A more excellent way: Protestants, stop protesting

Prot-es-tant [prot-uh-stuhnt] one who makes or enters a protest. (Merriam Webster Dictionary)

For too long the church has preached an escapism rather than an alternative. We have escaped our culture rather than engaged it, and denounced rather than redeemed. As fine ‘protestants’ we have ended up being anti-Catholic, anti-government, anti-everything-and-anything all the while leaving the average person scratching their heads asking themselves what on earth we stand for and how in the world do ‘Christians’ relate to the Jesus they have heard of in their childhoods and secretly dreamed of in their hearts.

The time has come to propose a more excellent way – that we engage society but not its sinfulness; That we love them in and bless them and honour them. With the blessing of the upright the city is exalted – this we must do all the while showing them the delight of the King.

If the Holy Spirit is the one who will convict the world then it is not up to us to do his work. If we are to imitate God then surely we are called to study Jesus’ example as God in the flesh and imitate it. This poses a big problem for many as in the gospels I see a Jesus that did not judge anyone on grounds of their sexual orientation or lifestyle choice. He loved them, spent time with them, got to know them, and showed them an alternative – a more excellent way. Ouch! The person of Jesus is always an affront to the religious spirit.

This has got me a thinkin’. Jesus hung out with a bunch of prostitutes, publicans and sinners. So much so that he as judged as being a wine drinker, and a friend of sinners. In today’s culture and context, I wonder how whether the average ‘gay’ feels comfortable around us, and would consider having a born-again evangelical Christian as their buddy. How many drunks are my friends? How many prostitutes do my wife and I know? Something is very wrong here.

If you protect yourself from culture, you lose your voice in it

(Rick McKinley) HT: Harmony Blog

Carl, over at the Revival Blog, blogs on this very same point. f I build a ‘firewall’ around my life so that ‘they’ cannot access my heart, then how do I expect them to access mine, and be influenced by me and the gospel? We are the salt of the earth. We must be sprinkled onto it in order to affect it.

I long for the day in which people will feel more loved than judged by the church – at present they feel judged but not really loved. Then when weaknesses surface in our lives, we get labeled as hypocrites – go figure! When we point the finger, three fingers are pointing back to us.

If you show them the law, you will get a slave, show them love and you will get a son.

Dwight L. Moody - “Love them In”

The old proverb says that you can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar. Lets redeem the culture with honey. At Living Waters this is a challenge for me. I am committed to being a ‘River church’ one that flows in renewal and revival. The river always waters all its ridges channeling the previous waters in order to give life to everything it touches, however for far too long I maintained an insulated Christianity, only too happy to center my focus on my faith and my need rather than my mission. What is left now is none other than effecting a complete shift in our mindset and culture. Bring it on!

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