America and Capernaum

I finished Scot McKnight's Embracing Grace this past week and it further emphasized to me that Jesus permeates believers and churches and bleeds into the community. It is a literal flow of love and grace with no boundaries or agendas. Why then, is mobilizing Christians such a difficult task?

I have been trying to talk up this both-hands approach of love and grace to people in my life, and the reactions have astonished me. Aside from those who already are behind me, it is the Christians I know who have such apathy towards a church living out the whole Gospel.

This week gave me two opportunities to discuss the full Gospel, one with a Christian, another with someone who is most obviously searching and finds church hypocrisy a hang-up.

The Christian was patronizing, responding with a mild interest, but mostly doubt. How would such a Church work? Have you seen a church do this (I felt like the unspoken was, if you have, why are you serving here?)? I would say that the reaction was nothing short of luke-warm...and that really frustrates me!

The searcher was intrigued. Wow, he thought. Now that's a church! I'd be a part of that! For him, the examples of Christianity were laced with gossip and selfishness, not love and selflessness.

So if churches want to grow, if they want to go where no others have gone before, if they want to appeal to non-Christians, why not just FOLLOW JESUS? What about helping others isn't appealing? How does community involvement NOT foster church growth?

I was reading Matthew 10 and 11 today (very easy to swallow passages...ok, not really) and came across 11:20-24:

²⁰ Then Jesus began to denounce the towns where he had done so many of his miracles, because they hadn’t repented of their sins and turned to God. ²¹ “What sorrow awaits you, Korazin and Bethsaida! For if the miracles I did in you had been done in wicked Tyre and Sidon, their people would have repented of their sins long ago, clothing themselves in burlap and throwing ashes on their heads to show their remorse. ²² I tell you, Tyre and Sidon will be better off on judgment day than you.

²³ “And you people of Capernaum, will you be honored in heaven? No, you will go down to the place of the dead. For if the miracles I did for you had been done in wicked Sodom, it would still be here today. ²⁴ I tell you, even Sodom will be better off on judgment day than you.”

The cities inundated with Jesus' teaching (and probably also with Jewish teachings) were the ones that were so slow to turn to God. They thought they already had it figured out and didn't need any more help. They weren't living in such flagrant sin. They probably tried their communities and cities and found them just fine.

It was the cities that were so outwardly living against the grain of God that would find themselves in such a dire need of Jesus.

I think Americans and their churches think we're doing just fine. I think we're like Capernaum.

I think this is my greatest frustration on Sunday morning: that everyone looks at our church and says, wow, what a great church. No one sees anything missing. Ok, perhaps a missing family ministry, or married couples event. Yep. That's what's missing. Not one seems to notice the untapped potential of 3000 people descending on a population of less than 200,000. The fact that descending is even a valid word choice is frightening...perhaps we think we're too good for social work? Too good for getting our hands dirty? Too good for using our resources outside of ourselves?

So my prayer is two fold.

That the churches of America would begin to notice what and who is missing. That the unchurched would begin to find churches irresistible because they are trying to bring Heaven to Earth.

Second, that I would have the patience to deal with it, because I find myself getting increasingly frustrated and I'm convinced that that, too, is not the most effective way to solve this problem!

On a lighter note, God has used me so much as a bank teller. Seriously. I have been oblivious to it. I am here for a reason and I need to keep my head up and keep focused on Jesus.

Que mantengan la fe, hermanos!