it is a reflection of Who God is, and what He is like. Remember, it is theology that drives our daily behavior. God was first to give, as he came to a manger, then taught us and died for us.
Tithing has nothing to do with legalistically counting-out 10 percent of what you have in order to have the correct amount for the offering plate. Tithing is a good starting point, but giving is a matter of the heart. If you don’t know what to give to God, start with 10%; if your heart can’t go beyond that with gifts to others, begin to pray two things –
a. That God will decrease your love of money (which is a root of all sorts of evil – 1 Timothy 6:10)
b. That God will increase your love of, and compassion for people.
Paul takes care to mention the “needs of the saints”. This is a particular reference to the fact that we, of the same body, must minister to one another. I was touched by the concern of our United Methodist Women’s fellowship in getting a prayer shawl ready for little Bethany Posten. Her Mom will have that prayer shawl as a comfort during the surgery this week. This is generous giving – it took time and effort to do this! Being generous with all people is a trait of Christian Non-Conformists.
5. Gentle (in spirit)
To be gentle in spirit is to be like Jesus. Paul’s says bless, don’t curse! Enter into compassionate weeping and rejoicing with others; be humble, not retaliating when abused….these are pictures of Jesus.
Our LORD had immense, unimaginable power, but it was always under control. He could have prevented the crucifixion, destroyed the cross and all who opposed Him. Instead, he humbly submitted to do God’s will. That’s gentleness – when power is held in check and used appropriately.
I’ve been talking with a lot of folks recently about taking our nursery to the next level – making it the most excellent nursery ministry in our area. The kind of gentleness in spirit that it takes to minister to the cradle roll calls for Christian Non-Conformists. I would love to see many of you gentlemen CNC’s volunteer to serve in our nursery – boy, doesn’t THAT go against the image of our culture?
6. Generation-Building
21Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
Overcoming evil is the primary goal of Christian Non-Conformists. Just to be different is no different than a 16 year old who grows his hair down past his shoulders….or shaves his head altogether….just to be different from his parents.
Our Christian commitment isn’t about just being different…it’s about being different to MAKE a difference. We are interested in changing this world for Christ.
Our task is to build a generation legacy – to pass the faith along to the next generation while we’re building God’s Kingdom. Evil is all around us and it is so easy to get overwhelmed or discouraged by what we see in the newspapers and on the nightly news. It’s so easy to drop out and just look after your own. But that is not Christ’s call on our life, is it? Christ bids us to die to self and live for Him.
Christian Non-Conformists reject the standards and behaviors of this world’s culture in favor of following Jesus, making disciples, and transforming the world.
Conclusion
Are you tired of doing things to please the systems you’ve inherited? Have you ever questioned why you do what you do?
* Do you have a job because that’s what people do – they go off to work?
* Do you belong to a church because that’s what the “good people” do?
* Do you behave yourself in public just because that’s what “decent citizens do?
Wouldn’t you rather have a vision; wouldn’t you rather be on a mission? Wouldn’t you rather have a purpose for your life that is overwhelming and drives you to the very depth of the well of joy and meaning in life?
If that is your desire – surrender your life to the will of God. Break out of this world’s mold of greed, materialism and selfishness.
Be a CNC, a Christian Non-Conformist.
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ENDNOTES
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1] Illustrations Unlimited© 1988 by James S. Hewett. All Rights Reserved.
2] The Book of Discipline of the UMC (Nashville, UM Publishing House) ¶228.1 pg143
