Good Monday morning, my friends.
It is good to be back after a couple of weeks off. Hope you didn't miss me too much! :-)
Are you comfortable in your current church? Do you find the teachings satisfying? Do they may you feel warm and fuzzy about your faith? Then maybe you are in the wrong church.
When you read the New Testament, you don't get the feeling that Jesus made his listeners feel comfortable - quite the opposite, actually, Teachings such as "Go your way, sell whatever you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, take up the cross, and follow Me" (Mark 10:21) or "He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him" (John 6:56) made his listeners feel anything but warm and fuzzy.
John Fischer recently wrote a great article about this - here is an excerpt:
Jesus has always been a radical and a rebel in the face of the ruling religious authorities (that's why they killed Him) and the story has always been there in the Gospels for anyone to see. It's just that when movements become structured and institutionalized they have the tendency of taking on the characteristics of the Pharisees and not of the founder. And with the "Pharisees" in charge, everything gets skewed to their perspective. So you're not going to see the radical nature of Christ's teaching advocated from the pulpits of our churches on a regular basis. That might upset too many people, make them feel uncomfortable or force them to change.
A mentor of mine used to teach us that any great movement in history always begins with a Man (it could be a woman, too, but for sake of alliteration...), then it turns into a Movement, then to a Machine, and finally, it becomes a Monument. I think this is the natural course of things in human nature. As movements become institutionalized (the Machine stage), they lose the radical nature of their founder. That's why we need to continually go back to Jesus - the Jesus of the New Testament - and go back to what He said and did, and if that becomes difficult or hard to take or understand, we mustn't just pass it off or pass it by. We must find out why. Why don't we hear this part of Christ's message, or why don't we see these things exemplified in His followers and in our own lives? If something Jesus said or did makes us uncomfortable, that's probably because it should. Preachers should make their congregations uncomfortable on a regular basis. If they're not, you have to wonder if they are teaching the truth. Preachers should be making themselves uncomfortable for that matter, because the things Jesus said are hard to take, and even harder to do.
If you're not following the founder you may be following a Pharisee. Leaders who are following the founder leave their own lives open on a regular basis, because the truth cuts them as deeply as it cuts everyone else.
Don't get me wrong, I do not believe all churches are like this. I can think of several pastors who challenge my view of Jesus in every sermon. (If you want to hear such teaching, check out the Sermon Archive at Trinity Bible Church of Ottawa or listen to any of Andy Stanley's messages at North Point Community Church.) But there are many churches out there that do not preach a message that challenges our complacency.
Are you squirming in the pew on a regular basis?
Bruce
Almighty Father, You sent Your Son into the world that all might be saved.
Through Your Holy Spirit bring those who do not know You to repentance and faith.
Grant all pastors, church workers and missionaries the skill, patience, and courage to open and teach the Scriptures as Philip did for the Ethiopian eunuch, that all may come to the waters of Holy Baptism.
Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.
Source: LCMS "Let Us Pray"
(http://cyberbrethren.com/2012/05/09/daily-prayer-for-faithful-teaching-of-the-scriptures/)
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