Can we all agree that society as we know it is broken? Just in case you're not sure whether or not you are on board with the direction my question is leading, let's just look at a few things to see if we can start on a level playing field. Just so you know, how serious each of these are will be growing as we go. Did you have an argument or a strong disagreement with a loved one or a pal on social media (or in person, which strengthens my point) over the color of the dress last week? Do you know why (and actually care why) the Kardashians are famous? Bonus question: is it important to you or someone you know to keep up with them? Were the "fifty shades" entertainment freedom or a disgusting display of perverse sexuality? Did you know that tonight, in Anderson, 143 children will go to bed in a home that is not theirs because they are in DSS custody? How about the fact that only 40% of those kids are in a single-placement foster home as opposed to a group home?
Can we agree now that society is broken? Many care more about Kim and Kanye, Tim and Faith, William and Kate, or any other celebrity couple than lives in Anderson. Others care more about Barack or Boehner, Tigers or Gamecocks, KJV or (insert any other translation), hymn or praise, etc. See, these issues take root in our lives. These last items are not so trivial. I do believe that we should be politically active and that our faith should shape our politics (and not vice versa). Sports are fun and create a common bond, but at the end of the day are just games (yes, that is easy for me to say since my beloved Gators have stunk at football the past five years are are not faring well I basketball this season).
Even in the church issues become idolatrous to the point of taking our eye off of the point of the Gospel. Your translation choice is just that, you're choice. I have my personal reasons for sticking to the NASB, but that does not disqualify any other translations (while I am on that one, let me just say that I am so glad that my church doesn't make a sticking point on translations...it is sad that many do, but that is another topic for another day). And church music creates such an unnecessary division in too many churches. The music didn't save anyone, the Gospel did.
But here is the thing about these issues in the church...Satan has craftily snuck them into our congregations and distracted us from what we really should be doing as the body of Christ. This is why WE need revival. See, society is definitely broken, but don't we contribute to that brokenness is many ways? Remember in Hosea 2 where God made this promise: "I will also have compassion on her who had not obtained compassion, And I will say to those who were not My people, ‘You are My people!’And they will say, ‘You are my God!’ ” (v. 23). Guess what? We are the people that God is talking about here. Then if you remember in Malachi 4 God made the great societal promise "He [Jesus Christ, the Messiah] will restore the hearts of the fathers to their children and the hearts of the children to their fathers, so that I will not come and smite the land with a curse." That's how the Old Testament ends...with us waiting for the one that will fix this.
See, church, society is broken and it has been for a long, long time. Malachi was written some 450-500 years before Jesus was born. But, Jesus is the one that is supposed to fix it. How does Jesus fix it? He uses His church. He sends us out to be the literal hands and feet of Christ in our community, to demonstrate the love of Christ in our city, to administer the healing power of the Gospel in our town. Remember those 143 kids that are in the foster care system in Anderson? That is just the number for March 5, 2015. Tomorrow it could be 153. Remember that only 40% of those kids are in a single placement foster home, so 86 of those kids are in a group home.
Why does this matter? Those kids are just a small representation of the brokenness of our society. They didn't get into a system because their home life was Ward and June Cleaver. It happened because mom and dad probably weren't reached by a church like ours with the Gospel. It happened because churches like ours need revival. It happened because churches like ours forgot about the role we play in shaping society. Jesus came to fix that which was broken. He started by fixing us and placing us in a local church body so that we could go out in His name to reach the next one broken for Him to fix. Church we need revival because our society needs the Gospel at work in us to fix the world around us.
Can we agree now that society is broken? Many care more about Kim and Kanye, Tim and Faith, William and Kate, or any other celebrity couple than lives in Anderson. Others care more about Barack or Boehner, Tigers or Gamecocks, KJV or (insert any other translation), hymn or praise, etc. See, these issues take root in our lives. These last items are not so trivial. I do believe that we should be politically active and that our faith should shape our politics (and not vice versa). Sports are fun and create a common bond, but at the end of the day are just games (yes, that is easy for me to say since my beloved Gators have stunk at football the past five years are are not faring well I basketball this season).
Even in the church issues become idolatrous to the point of taking our eye off of the point of the Gospel. Your translation choice is just that, you're choice. I have my personal reasons for sticking to the NASB, but that does not disqualify any other translations (while I am on that one, let me just say that I am so glad that my church doesn't make a sticking point on translations...it is sad that many do, but that is another topic for another day). And church music creates such an unnecessary division in too many churches. The music didn't save anyone, the Gospel did.
But here is the thing about these issues in the church...Satan has craftily snuck them into our congregations and distracted us from what we really should be doing as the body of Christ. This is why WE need revival. See, society is definitely broken, but don't we contribute to that brokenness is many ways? Remember in Hosea 2 where God made this promise: "I will also have compassion on her who had not obtained compassion, And I will say to those who were not My people, ‘You are My people!’And they will say, ‘You are my God!’ ” (v. 23). Guess what? We are the people that God is talking about here. Then if you remember in Malachi 4 God made the great societal promise "He [Jesus Christ, the Messiah] will restore the hearts of the fathers to their children and the hearts of the children to their fathers, so that I will not come and smite the land with a curse." That's how the Old Testament ends...with us waiting for the one that will fix this.
See, church, society is broken and it has been for a long, long time. Malachi was written some 450-500 years before Jesus was born. But, Jesus is the one that is supposed to fix it. How does Jesus fix it? He uses His church. He sends us out to be the literal hands and feet of Christ in our community, to demonstrate the love of Christ in our city, to administer the healing power of the Gospel in our town. Remember those 143 kids that are in the foster care system in Anderson? That is just the number for March 5, 2015. Tomorrow it could be 153. Remember that only 40% of those kids are in a single placement foster home, so 86 of those kids are in a group home.
Why does this matter? Those kids are just a small representation of the brokenness of our society. They didn't get into a system because their home life was Ward and June Cleaver. It happened because mom and dad probably weren't reached by a church like ours with the Gospel. It happened because churches like ours need revival. It happened because churches like ours forgot about the role we play in shaping society. Jesus came to fix that which was broken. He started by fixing us and placing us in a local church body so that we could go out in His name to reach the next one broken for Him to fix. Church we need revival because our society needs the Gospel at work in us to fix the world around us.
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Hey! I want to hear from you. Let's bridge dialogue as followers of Christ and not followers of the world. I am eager to see how we can grow together!