The Church Learns From The World
|
The pertinent question to ask is: Is the world through grace teaching the churches or are the churches teaching the world? The case is often that the world has to teach the church vital spiritual things it should know but does not because it is too creed bound and hide bound. Let me give you an example of this. Christianity had to be taught toleration by the world. What should have been obvious to Christians was not because the church was so overwhelmingly overly creedal, arrogant, and locked inside the limitations of theological intellectualism. The early Christian church under the intellectual leadership of Augustine of Hippo said, “if you love them, burn them.” The idea was creedal heresy was bad, so bad it was best to burn those who were heretics to protect society from them. The creedal egotism of the church was such that it agreed. The great Inquisitions began. Heretics were burned at the stake. Was this Christianity at its worst? Well, that remains to be judged in a history of spiritual ups and downs. There are some bad “worst's.” To burn those different creedally was enormously aided by the political theory that a kingdom might have or contain only one religion. (You may see this attitude remaining in the idea the world may have or contain only one type of political structure. Everyone is required to be of only one basic political persuasion. Human sins change not, but simply transfers to different flags and symbols to cluster round. The controversy God has with mankind is not the change in symbols, but in always regrouping in the same sinful attitudes behind changed symbols. History becomes a re-presentation of new symbols to hide behind, while attracting the old sins. The same sins go on as symbols change. For years in Western History nations and religions killed, outlawed, maimed and terrorized those with new symbols or new religions. Finally in America and some other nations, so many new religions became evident that the governments resigned themselves to toleration. Gradually the different churches, religions and denominations caught on. Toleration became widely accepted. But it had little to do with the churches. The world had to teach the the churches toleration. What should have been obvious in the beginning from Christ, was if you loved your neighbor, it was not the loving thing to burn him or her alive for a two penny worth of religious difference or any new symbol change. Or, for that matter, any other type of difference. But Christians were too creed bound to make the first priority in religion love instead of creed. The point I am trying to make is that sometimes the world has to teach churches grace. As church leadership seems to be a sanctimonious lot, I find the world enjoys greatly the process of teaching churches virtues they should be practicing anyway. But today who is teaching what to whom? Churches have no monopoly on grace. Common grace acting upon the world teaches churches nearly, I think, as much or more than the nearly empty churches of England and Europe or the pitiful secular churches of America who see God’s Kingdom as raising money for bigger parking lots. As we observe things, let us evaluate if God may be using the world to teach the church or if the church is teaching God to the world. Churches tend to be so wrapped up in themselves they become churchy. They become so involved in their own prosperity as organizations, they tend to overlook and forget the purposes that justify them as organizations: to serve the people, the brothers and sisters of Christ, and carry the Bible to those who know of God in a superficial way but have not experienced the grace of God in depth, or Christ in a personal manner. I pray God that you will find Christ. You will know Him when He comes to select you, just as surely as the Apostles in Galilee did. It was not by Jesus’ physical presence only that they knew who He was. Mere physical presence would not have made them follow Him. His was a spiritually new magnetic awareness, silently summoning them. His was a calling that something deep inside quietly acknowledged. They turned. They followed Him. Some life deep in them answered Life. The spirit called to the spirit. “I AM” called to “I want to be.” An Invisible Risen Jesus Christ walks the earth. Many saints and holy ones testify to this. When God finds you, you will not have to see Him. You will recognize His Spirit. You will feel His Personality radiating grace. You will be able to turn your life around and follow Him. Your new life will have started. A deeper and better spiritual life will have begun in you. Why? You will have decided to follow Jesus. |
