I am reading a book by John Burke called "No Perfect People Allowed". I read this and had to share it with you
What the world needs more than anything else is grace. Not more talk about grace--but grace tht seeks out the lost people like God does. Grace with skin on it--because people are born to run from God without it...Until we believe that God is truly for us, not against us, we will keep running and hiding (Christians included!)...Gordon MacDonald said it well, "The world can do almost anything as well or better than the church. You need not be a Christian to build houses, feed the hungry, or heal the sick. There is only one thing the world can not do. It can not offer grace". The uniqueness of Christianity boils down to one word:Grace. Philip Yancey notes, "The Buddhist eight fold path, the Hindu doctrine of Karma, the Jewish covenant, the Muslin code of law--each of these offers a way to earn approval". Grace says God accepts you and loves you unconditionally-"as is".
But if you interview people on the street, few, if any, associate Christianity or church with anything closely resembling grace. What they feel is law--zero tolerance, judgment, and condemnation. Why doesn't the church utilize it's greatest asset? Though the world cannot offer grace it offers an inexpensive substitute: Tolerance. The very idea of tolerance implies enduring or putting up with something you don't like or value. Our culture diets on the candy of tolerance but what it really craves is the meat of grace. Tolerance does not value people but simply puts up with their behaviors or beliefs. Tolerance alone can not accommodate justice and mercy--it can only look the other way. Tolerance might deal with differences, but it can't embrace us in full knowledge of sin and remove our guilt...God far exceeds the requirements of of mere tolerance; He restrains His judgment and even showers the unworthy with grace. If we are to represent God through the church, we must not occasionally tolerate people we don't like; we too must show grace"
What would happen to evangelism if we showed grace to the unsaved? What would happen to our church services if we did more than just tolerate that objectionable person next to us? What would happen to the body of Christ is we welcomed unwed people, bisexuals, and meth addicts to participate in our worship services and small groups? I think we'd see the life of Christ revealed through His people. Awesome thought don't you think?
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
Beyond Tolerance
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Jesus didn’t save his teachings and miracles for the believers and the so called “upper-class”. He hung out with the sailors, whores, lepers, thieves, and poor. The broken lower class… Christ the King of Kings. As “Christians” we wear the badge of little Christ’s. Shouldn’t we do the same as he did, open our places of worship our meetings and studies with open arms. Of course we need to be aware of the unstable, but I don’t want to be the one to put a bad taste in their mouths towards the church and Christians. I will open my arms. How radical are the complete 180 stories coming from the broken.
-Cody-
Sola,
When I read an article like this, my first reaction is "Yes, that's right!" Then the question settles in: HOW do we accomplish this while still teaching the truth of scripture concerning sin?
Kevin
It's a good question. I believe it start with knowing what our job as Christians is. It's not to fix people but to reconnect them to God. It is God's job to change people. Our job is to create an attitude of acceptance which is the foundation upon which the HS can do the changing. Secondy, An attitude of acceptance is not necessarily an attitude of approval. The problem as I see it is we like an attitude of conformity. What if we allowed lesbian, bisexuals, and meth addicts into our churches and allowed them to work thru their issue in an environment of acceptance rather than expecgt them to change before being accepted into our community. Paul said, "I planted, Apollos watered and God did the changing" Do we believe that? I mean really believe that?
Thanks for the comment Kevin
Hmm...
Step 1, leave perfect Christian hat at the door, then go back, pick it up and burn it in effigie.
Step 2, Beg God to allow you to see others as He sees them.
Step 3, Love the Sinner and share the Gospel. Get over the Fundamentalist trite answer of loving the sinner and hating the Sin. Introduce a sinner to Christ and stand back, it is between them and the Holy Spirit as to what will happen next. If they choose to reject Christ, love them anyway, He still does.
Wow...bisexuals and meth addicts and unwed people...sinners...sinners just like everyone in church.
I keep coming back to the grace God showed me, and the verses in the Bible that tell me to show that same grace to others He did for me.
BrianD
Exactly. What would happen if we as churches allowed these kinds of people into our community? Do you think God could change a life inthat context? Man, I some how think it could work
What if we as the church went to these kinds of people? What if we remembered that we were these kinds of people?
Good stuff as always Steve.
Still praying for you.
