The day after I saw this article, I saw another article about what used to be one of the strongest denominations in the country. The news was that they were just seven votes away from changing their definition of marriage to include same sex marriage. This same denomination has already embraced same sex ministers and has given their ministers the go ahead to perform same sex marriage. Why would this need to happen? Because, in their opinion, the church has to "get with the times." The church has got to stay "relevant." Interestingly enough, in their quest for "relevance" they are bleeding members in record numbers. I wonder why that is?
Another minister teaches about sex from a Biblical perspective, which is actually a much needed subject in the church today. However, when he is finished teaching, he hands out condoms to the members of the congregation. Single? Married? Marital status doesn't matter. Apparently scripture doesnt either. I've been looking, I still can't find where this one fits in the Bible. It does, however, fit in to the subject of "relevance."
The mantra of the leaders of more than a few "relevant" churches is that we don't really condone sin, but we choose to avoid talking about issues that are "controversial." It's not our "calling" to speak about sin. Instead, the focus is on self-improvement and a feel good sort of gospel that is sure to bring in big crowds, but fails to create real eternal change in the lives of their people. All in the name of, you guessed it, "relevance."
Before I proceed, I want to clarify something. I'm not opposed to the church being relevant. I believe wholeheartedly that the church should be completely relevant to the culture we live in. My issue is with the definition and the application of the whole relevance thing. Let's take a quick look at the definition of relevant.
Relevant
adjective rel·e·vant \ˈre-lə-vənt\
relating to a subject in an appropriate way
Aha! So relevance is when someone relates to something in an APPROPRIATE way! The next question, then, is what tools does the church have that would allow us to truly relate to our culture in an appropriate way?
If I'm to believe many of today's church gurus, it seems to be related to how we dress. A rock band T-shirt,(preferably a non-christian band so we can project that we are Christians but we can still totally rock out), add to that cool skinny jeans that slip inside the ultra-cool combat boots, untied of course, and a grande cafe' latte with a bean on top and BAM! WE HAVE ACHIEVED RELEVANCE! Weird though, because a few years back relevance looked like parachute pants and a karate kid muscle shirt. Relevance is really hard to keep up with.
Or maybe, relevance is about being short on scripture and big on making people feel happy. After all, I have heard that happiness is the truth. Clap along if you know what I'm talking about.
Or is it possible that relevance is the art of making people think they are O.K. with God while simultaneously not teaching anything that will actually show them how to be O.K. with God? I could go on, but I'm sure you have caught on to the fact that my tongue is firmly planted in my cheek.......sort of.
O.K. let's get to the point. I would like to submit that the only way the church can truly be relevant is if the church teaches with absolute love, the absolute truth of scripture. There is a great divide that has come to the church today. The line is not between verse by verse study verses topical study. The line is not between those who want hymns verses modern worship. The line is not between those who prefer pews verses those who like chairs. The line is certainly not between the first church of the Bible believing beautiful berean baptists verses the the church of the pretty cool, pew hoppin, peppy, prophesying pentecostals. (God please forgive us for this kind of insanity.) The line is between those who will teach the truth of scripture in order to change lives verses those wish to change the scripture to fit their chosen lifestyles.
Let me be very clear about something. We live in a free country. A person can live anyway they wish within the bounds of the law. (and sometimes outside the bounds, but i'm not talking about politicians......lighten up it was a joke.) As a believer in Christ, it is my responsibility to love and respect everyone. Believe it or not, it is possible to love someone and genuinely care about them while, at the same time, having disagreements about certain issues. This is a lost truth in our culture today. Unfortunately, a minority of so-called Christians have built a pretty formidable reputation for being the people that hate people who aren't like them. I don't want to be a part of that church and I will not. On the flip side, our culture has become increasingly hateful toward the church. The church is being painted only as a hate-filled group of people who want to supress people's rights and force people into their religion. This is an equally disgusting lie. The truth be told, most Christians I know are caring and loving people who respect and love others despite where they may be in their lives. What I'm talking about here is not about basic love and respect for everyone. This is what we should all do.
