I was literally all over the city yesterday from West Knox to Oak Ridge to South Knox to North Knox, so it was a busy day, but full of great conversations and opportunities to share vision with people. Here's the recap from this past Sunday night.
Part 3 of the Stupid Christians study probably took a different angle than what might have been expected. The focus was on being "Out of Touch." However, I quickly clarified that being out of touch has nothing to do with worship styles and/or being contemporary. I actually made the following statement, and if you don't read anything else in this post, that would be fine as along as you thought about this...
We can be a part of a new, innovative, and relevant church but still be out of touch with reality.
Don't think just because you are doing something new and different that you are in touch with God's plans. God is more concerned about us being in touch with the people around us than the latest cultural/church trends.
In connection with Luke 10:29-37, I offered these 3 questions as a guide to determine whether or not we are in touch with reality.
#1 Do you only interact with people like yourself?
The lawyer in this passage was hoping Jesus would say this his neighbor were only the Jews, people just like him. However, Jesus completely flips the lawyer's question and urges him to realize the focus is on him being a neighbor, not who his neighbor is. We have to make sure that we are interacting with people who are not like us are need of God's love. If we aren't doing this, how will we ever allow God's love to overflow to the people who need it? Yes, people within the church need to be encouraged and loved, but we can't become so inwardly focused that we lose touch with reality!
#2 Are you willing to allow your normal routine to be interrupted?
Jesus used two religious figures in the first part of this parable. They both walked by a man in need. Based on this context of this passage, we can assume these men have just finished their religious duties in Jerusalem. To put it in today's context, they just went to "church." However they had boxed God into one section of their routine, and they totally missed an opportunity to care for someone. I'm afraid that we often do the same thing. We focus more on our routines than our opportunities. Jesus never allowed his path/routine to supersede a potential opportunity to allow His love to overflow! When was the last time you had a "God-moment?" You know, a time when your routine was interrupted and God brought someone across you path for a "divine appointment." If it's been awhile, chances are you are out of touch and too focused on your routine!
#3 Is being a Christian easy for you?
I don't think each day should be a drag for us, but being a follower of Jesus should not be an easy and comfortable routine. If you aren't having to sacrifice something, chances are you aren't really following Him! If the thought of people dying and going to a Godless hell doesn't bother you, then you are out of touch with God's reality. The Samaritan in this story made a choice to show love to someone in need, but this choice cost him something. It required him to give of his own resources, money, and time. Allow God's love to overflow to someone to the point where their life is truly impacted takes hard work. It will get messy and difficult. You will be let down, hurt, and disappointed, and when it happens, we shouldn't be surprised. After all, Jesus, our leader, spent His life being rejected (and He was even killed) by the very people He came to love!
If you somehow knew beforehand that it would take you three years to even get a particular person to come to a worship service with you (I'm not even talking about them becoming a follower of Jesus, which may take even longer) would you be willing to invest the time, energy, and resources into that relationship?
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