Pilgrim’s

Protest

-1-

what has the church done with the gospel?

 

We are living in an age of huge interactive engagement, global communication & twenty four hour entertainment. There has never been a time like it. But is it a double edged sword? This global, interactive monster, that never sleeps, has to be fed with time & money, in order for it to continue producing all of the little things that we like. Hundreds of channels; but nothing to watch. Wardrobes bursting with clothing; but nothing to wear. Cupboards crammed with food; but nothing to eat. The house isn’t big enough. The television screen isn’t wide enough. The broadband isn’t fast enough. The mobile phone isn’t modern enough. Boredom sets in. We constantly want something new. This is by design. This is  deliberate. This is quite a thing.

The Church also has a global, interactive, entertainment entity. It too never sleeps. It too has to be fed with time & money. It too churns out content for the consumption of believers as an alternative to or accompaniment for whatever exists in the world. It too encourages us to crave more. ‘Love not the world..’ said The Apostle John, ‘..neither the things that are in the world..’ he continues. ‘..if any man love the world, the love of The Father is not in him’ (1^st John 2:15). The Lord Jesus said, ‘If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you’. (John 15:19).

Now before I go any further, I need to tell you what I’m avoiding here. I am not having a moan & groan about the recontextualisation of The Gospel. We’re not in the 1^st century. We’re in the 21^st. Any innovation that enables the spreading of The Gospel, without interfering with its fundamentals, isn’t all bad. I’m throwing my hands up, because I have no complaints about that. So then, what am I objecting to? What is the pilgrim’s protest?

Some have succumbed to the myth that they have to be popular & prominent in order to be effective. This is not true. But it is a misconception that drives many. What is it that comes after believing The Gospel, repentance, new birth & water baptism? Are we left hanging in the wind to dry out & become crispy christians? No. We have work to do.

¹³ Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; ¹⁴ As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance: ¹⁵ But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; ¹⁶ Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy. ¹⁷ And if ye call on the Father, who without respect of persons judgeth according to every man's work, pass the time of your sojourning here in fear (1^st Peter 1:13-17).

¹¹ Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul (1^st Peter 2:11).

¹³ These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth (Hebrews 11:13).

Is this the journey that we are on, or have we been distracted? Have we been side tracked by a global, interactive, entertainment entity, that never sleeps & has to be fed with our time & money? This world is not our home & yet we often live in a way that would give the impression that it is. It is not. We don’t live as strangers; we live in an over familiarity. We don’t live as pilgrims; we live as permanent residents. Moreover, we are systematically encouraged to do so by the world & often by parts of The Church. Just look at the proliferation of the prosperity gospel, so called. This, is this pilgrim’s protest.. Please don’t think that I am advocating hermitage. I am not. Being comfortable in this life is not the same as being conformed to this life. We are in the world, but not of it (John 17:14-17).

Yet the global, interactive monster that has been identified, is oh so attractive & some have mistakenly utilised this systematically flawed model as a template. Not only has it become a benchmark to solidify & maintain The Church’s relevance in modernity, but its entertainment value has also become a means to reach those who are lost. Whatever means you use to attract people will have to be sustained in order to hold their attention. Has our message become little more than  method? Has our praise become little more than  performance? Have our ministries become little more than industries? Have we traded our spiritual lives for social media likes? Is nothing sacred? This, is this pilgrim’s protest.

Be nice, just like the world. Turn the lights down. Turn the music up. People like that. Soften the corners of the stumbling block. Take the edge off the offence. People like that. Shorten the sermons. Widen the gate. People like that. Let’s be Mimics of the world’s gimmicks. People like that. However, in our efforts to reach the world for Christ, we may have sacrificed something that is dignified & embraced something that is disneyfied. Why? Because people like that? This, is this pilgrim’s protest.

⁶ Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded. ⁷ Unto you therefore which believe he is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner, ⁸ And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed (1^st Peter 2:6-8).

⁴² Jesus saith unto them, Did ye never read in the scriptures, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner: this is the Lord's doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes?..⁴⁴ And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder (Matthew 21:42 & 44). 

We cannot honestly circumnavigate the brutal reality of the cross. not in all good conscience. to do this is to fail to brace people to take the weight of carrying their own.

The Gospel became seeker sensitive, when in reality it is sinner sensitive. This is why we all need to hear it. The Lord Jesus said, ‘..They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick. But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance’ (Matthew 9:12-13). He is still doing this if we are faithful to preach His Gospel. I say if because there are some who have felt it necessary to tone certain aspects of The Gospel down & tune certain aspects The Gospel out. Their message is a softened mixture of child friendly cosplay & an adult nursery. Remove the sharp edges. Cushion the landings. Discourage running through the corridors with open scissors. This, is this pilgrim’s protest.

Realise this, brethren; when we evade the stumbling block, when we avoid the offence, we remove Christ. We cannot recontextualise a Gospel that we do not even preach. No real Gospel; no real conviction. No real Gospel; no real conversion. No real Gospel; no real salvation. The global, interactive monster will fail to deliver, despite its concert lighting & loud music. Preaching on sin & hell are old hat these days. It isn’t good news to warn people of the eternal death sentence that accompanies dying without Christ. Instead, why don’t we just declare God’s love, grace & mercy?

Didn’t Jesus say, ‘For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved (John 3:17)? Didn’t Paul say, ‘..God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation (2^nd Corinthians 5:19)? Yes & yes. But I would exhort you to keep on reading through those verses. We cannot simply paint a picture of puppies, ponies & rainbows. This, is this pilgrim’s protest..

Deny myself? Take up my cross? Stop having sex until I’m married? Follow Him? Become a disciple? Submit to leadership? Die? No thanks. Where is the good news in any of that? If we are not careful, we will become embroiled in a deceitful game of bait & switch. Men must once again be cut to the quick & pricked in their heart. Convicted. Converted. Discipled. It is not & must never be about the numbers.

¹³ Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: ¹⁴ Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it (Matthew 7:13-14). 

⁶¹ When Jesus knew in himself that his disciples murmured at it, he said unto them, Doth this offend you? ⁶² What and if ye shall see the Son of man ascend up where he was before? ⁶³ It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life. ⁶⁴ But there are some of you that believe not. For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were that believed not, and who should betray him. ⁶⁵ And he said, Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father. ⁶⁶ From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him (John 6:61-66).

As I’ve said before, some have succumbed to the myth that they have to be popular & prominent in order to be effective. Well, tourist attractions are popular & prominent! If The Church continues to slide much further from its mandate, that is exactly what it will become; a dead monument to a bygone era, that costs a fortune to maintain. The world will offer clowns & candyfloss & comedians. Lions & Tigers & Bears, oh my. There will be jugglers, acrobats, fire breathers & all manner of curiosities. I have seen some of these things with my own eyes. What I’ve described is a circus; 6 letters, beginning with ‘C’. A place where you pay some money & can be entertained to your heart’s delight. Need I say more? If this is the blueprint that The Church thinks will draw unbelievers through its open doors, we are in big trouble. The modern tendency is to give people a spoonful of sugar to help the medicine go down, in the most delightful way. This, is this pilgrim’s protest..

I have seen many people go forward in meetings to receive Christ as Savior, because they liked the church’s music. Some enjoyed the preaching because it was funny. Others were attracted by the prospect of health or wealth. Then there were those who were convicted of their lost condition, because they had heard The Gospel; it identifies sin & objectifies the Saviour. This is not a game. So please tell me; what in the world has The Church done with The Gospel?

 

 

 

 

 

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