I have always felt pride in the fact that I have striven to be somewhere in the middle. I mean, who wants to be an extremist? And isn’t moderation an attribute to be admired? Not too much or too little. Even Goldilocks would agree.
But the last few years have really shaken up that perspective. I remember when there was so much chaos and unrest two years ago. Everything from BLM riots to the presidential election to the “deadly” ‘rona all hit at once, and it was not pretty. Most people seemed to gravitate to one extreme or the other. In general, either you supported BLM and Biden and all c0vid lock-down measures or you didn’t.
The Church
Enter the church. It amazed me that instead of rising to the occasion to bring biblical clarity to an incredibly confusing and murky situation, the church, in general, walked right down the middle. Really, they mostly just ignored the cultural dumpster fire blazing all around us and drew our attention to the beautiful roses we needed to take a picture of. I sincerely believe most of these churches had very good intentions. They just didn’t want to tick anybody off from either “side.” So they stayed right in the middle on “neutral” ground.
Hindsight is always 20/20. And after thinking about things for a while, I realized this posture of compromise has been incredibly prevalent in the church for years (not just the last 2). To be honest, I participated in it without even thinking. We all want to be understanding. We want to be compassionate. We want people to feel welcome and accepted. Isn’t that what Jesus would do?
WWJD?
But I would argue that wasn’t what Jesus did. Jesus was not playing when He started His ministry. It was all or nothing. None of this wishy washy in the middle stuff. Remember the wealthy young man who asked Jesus how to be sure of his salvation (Matthew 19:16-22)? He didn’t pander to him. Jesus told him exactly what he needed to hear, but not at all what he wanted to hear. Personally, I would have run after that young man. I would have told him to stick around a while, and he would understand. He’d “get it” if he just gave Jesus a chance! But that’s not what Jesus did.
I realize we aren’t Jesus. It’s so hard to navigate what to say and how to say it and to whom to say it. Life is full of gray. But praise God, that’s why He gave us His Word. His teachings are clear and delineates how we are to live so that we honor Him. And to seal the deal, God in His great mercy, also gave us the Holy Spirit to guide us.
So, what’s the point?
Ultimately, it’s not about politics, or at least it shouldn’t be. It’s all about Jesus. Full stop. We align ourselves with certain ideologies not to please others or to make others more comfortable, but to honor God as best we can. The culture has changed dramatically over time. But you know what hasn’t? Truth and God’s Word.
A heartbeat ago, it was not controversial to have men on men’s sports teams and women on women’s sports team with no crossover. But now, we are being told we are being hateful and bigoted if we don’t go along with the charade of men on women’s sports teams. They only need to declare they are now women (penis and all). It boggles the mind, but that is the current culture. Again, truth does not change. What was morally neutral 5 seconds ago is now controversial. LORD, help us.
Calling all Believers
The body of Christ needs to dig into His Word like never before. We must stop thinking about how we may offend someone and focus on how, as Believers, we must not offend our Holy God. Clearly we can deliver the message in a variety of ways (some good, some bad, some ugly). But I truly believe that when our focus is on honoring God first, all that other stuff will inevitably fall right into place.
If we are considered extreme by the culture, so be it. If our tone is off, oh well. We are following the beat of a different drummer than the world is. We may be out of step with the world, but we are following a different tune. Believers, continue to listen and follow Him with a humble and courageous spirit.
For inspiration for teaching your kids about others who have gone before us who have done just that, check out Brave Heroes and Bold Defenders as well as Courageous World Changers. Included are fascinating and incredible stories of men and women who loved the LORD more than they loved this world. LORD, make your Church more like that – more of You and less of me.
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Amen.
Thank you!