Flexibility Vs. Rigidity by Pastor Shannon Lewis 10/18/2006
1Corinthians 9:19-9:23
Tonight’s sermon will conclude our 2 part series on Creativity and Flexibility Vs. Repetition and Rigidity.
Tonight we compare Flexibility Vs. Rigidity.
We’re going to consider the two in relation to strengths. Which one yields the most strength and how can we translate this strength into the ministry of the church and into the heart of the believer.
So to begin with, typically when you hear the word Flexibility, many tend to drift toward a definition of weakness. On the other hand, when you hear the word Rigidity, many tend to drift toward a definition of strength.
But are these really accurate definitions of both? Does being flexible denote weakness and does being rigid denote strength? And can an individual be flexible and still remain strong? In the process of tonight’s sermon, we’ll find the answers to these and hopefully many more questions.
Let’s consider something that I know all of us have seen at some point in our lives, either in person or through photographs. They are Skyscrapers. These are those hugely impressive structures in major cities. The Empire State Building in New York, the Sears Tower in Chicago, the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and the tallest of all skyscrapers in Taiwan, the Taipei Financial Center which stands at 1671’ tall. What is it about these mega structures that give them their strength? Obviously there is a vast amount of engineering that comes with these buildings. Just the enormous amount of vertical pressure that is caused by gravity demands that these buildings be built on a proper foundation. These types of Skyscrapers are engineered with a reinforced core that runs vertically through the entire building. These buildings also have another force that has to be taken into account when designing and building.
It’s the force of earthquakes. Buildings today are being constructed with special technology that allows the building to flex during an earthquake rather than remain rigid. It’s been discovered that if a building can flex with the ground movements beneath it, then it’s quite possible that it will sustain less damage from the earthquake.
Also, in the event of a ground shaking, you might expect a skyscraper to be at greater risk than a 3 story apartment building. The opposite is often true. Here’s why: The taller a structure is, the more flexible it is. The more flexible it is, the less energy it takes to keep that structure from toppling over when the earth is shifting and shaking beneath it.
Let me illustrate it this way. If you have ever ridden in a bus and had to stand because there weren’t anymore seats available? If so, you have experienced exactly what I’m talking about.
While we were in Mexico this past February, we took several buses into the villages. Now these villages didn’t have paved roads. They were dirt, littered with potholes and the bus driver appeared to do his best to find every one of them. Being a nice guy, I let the kids sit and if there weren’t anymore available seats, I stood, at the back of the bus. Given the road type, this presented a problem. The bus was shaking everywhere. It was being tossed side to side, along with all of the occupants. Now, being that I was standing, I had the greater task of achieving some sort of balance. What did I do? I remained flexible! If you’ve ever been on a bus ride like this, you know what I mean.
If I would have stiffened up or made my body rigid, I would have fallen over rather quickly. But to stay on my feet, I had to become flexible enough to move with the bus. If the bus shifted left, I shifted left. If the bus shifted right, I was moving right. I was able to achieve a balance this way and thereby remain on my feet not falling on my face!
So it comes down to flexibility. If a building is flexible, the greater the chance of survival during an earthquake’s ground shaking.
It could be said this way, “The greater the flexibility, the greater the strength, the greater the rigidity, the greater the weakness.”
That’s the idea I want to draw out tonight. Flexibility isn’t a sign of weakness, but rather a sign of strength!
Paul, in his first letter to the Corinthians says,
“19 Though I am free and belong to no man, I make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. 20 To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. 21 To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law), so as to win those not having the law. 22 To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some. 23 I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings.”
What is Paul saying here? If I could summarize it in a few words, I would say this. Paul here is telling the Corinthians and us that he is “Flexible”.
Flexible in that he is willing to become who or what he needs to become in order to win to Christ those to whom he ministers.
Paul says, to reach the Jews, I become a Jew, to those under the law as one under the law. To the weak, I became weak. Paul is displaying his ability to be flexible in his desire to win as many as possible to Christ.
What Paul doesn’t demonstrate here is a rigid unwillingness to become whatever is necessary to win some to Christ. You don’t hear any undertones of resistance. He willingly becomes what is necessary so that he might save some.
Isn’t that was Jesus demonstrated? We all know that Jesus didn’t lose His identity as Emmanuel, God with us, but we do know that he partied with sinners, he broke religious law, he touched lepers, he held deep conversations with highly forbidden people, and he simply approached life from a very different perspective.
Jesus was highly flexible and that is what outraged his religious peers. They were too rigid in their theology to accept that idea that God had a pure and unconditional love for the sinner.