Dusty
What if we shed the "me against them" culture. What if we accepted people for what they are first and just loved them, heard them, worked with them inside the context of community? Again, I am not suggesting we condone the things that are clearly against God's will, but I think people will come to Christ thru relationship and willbe changed as we model Christ to them. Good stuff Dusty
Last time we went to the outreach the little girl that I talk about asked me how we were related. Is how we should be reaching out?...love them so much they think they are family.
Dusty,
That's adorable and awesome at the same time!
Great Post Steve!
For seminary, required reading for my class is;
"Making judgements without being judgemental. Nuturing a clear mind and a gentle heart" by Terry D. Cooper.
The text parallels this very topic.
To show the kind of Grace God gives us, is to take time, to be considerate, to have an open mind regarding what the other person has experienced.
Like you said above, Its not accepting nor condoning sinful behavior, but rather like Dusty said, love them in such a way they think they are family.
Here is one paragraph from the book, I will leave you with:
a quote from Joseph Cooke;
"If we happen to be in a situation where no single living person really knows us, or cares for us, or loves us just as we are, or reaches out to give of Him or herself to meet our needs, its almost impossible to find very much meaning in the idea of Gods acceptance. This grace is all theoretical- off in the fantasy world of wish fullfillment or empty intellectualization. But the legalism, the Non-grac, the sense of worthlessness and rejection are real. They are what we live with and experience everyday. Its hard to rest in Gods uncondemning love and acceptance if the people around us are ignoring us, condemning, criticizing us, putting us down.
If grace is to mean anything to us,it has to have feet that run to meet us, hands that reach out to us, eyes that see us, a mouth that speaks to us, a heart that loves us and cares what happens to us"
Blessing to you Steve,
really sounds like you are on the right track with thoughts on grace!
Praying God would indeed allow you to be an example and conduit of His grace to the body of believers He has entrsuted to your care, and may we all be encouraged to grow and walk in Grace!
LizO
Steve and Liz
Awesome quote. If we, his body, don't reach out to the "messy" as the skin of God's grace, how will people ever know it? Good thoughts. I may have to go out and buy the "Cooke" book.
I stumbled across your blog and this post resonates so well with me. We have the message that everyone needs to hear but often times our methodology is so off. This was such a great post.
Steve and Everyone,
Another Steve is saying something like this his latest newsletter. Check it out.
http://www.keylife.org/about/?id=letter
That should say IN his latest newsletter. Sheesh!
Steve- Our staff got to visit John Burke's church in Austin- Gateway CC. We got the opportunity to sit down with him and talk about the book. Our pastor did a three week series on the book while talking about the vision to reach others in our community. Austin is the youngest and most liberal city in the state- it's kind of a mix between Eugene, Salem and Nashville, all in one. He was very open about some of the conflict they have had by being a 'come as you are' church. I think he's done a great job at being sensitive to ministering in the culture and yet not comprimising the truth of the Gospel. They utilize small groups that meet in homes for their discipleship vehicle. More than anything, I think that Burke has done a great job at listening to the people in his community (and not just in his church). Good piece. Kevin Edelbrock
Excellent article and comments. Thank you!
Kevin and Kevin are two different Kevins :)
Part of the problem is that in any body there are people who are in various stages of their walk with the Lord. Some of those stages include those who "need" legalism as a protection against their own sinful impulses. Not because it will bring them into a greater relationship with the Lord, but because it keeps them in a place where they can maintain contact with Him, instead of indulging themselves in their flesh. We can invite people in the states you are talking about, but the simple fact is, most won't feel welcome because of the implied judgment of those who don't want the temptation of those openly sinful lifestyles. I think of those people who have quit cigarettes that are passionately anti-tobacco, like Larry Hagman was. While Jesus engaged people in sinful lifestyles; the woman at the well, the woman caught in adultery, even Zacchaeus, He also told them in fairly short order (or in the case of Zacchaeus, he just knew)that their sin needed to be dealt with.
So what's the answer? There is quite a bit of tension between Jesus' mercy and grace and His righteousness, at least from my perspective. I think we need to be welcoming to those caught in open sin (and I say open because even those who aren't open may participate in it, but they are not declaring it to be O.K. like many living the lifestyle), but also be mindful not to communicate in any way an acceptance of the sin and it's lifestyle. When someone is in those kinds of sins they will need to make a decision about what the Bible says about it. When that happens we can't soften the blow that is sure to come because Jesus didn't do that either.
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