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OF FLASHLIGHTS OR FIREWORKS!

Christianity is not for fanatics. It’s for ordinary men and women! The original Gospel emphasized personal happiness, social relationships and management of resources in everyday life. Therefore the artificial gap we’ve created between the church and the world must be closed. The word “church” means a group of people “called out to learn of Jesus and exemplify God.”

Jesus said, “Salt that’s lost it’s taste is worthless. Yeast that won’t rise is worthless, A candle that doesn’t give light is worthless” (see Matt. 5:13-14).

In other words, things that don’t do what they were designed to do are worthless. If Jesus were speaking today, he’d probably say, “Flashlights with dead batteries are worthless.” In fact, they are worse than worthless. They are deceitful! They are worse than worthless because we expect them to work. We rely upon them. We trust them, and then in moments of crises, when we need them most they let us down. We need light, and yet we’re left in darkness.

Is this a picture of the Church today? Do we have dead batteries? Have people expected us to speak, to act, to stand for our convictions; and then in the moments of crises have we let them down? The world needs light. Have we left it in darkness?

Maybe we’ve failed because we’ve tried to base our religion on what we think God wants instead of what we know man needs. The Pharisees did this. They thought God wanted the Sabbath kept absolutely and completely. To do so, they neglected the sick and the poor. Jesus reversed this situation saying, “The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath” (Mark 2:27).

Unfortunately, many church leaders didn’t learn from his examples. They’re still hung up on emphasizing the doctrines and rituals that they believe were prescribed by God, rather than seeking to fill the obvious needs of mankind.

So how can the church be a light in the world?

I. FIRST, WE CAN SERVE.

Jesus said, “I did not come to be served, but to serve . . .” (Matt. 20:28). Likewise, the church is here to serve, not be served. The church is not a business that measures its success by statistics. It is not a police force that imposes religious precepts on a community. It is not a court of law that judges, condemns and sentences the guilty.

The church is a hospital for sinners, not a museum for saints. A hospital doesn’t close its doors to those with problems. That would be both foolish and wicked. These very people are its reason for existence. The same is true of the church. Jesus said, “Those that are whole need not a physician” (Luke 5:31).

Jesus associated with the, so called, “undesirables”, saying, “I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners” (Matt. 9:13).

Like Peter and John, we prefer the transfiguration experiences on the mountain to the unpleasant problems in the valley. The church often scarcely touches life.

A man said, “I have had many disappointments, but my greatest disappointment came when I was just a youngster.” “How’s that?” asked a friend. “What happened?” “Well,” said the man, “It was the time I sneaked under a tent to see a circus and discovered I was in a revival meeting.”

Is going to church a deadly duty? Is the good news of the Gospel being announced in such a way as to cause disappointment? The theoretical teachings of the church are often a thousand miles from the everyday concerns of ordinary people.

In areas of mental competence, emotional maturity and social adjustment there is little apparent difference between members and non-members. Division and strife within the church have done more harm to the Gospel than all the atheism and agnosticism that ever existed!

For years, specialists in aerodynamics wondered why Canadian Geese fly only in the “V” formation. Then two engineers calculated, in a wind-tunnel test, what happens in such a formation. They discovered that each goose, in flapping his wings, creates an upward lift for the goose that follows. When all the geese do their part, the whole flock has a seventy one percent greater flying range than if each bird flew alone.

That’s the purpose of the church! We’re to lift each other up, not push each other down!

II. NEXT, WE CAN REDEEM.

Our contrived moral codes often become a barrier to outreach. People make one of two responses: They say, “I’m too good! I’m better than the hypocrites who belong to that church?” or else, “I’m too bad! I could never measure up to their standards?” In either case they miss the joy of being part of a community that accepts them as they are!

Institutions often abuse their influence and the church is not immune to this danger. Burdening people with guilt tears down self-worth. Forcing views on people undermines freedom of conscience.

It’s never wrong to question and explore. Even disagreement is legitimate if it avoids vested interests and prejudice. The mission of the church is not to issue stern pronouncements. The mission of the church is to stimulate thought and point out new ethical directions.

The church cannot depend upon its past popularity. To get respect today, it must earn it! This generation won’t come to church just because “it’s the right thing to do.” Attendance from habit is disappearing. The “Little Brown Church” is gone. The “sawdust trail” is gone! Visitation is complicated by high-rise apartments and zoning laws. Dangerous cults have made people suspicious of all “witnessers.”

