~ Standing At The Lazyboy

Last night I wrote about the seeming failure of the Church, the community of faith, to impact the communities in which we lived.  It isn’t an issue of size but am not sure that it isn’t an issue of faith; that sounds harsh I know but by the end of the next paragraph I hope it will be in context.

I am assuming that most, if not all, of us have experience of throwing pebbles in a body of still water.  It doesn’t matter how small the stone it always effects the pool. Even the smallest of pebbles creates a ripple pattern.  The size ratio is important in that the bigger the pool the bigger the effect and the bigger the stone the bigger the splash.  That is the context that I was talking about, it is not a lack of faith, it is more about the activation of that faith.

A stone beside a puddle has no impact on it.  A stone in my hand has no impact on the puddle; it is only as I release the rock that it impacts the water and creates ripples that radiate out to the outer edges of that puddle.

This is what I am writing about releasing our faith.  Jesus talked about the faith of a mustard seed, the smallest of seeds, which was known to grow into a tree but only when the seed we planted.  Apparently that is all that is needed to be planted.  We as ambassadors of the Christ only need to release out lives to Father God for us to have an impact on the pool of humanity that we land in.

Jesus promised us that where we were He would be with us.  To take that statement even further He told Peter after his confession of faith that He would build His church on the basis of Peter’s statement.  If He is to build the church, we are his hands and feet.  All that is required of us is to stand up for His truth and live the Life that He would have lived

If we live the love of Christ we cannot help but have an impact upon our connections.  This is because our life will scream out to them that we have something worthwhile which gives meaning to our life, something that they find missing in their life.  Especially if we show that love and concern into what is going on in their lives, without allowing judgement to colour our attitudes to them.

In the same way if we live a life that is in accord with the teachings of Jesus, again without reproof, the difference in lifestyle will stand up and simply invite investigation.  However we must be prepared with an answer to questions that arise and if we fudge on the truth we will be seen as hypocrites.

In the first half of the last century many Churches focussed on the issues of alcohol, sex, and so forth as being the agents of evil.  They built for themselves the reputation of “wowser” and “killjoy” outside the Community of Faith as a result they became unattractive to the general public.  The problem is that if as the church, we do not live a different life to Joe Public then we become no different, and “Why complicate my life?” becomes their refrain.

There is a one-liner going around which runs approximately “If you don’t stand for something then you will fall for anything.”  There is a New Testament equivalent in the First letter to the Corinthians Chapter 10:12,13 that goes, “¹²Even if you think you can stand up to temptation, be careful not to fall. ¹³You are tempted in the same way that everyone else is tempted. But God can be trusted not to let you be tempted too much, and he will show you how to escape from your temptations.