Jesus, in the second chapter of Mark’s Gospel, was walking along and saw Levi sitting at the receipt of custom and said to him, “Follow me.” Levi immediately got up and followed Jesus. Jesus, now sitting in Levi’s house eating with him and others just like him draws the suspicious eye of the religious leaders.
They said, “How is it that he eats and drinks with publicans and sinners?”
In other words, “How can he stomach it?” “Who would do such a thing?”
Jesus hearing what they were saying responds with, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”
Jesus didn’t actually become a sinner to reach sinners in that he did as they do. No, he came to listen to, understand and help them. He knew their plight and was aware of their need for love, unconditional love.
In light of the Cross and reconciliation, Paul in 2Corinthians 5 18-21 says,
“18 All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: 19 that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. 20 We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. 21 God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
We understand this truth to be that Christ bore our sins to provide us a means of reconciliation with God.
Where does this fit in with flexibility? It shows us that God was extremely flexible in his efforts to reach humankind. God was willing to become that which was so clearly against who He is, sin.
Paul was willing to become weak to reach the weak, or as one without the law to reach those without the law.
In its simplest form, its challenge is to be flexible in our efforts to reach out to those around us.
There is no rigid template here. There is no cookie cutter approach to soul winning. It requires adaptivity and flexibility.
It means that we are conscious of the realities around us. We take enough interest in lives that we are aware of who they are and what we have that they need. And then we become what are necessary to meet that need. We’re no longer on the outside looking in, but we’ve made a way in where the most effective help can be given.
We get involved and interested in the lives of people. I think that is the overarching statement of Jesus in Luke 5:32, “I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.
Jesus was saying, “I’m interested in the sinner, those that are without God, those that have no peace, those that are classified by society as un-lovely or untouchable are the very ones I’m here for.”
Jesus’ approach to this mission was the very thing that infuriated the Scribes and Pharisees. They didn’t understand the flexibility of Jesus.
The religious of the day were unwilling to flex or change directions or go with the flow.
Saddleback Pastor, Rick Warren in his book, The Purpose Driven Church, talks about catching waves. His analogy has always stuck with me since reading his book.
He likens a surfer who sits off shore on his board waiting for the perfect wave to churches.
In paraphrase, he writes, the surfer doesn’t create the wave, he simply waits for it. He may sit out there for several minutes before catching the right wave. He doesn’t jump on every wave that comes along, but he chooses the right wave, the perfect wave, the wave that will take him the farthest. When he sees this wave, he knows it. He begins paddling toward the shore with everything he has and just at the right opportunity, he jumps on his board to his feet and begins to ride the wave. He’ll ride this wave until it cannot be ridden anymore. Then, he’ll paddle back out to wait for the next perfect wave.
What’s key to remember, is that the surfer doesn’t create the wave, he just rides it. God creates the waves. The surfer’s task is to pick the right one and ride it as long as he can before catching the next one.
In the church, God will send those waves that are effective and timely and we must be flexible enough to go with the flow. We must be willing to become and willing to do what’s necessary to maximize God created waves of opportunity. Once a wave has past, it can never be recaptured.
Reaching a generation today isn’t done the same way a generation was reached 20 or 40 years ago. The waves haven’t changed but the way in which that wave is ridden has. Opportunity to connect with this generation is different than the last.
As Christ followers, we must be willing to adapt and flex with the new wave challenges. Jesus was willing to go any length to flex any way in order to save men. Paul said I’ve become whatever is necessary that I might save some.
It is this same mentality that I believe Christ desires His church to exist in today. A church will loose rigidity to gain flexibility. A Christ follower will surrender a rigid attitude for a flexible attitude.
But how is this done without compromising principle?
Again, we have to understand how Jesus, Paul and countless other Christ followers have done it.
The first thing to remember, they didn’t do the things or practice the things that the sinner would do. Flexibility vs. Rigidity is really a matter of the heart.
I allow myself to grow in the understanding of their plight. I don’t alienate them but I accept them. I don’t ignore them, I embrace them. I don’t hate them, I love them. I don’t despise them, I delight in them. Because I know who they can become….not just what they are now.
When Jesus called Simon Peter to follow him he said, “Follow me and I will make you fishers of men.”
Jesus knew who they were, they were fishermen. But more than that, he knew who they could become. So it should be with every effort of ministry from our hearts. We may not agree with who that person is, but we envision who they could become in Christ!
This is the motivation for flexibility.
That I might save some!
Flexibility doesn’t threaten principle, it enhances it. Flexibility doesn’t hinder doctrine, it supports it.
To be flexible as a church and as a Christ follower means we’re most concerned with the needs of sinners than the need to keep reputations in tact.
Jesus didn’t just think outside the box, he threw the box in the trash!
