This is not a post about my family per se but indirectly it certainly is. You remember the scenes in Jerry McGuire where Jerry has an epiphany about what is wrong with his business and the world around him and decides he is going to be a change agent. He stays up after many hours and crinkled pieces of paper on the floor and pounds out what he believes is to be the new mission statement for his sports agency firm. This manifesto would be his downfall professionally at least as we look at it from a carnal perspective. What I am about to write I don't fear will get me fired but I am feeling like Jerry did that day and let me assure you I don't even have an office goldfish should I get the boot.
Many Wednesday mornings you can find a group of campus ministers gathering over grocery store donuts and coffee for prayer; prayer for the campus, the students, and one another. I have been involved in this group since coming to UBC 5 years ago, and I have enjoyed getting to know the other laborers and sharing fellowship and prayer with them. This morning was different for me, and what I am about to share with you I share as a testimony to my own frustration personally as well as part of what I think is wrong with the church in general all too often. I am frustrated at myself because I don't' understand why I am so stubborn to learn the things God is trying to teach me and I am frustrated at the church because all too often our evangelical churches look this way too.
I am going to use an example of something that was shared this morning with the group to explain part of my frustration. I haven't decided where I land on this opportunity yet so please understand I am taking as objective an approach as I can. To make a long story short, a federal grant has been awarded to John Brown University to help combat against the staggering numbers of failed marriages in Arkansas and specifically in NW AR, a task force from JBU has been charged with making a difference with this grant money...great so far right? This group from JBU is hosting marriage enrichment seminars as well as seeking to provide pre-marital counseling on college campuses and other wonderful ideas. The problem as I see it is due to the fact this is federal grant the separation of Church and State will prevent this group from mentioning the only thing that can be our hope in marriage...CHRIST. I understand the material for these conferences will be Biblical no doubt but the name of Christ will never be mentioned. I feel like, and I am not speaking only to this grant as I will address in a minute, that we putting a band-aid over a fatal wound. These failing marriages don't need new principles they need Christ whether they are Christians or not. The bottom line is Christ can salvage any seemingly hopeless situation by His blood. Christians are getting divorced for the same reasons non-Christians are getting divorced; Christ is no long or never was central to the marriages. News Flash: there are days that I don't wake up and "feel" like serving my wife, but Christ in me reminds me that I am to love my wife as Christ loves the church and gave Himself up for her (Eph. 5).
Let me elaborate a little more, we do this with evangelism all the time, especially those of us who are relationally driven. We say that street evangelism or a "cold call" type of evangelism is not for us because we find it more effective in relationships with people, but the reality is all too often in the midst of the relationship we never share Christ. We either loose contact with the person, loose interest, believe that we are not good enough, or one of my favorites we hope that just by the way we live they will see Christ and follow too. This is not evangelism and certainly not what Christ has called us to. Matthew 28 makes clear that we are go and make disciples of all nations (including the one we live) not only baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit but also teaching them to obey ALL God has commanded. I do not want to make a blanket statement about everyone because there are those who do relational evangelism very well and I love the thought of relational evangelism but I am willing to admit that all too often I fall short of being obedient in the those relational evangelistic opportunities.
So what now? Well I have given a lot of thought to this...practically all day, and I have come to realize that I have no idea what now. I just know that once you look in the face of God and get a glimpse of Him from the Scriptures to turn back into your old ways is sin. I know that the answer to fixing marriages isn't going to found apart from the proclamation that Jesus Christ is Lord and must be the center of the home. By the way, I don't think the guys at JBU that are at least doing something would disagree, I am just praying that we as the church and as the called out ones would be more relentless in our proclamation of Christ. Practically speaking maybe that comes to pass at this pre-martial conference with Christ following adults interacting with young engaged or seriously considering couples working on this conference material with an opportunity at the end of the conference to say to them, hey these principles are great but they aren't the glue to my marriage and if you would like to talk more about that then let's meet for coffee and I will tell you. I know with confidence that Christ is what makes me acceptable to God as it pertains to my sin and we as His children have a lot of work to do to be Matthew 28 children.
This applies to my family in so much that I pray we are intentional about all the we do in word and in deed, not putting our hope in the thought that someone might just watch our family and notice a difference. I believe full well that God can and does use good example as a platform for the Gospel but it is not the Gospel in and of itself. I pray Tamara and I are building and leaving a Godly heritage of intentionality for our children not to mention boldness that will prayerfully produce obedient children with a God-sized reckless abandon for the Gospel and for His glory.
2 comments:
your words are such an encouragement. you're right -- we too often rely on "friendship evangelism" to the detriment of our purpose as the called out ones.
let us encourage each other to speak the truth in love to those who are perishing.
interesting thoughts. I'll ask Gary Oliver & Greg Smalley what they think...as you mention, you know they have thought of this as well, and yet still feel compelled to do this.
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