Fortunately, none of these are hindrances to the kind of evangelism Jesus envisioned. Reaching out to the world is not something you do as much as something you are. Witnessing is personal interaction. People see God through individuals, not through doctrines. Our true role, as believers, lies in embodying such wholeness of character and joy of life that others will ask for our secret.

At a picnic, one single ant appeared on the table and made straight for the sugar bowl. After eating some bits of sugar, it took a small piece and went off the table, down the leg, through the grass and disappeared in a hole. Not long afterwards, it returned with several of its relatives. They all climbed the legs of the table, marched along the top and entered the sugar bowl. After they had eaten their fill, they departed, each with a piece of sugar in its mouth. Soon a swarm of ants arrived to feast on the sweet stuff.

Now, that’s evangelism! If we have something others want, they’ll come and try to find it. Evangelism is a natural outgrowth of the grace that’s in us. Terrifying threats take unfair advantage of people’s emotions. Rosy promises appeal to the worst human traits rather than the best. We tend to say, “Here it is! A creed--all prepared! Take it or leave it!” Then, when they leave it, our typical response is to shrug and declare, “Well, we’ve done our part! Their blood is off our hands.” This reveals that we were more interested in alleviating our own guilt, than in promoting the other person’s spiritual well being.

We must allow people to meet Jesus at whatever point they feel a need. If the encounter is genuine, their understanding and commitment will deepen.

Jesus said, “He who has seen me has seen the Father . . .” (John 14:9).

Jesus came to show people what God is like. As Christians, we now stand in his place. John said, “As he is, so are we in this world” (I John 4:17).

Do people in the world, who see us in everyday life, glimpse the nature of God? That’s our purpose!
The church has the privilege of announcing forgiveness. “If you forgive the sins of many, their sins have been forgiven them . . . .” If, on the other hand, the church insists upon viewing people from an unforgiven position, they will remain so. “If you retain the sins of any, they have been retained” (John 20:23).

There is no hope if the church doesn’t offer it. Arguments in support of doctrine is like a symphony orchestra beating people over the heads with their violins and horns to prove their music is beautiful. If they would just play it, everyone would know!

III. FINALLY, WE CAN SALVAGE LIVES.

We’re not to win people to a list of facts. We’re not to evoke a dramatic emotional experience. We’re to make disciples! This command is often forgotten. It means to encourage individuals to become avid learners searching for truth and righteousness.

Of course in every church, there are members who want to enjoy the privileges of church membership without assuming the responsibilities of Christian discipleship. During the football season, we hear many sideline quarterbacks who sit in the stands and tell how the game should be played. Likewise, one of the greatest perils that churches face is from members who want to sit on the sidelines and advise instead of getting involved.
Two women who had traveled in Europe were swapping stories. “Did you see the church of St. Chappelle?” asked one. “Yes,” answered the other. “Didn’t you think it the most beautiful thing you had ever seen?” asked the first. The other replied, “Well, I just saw it from the sightseeing bus.” With indignation the first woman said, “But you can’t see it from the outside, looking in. You have to see it from the inside, looking out.”

That’s true of the church. It can only be experienced and appreciated from the inside out.

Has the salt of our integrity lost its savor? Has the yeast of our enthusiasm lost its rising power? Has the light of our lives lost its ability to illuminate? Are we flashlights with dead batteries?

A European nobleman wondered what legacy he could leave his townspeople. He decided to build a church. The plans were kept secret. When the people gathered for the dedication, they marveled at its beauty. But one parishioner inquired, “Where are the lamps? How will the church be lighted?”

The nobleman pointed to the wall brackets, then gave each family a lantern. “You will bring these to worship services,” he explained. “Each time you are here, the area where you sit will be lighted, and each time you are not here, that area will be dark.”
(WC1709)
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This issue of NEW PERSPECTIVES is from an unpublished manuscript © copyrighted 2008 by Miles and Maralene Wesner, Idabel, OK. PLEASE FEEL FREE TO USE THEM IN ANY WAY YOU THINK IS APPROPRIATE. The only thing we ask is that you give credit for original material in PUBLISHED works.

Miles E Wesner