What we cannot do, however, is change the truth of scripture in order to be what is called "relevant." In fact, what many churches are doing defies the definition of relevance. Why? Because it is not APPROPRIATE to lie to people about what The Bible says. What I don't get about modern relevant christianity is that, for so many, there is a profession of belief in The Bible, while completely disregarding and changing what The Bible actually says.
The basic truth of scripture is very clear and easy to understand.
1. We are all born sinners. The payment for being born in sin is that we deserve the judgment of God and an eternity in a very real place called Hell. It is also not difficult to determine what sin is. I will spare you the list of activities the scripture deems to be sinful and simply say that since we are all sinners, we have all discovered at least one of them. Most of us have probably enjoyed the momentary joy and satisfaction that comes from participating in many of them.....many times. We are sinners and the bad news is that there is not a single thing we can do to fix our sin problem. Left up to our own efforts, our fate is sealed and Hell is our future.
2. God, the Father loves you. The scripture clearly teaches that although the payment for our sin is death and hell, it is God's desire that NO ONE would actually go there. I am so tired of hearing people say, "how could a loving God send people to Hell?" Blah, Blah, Blah!! The truth is God sends NO ONE to hell. God has done everything He can do to keep you out of Hell. If you happen to find yourself there, you got there because you chose to go there. God has provided a way for you to avoid this fate. This is good news because we can't fix our sin problem, but God can.
3. Jesus lived a perfect and sinless life and then laid down His life in your place. Jesus, the man, really did come to this Earth and live a perfect and sinless life so that He could die on the cross and pay the price for sin that you were supposed to pay. Jesus is the only way for you to be saved. All roads do not lead to the same God. Outside of Jesus Christ, all roads lead to judment, period!
4. If you believe in what Jesus Christ has done for you and you repent(turn away) from your sin and ask Jesus to forgive you, He Will. You cannot be saved by any of your efforts. All you have to do is believe in Christ and ask him to forgive you. Really! It's that easy! Scripture says, "Believe on the Lord Jesus and you will be saved."
Here's where things seem to get a little bit tricky. We are saved by the grace of God and nothing else. There is not a single thing we can do to earn salvation. However, if you are saved it will change what you do. When you come in to a true relationship with Jesus, your life will change. This is the mark of true salvation. The sinful habits and activities that you used to participate in must be removed from your life. This is not so that you can be saved, but because you are saved. It also does not mean that we are instantly perfect. No one will ever be perfect in this life. However, God will work in us to lead us closer to His image and in the places we are falling short, His grace will cover. The thing is, so many are being taught and believe that it is O.K. to embrace sinful lifestyles and still claim to be Christians. This is not the case. True salvation will change your life. If you're life is not changing, it may be time to talk to God and consult His Word about the reality of your salvation.
You may be reading this and not like what I'm saying. However, what I'm saying is true, and I'm saying it because I actually care about you. Despite current politically correct ideology, it is not possible to determine our own truth. Truth is truth whether it is believed or not. The person who steps in front of a car and claims they don't believe it will hit them will still get run over. Every person will eventually be judged according to The Word of God, whether they believe it or not.
The truth I'm sharing with you is is more "relevant" than anything else you are going to hear. There are many Christian leaders and Christians who do not want to speak the hard truth that your sin will bring you in to God's judgment. They only want to tell about the good stuff. The only want to tell you about the benefits and the blessings. I love teaching about that stuff too. The benefits and blessings of following Christ are beyond description. Jesus said, "I have come to give you life, and LIFE ABUNDANTLY." God desires to give you a life that is defined by righteousness, peace and joy. His promises are many and they are awesome but the truth that is exceedingly relevant to your life is that there is a path to those blessings that include repentance, submission to God's Word and transformation into God's image. This is the truth. This is what is appropriate. This is what is relevant. B blessed, Tom
AMEN Pastor Tom Osborne
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