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The Challenge of a Preacher, the WeaKNESS OF A cHURCH
Should we discuss the general judgmental attitude of the church? Although this topic was very much in the realm of our discussion on tolerance, this is a full-blown weakness all of its own. All those thousands of years with laws and creeds and doctrines and rules have turned us into an automated judging machine. As soon as we join up and learn a few of the by-laws, we think somehow we have the authority to start sitting on the jury. Several small sacrifices into the membership and we think we have earned the status of judge, or at least, co-judge. (Probably because we never cared to really study the Book of Job.) Then, we use segments of scripture to validate our positions. And…look…here arrive the newcomers…they have crossed our thresholds either by circumstance, personal invitation, or by the great efforts and expense of the latest “out-reach” program…and after the first welcoming “hello” at the door…how are they met?...usually with the thick, stinking air of judgment. Their clothes are wrong, they smell of smoke, their hair is just plain weird, and…she has a piercing where?
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The Challenge of a Preacher; the Weakness of a Church
On Wednesday night the preacher said, “The American church is weak.” I agreed. We all agreed; the few of us that were in attendance at the Wednesday night service. Declining population in local churches in general is indicative of this unidentified church weakness. The increasing average age of the membership of the local church is also tell-tale of this weakness. So preacher, although I am not sure what the weakness of the church really is, since the indications are there, it must be true. The American church is indeed, weak. Then the preacher challenged us to contemplate this statement for a time. I began immediately, although my mind really did not want to go much further. This is something I do not want to agree with. This is a huge, sad statement. If the Church is the representative body of Christ, the likeness of Him in Spirit, then how can this be true? How can the church of the Church be weak? Why is it that more people seem to be running from us, than to us? So, what is this weakness within the American church?
Maybe the church is not really weak. Maybe the preacher really meant to say tolerant. Sometimes tolerance is confused for weakness. It looks a lot like it. Christ was tender, loving, compassionate, accepting, and tolerant. For sure, He has been these things to me. One of the ways that I am convinced of His great love for us all is how He has loved me personally. As a child I would cringe at the visualization of the Lord, in all of His righteousness, purity, and beauty…dinning in the dirt of prostitutes and thieves and beggars. Then, I came to know my own true self, and found that I was just as unclean. Now, those same images of Christ, with the outcasts of society, make me feel warm and loved and secure. I am confident that His great love for us and His concern for our eternal lives is why he tolerates the filth. So then, maybe the church is not really weak, maybe it just appears to be weak because of our great love for others and tolerance of sinful filth. Would this kind of righteous tolerance cause a decrease in church population? Is this the weakness?
No…so let’s re-think this. Let’s define these terms for ourselves to get a baseline. Weakness is the knowing of who you are and what you believe, but allowing outside forces to alter the attitudes and actions you know to be right. Right? Right?? Right! I’m sure there are a few varied exceptions, but for the most part a weakness is not doing or being what you know to be right because of pressure…of some sort. Tolerance, on the other hand, is the knowing of who you are and what you believe and still proceeding on a steady path toward a specific goal without deviation…no matter what the outside forces. It is the allowance of others without the allowance of their beliefs. Tolerance also has some sort of power which, because of its equal parts of steadfastness and real love, somehow opens and clears the road ahead for others traveling in the same direction.
And yet, that sure isn’t the definition we see today. The social definition of tolerance today seems to look a lot more like some sort of spineless acceptance to the point of change. Tolerance today can be better described as accepting the outside force without us interfering in its way (which, usually means that it ends up really interfering in ours) and giving that outside force so much clearance that the path you are on is squeezed and made difficult, even impossible for others to travel. Okay then, so that is some strange kind of acceptance, not really Christ-lived tolerance.
I am pleased to say that I have sometimes seen churches be tolerant in the Christ-like way. Sometimes, I have seen the members of a church tolerate something…s, or a group of someone…s, and through love and conviction have stood strong and modeled a beautiful Christ-like example…but not usually. Too often we do not tolerate the outcasts, do not invite them to dine with us, nor love them completely, while remaining steadfast to our beliefs, allowing the love of the Lord to change them. Also, too often, we do tolerate the socially accepted forces with all of their new theological breakthroughs and latest Biblical interpretations, and are willing (sometimes as a whole denomination) to lay down our beliefs and change direction/paths, all in the name of “tolerance”. Yes, mostly, I have seen the church change due to the pressures of outside forces and not visa-versa.
