This morning I took a few minutes to reread the journal entries I've written over the last couple months. This paragraph caught my attention -- I think I spend a lot of time feeling like this:
It feels more and more like Christians are caught up in a culture that has long since walked away from Christ. The church is in a confusion of grey -- not knowing where we stand, who we are, where to turn. The few voices that stand against the cultural drift get labeled haters and fundamentalists, and the church is so divided within herself that we have no organic unity. I find myself doing my best to plant seeds for another generation -- seeds that will hopefully someday bear fruit in tiny communities of Christian fellowship that become islands of the Holy Spirit’s power in a world running from God, in lives given over to Jesus no matter where the culture wanders.
Jeff,
ReplyDeleteI find myself often feeling the same way. It seems that we, as Christ-Followers, have allowed the political parties to divide and separate us in ways that we should not be separated.
Jesus undoubtedly understood that this would be a consequence of being a Believer. In the last of His Beatitudes he exhorts the apostles (and the crowd): "Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." Unlike the previous seven Beatitudes, Jesus adds a bit of narrative to this one: "Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you." (Matthew 5:10-12).
Regardless of the issue of the day (today it is gay marriage), we are encouraged to speak the truth, but do so in the meek and kind spirit outlined in the previous seven Beatitudes, as well as the Fruit of the Spirit.
Some days that is a difficult task. But you my friend are both salt and light to this community. Keep up the good fight!
Bruce
Thanks for your thoughts, Bruce, and for the encouragement! I find myself thinking more and more about these ideas. I don't know if it's a political party thing (I suspect not) but I do think that emotionally the church is learning to deal with the fact that we're a minority culture. I suspect I'll be posting again about this within the next few days.
DeleteI think it was Dallas Willard that said we are firmly planted with our feet in mid-air.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Curt! You can always count on Dallas Willard to put a slightly different spin on things, and almost always to nail whatever you're talking about to the wall. Good stuff.
ReplyDelete