So then, here is a weakness of the church…of the Church. Christ was tolerant. Christ is tolerant. However, this tolerance without conviction… without righteousness…is not, cannot be the tolerance of Christ.
So decisively I say, on these accounts…the Church is weak; weak because we have confused or watered down the definitions of tolerance and acceptance. The Church is weak because…we do not “tolerate” well enough… and because we “accept” too well. What happened to the thought that Christ tolerates the sinner but cannot accept the sin? Don’t these words simply clarify this whole issue for us? God has never been secretive, deceptive, tricky, or confusing. He has always been very clear about how we should love one another and about His expectations of our righteousness. And, He also has been very clear about His intolerance of sin and the judgment that sin brings. But who wants to hear about these cold hard truths on a beautiful Sunday morning? Or, any time for that matter?
This brings us to a second great weakness of the Church; the current faces of evil and sinister ways that those in leadership affect our lives. Honestly, the church does not do a very good job in teaching, training, preaching, or disciplining the difficult topics. Maybe it’s because we as people have become so frail here in the United States, and have become so set on not being harmed or offended. We sure enjoy the non-confrontational, non-conflictual, non-disagreeable topics of the Bible. When is the last time you heard a television evangelist preach the hard core stuff? Mostly, I hear about the promises and prosperity. Of course, we like the pleasant, more subdued characteristics of Christ so much better… that we often choose to teach those. We even tell ourselves as teachers that we will get to the hard issues…that we are just “starting” with the easier topics…because we want to be inviting, because those in attendance are new believers, because easy topics make better outreach. Whatever! What about the truth, the maturity, and the responsibilities we have toward development, toward discipleship? So then, the second noted weakness of the Church is the confusion between fear and meekness as we live out our daily Christian walk.
What is meekness? I can’t find a good definition—yet when I think of meekness—I see Christ’s face. I know I have heard it taught and heard it preached. Christ was meek. Yet, the meekness I see in the church of today does not seem to have the same strong positive characteristics of Christ’s meekness. The church today seems to exemplify that hiding from political issues, social debates, local law ballots, and school board decisions…both as individuals and as a unit, can somehow be categorized as meekness. There is no strength in hiding in the shadows, or not knowing scripture well enough to make clear convincing statements of truth. This lack of knowledge, this “cave-in” of convictions, the backing up, the sitting down, the hiding behind church building doors are not characteristics of meekness, it is simply weakness.
Meekness is the knowing—confident with the power within—and not exploiting that power for personal gain. Now, that is the meekness of Christ. Strong! Absolute! Controlled! Although He definitely had the power within Him, He lived here in a way that was all about us and not about Him. He could have stopped everything, started anything, or just taken the easy chariot-road home. But He did not. He lived and loved and taught in uncomfortable conditions, so completely degrading to His position… just so that you and I could have a first-hand example of how to act and react in the same earthly situations…even thousands of years later. His meekness confronted the sin in the sinner, argued law with the lawyer, taught the teachers, and got Him crucified! He did not hide in weakness, He excelled in meekness. Oh Church! Do we have the strength to be meek like Christ? Or, have we lost our conviction and with it our resolve to live daily Christ-like: righteous and pure?
Should we discuss the general judgmental attitude of the church? Although this topic was very much in the realm of our discussion on tolerance, this is a full-blown weakness all of its own. All those thousands of years with laws and creeds and doctrines and rules have turned us into an automated judging machine. As soon as we join up and learn a few of the by-laws, we think somehow we have the authority to start sitting on the jury. Several small sacrifices into the membership and we think we have earned the status of judge, or at least, co-judge. (Probably because we never cared to really study the Book of Job.) Then, we use segments of scripture to validate our positions. And…look…here arrive the newcomers…they have crossed our thresholds either by circumstance, personal invitation, or by the great efforts and expense of the latest “out-reach” program…and after the first welcoming “hello” at the door…how are they met?...usually with the thick, stinking air of judgment. Their clothes are wrong, they smell of smoke, their hair is just plain weird, and…she has a piercing where?
Maybe it is this heavy fog of judgment that causes the seeker not to be able to see Christ in the church. Maybe all the inside doors of the church should be made of mirrors so that the last thing we see as we are opening the door to a visitor, is a perfectly clear image of ourselves. Judgment has no place in tolerance. One we are told to do, one we are commanded to not do. If the church could at least overcome this weakness, maybe the “welcome” would really seem welcoming and visitors would want to return.
Please, oh please, can we talk about the peacemaker? Or what is a better title? I know that Christ said, “Blessed is the Peacemaker” so, the catalyst I am discussing must go by a different name, because they do not make true peace. This is the one who maybe without even knowing, changes a few words here and there, who allows the watering down and ultimate compromise of Biblical truths. This rewording is then sometimes, maybe even years later, is quoted, and this revised version is taught and preached and written down as if it still has some sort of “truth value”…and passed on to the next generation. Presto! Here is new doctrine. Isn’t it in the name of peace and compromise and comfort that we as a Church have lost so much validity?
I have witnessed, that for the sake of comfort in personal conversations, we, the bride of Christ, have stopped assigning the powers of God to the name of God and the powers of destruction to the name of satan. This is definitely a weakness. When was the last time that you assigned your physical healing to the miraculous power of God…verbally? Or, assigned the violent and destructive behaviors of man to the powers of the Evil One? Or, did you just say that you were grateful to the good doctors you had while you were sick, and that bad men do bad things? The latter are phrases that are more passively acceptable and dilute the potential for argument. I know. And I know that a real peacemaker is a good and valid character…especially in a church. They can word things just right to diffuse an argument before it begins. They can start the healing of an emotional wound.
And, being able to de-escalate a situation in this day and age is a wonderful and useful ability. However, like all good things, the strength becomes the weakness when a certain line is crossed.
So where is that line? Where is the line in all of these situations? Well, a serious study of church history from early first believers to the present might tell us. Such a summarization over a couple thousand years of best Christian behaviors and advices might give us some insight to that line as well. Or, we could research the great theologians and look at trends in church doctrine. Or more simply, you could earnestly pray for your pastor and really prepare and engage your mind and soul through the presence of the Holy Spirit in the sermons. Pastors have already completed these studies and are especially responsible (by covenant) to God for the “Truths” they preach. This is no little matter! God will punish. That is why the images of my father, a barn, and a willow tree branch all come to mind when I hear a preacher speak something as Biblical truth that, even I know, just isn’t. “Boy howdy”, I know they are going to really get it, when God the Father gets them alone. And, yes I know some preachers teach from the pulpit those general mail-order speeches. All I can say is that I don’t want to be around when the Lord asks them to explain themselves and what they were possibly thinking when deciding to take such short-cuts. I’m sure they will have a long discussion about covenant calling and spiritual responsibility.
So, a weakness of the church is in its leadership. However, I still have good news.
…I have proof that God is very aware of all of this and is definitely involved in what is being preached from many of His pulpits. Have you ever found yourself completely amazed that the sermon specifically addressed a question or two that came from your personal devotions in the same week? This has happened to me so many times that sometimes now I ask God to specifically answer my questions “privately”, because the “public” revelations are well...embarrassing. And it offers proof that the weakness regarding the pulpit might just be a lot closer to oneself than originally blamed.
And, of course, there is a weakness in the church when the individual members of the church no longer seek for themselves…through fasting and prayer and study…the answers the Lord Himself reveals personally and intimately from His Word. If one is willing to put the time into it, you can discover the “answers”, the “definitions”... the “line” for yourself by studying the Bible. Often, I have asked the Holy Spirit to boost up His ability to help me understand scripture in exchange for my spending more in-depth time in the living word of God. In the past, asking for this “Scriptural Insight for Dummies” embarrassed me, but the results are so amazing that even today my excitement outweighs my hesitation. I have found that it’s a deal He will take you up on every time. There is no weakness in asking for His assistance. There is weakness in not asking.
Well pastor, I have taken your challenge in thinking about the weaknesses of the church…of the Church, and here is my reply. It’s me; I am the greatest weakness of the Church. I know too much, but do not know enough. I am too accepting, but do not tolerate others enough. I compromise, but do not make peace enough. I am too judgmental, but do not judge myself enough. I love enough to reach out, but do not love deeply or compassionately enough to make sure that my love lingers. I still need to make a bigger effort to know You… to know Your Word… and to clearly define for myself the lines concerning difficult convictions. I am more accepting than tolerant, more weak than meek.
So pastor, for my sake, stand firm, be convicted, and do not waiver. Speak from the pulpit this week that which you have earnestly heard from Christ…do not water it down, white wash it, or add so much sugar to it that the medicine is diluted.
Be strong and lead me. And although I seriously never want this to happen, please approach me with the elders in council for those things about me that harm the Church.
And teach me, because it is my desire to learn…
so that I will grow and change, and be more like Him…
and then the world of seekers will run back to us—
back to me—
and see Christ—
for I am the Church
In obedience
Rhonda D Loucks