Dec

Combat Readiness 7…Starting A Gang

Posted by: Sonny in Body of Christ, Relevance, Spiritual Warfare, Strategy and Tactics

satnewj1 This is the last installment in what I labeled the Combat Readiness series. It originally started in a post entitled A Tactical Reassessment and was followed by Enemy Tactics. Then I divided it up into seven entries called Combat Readiness. All this started with a random thought I wasn’t even sure would fill a page.

I am sorry that this final entry comes so long after the others. If you need to catch up, they are listed in the archives.

The thought that started it all was about how our enemy has used some things that otherwise might be good for the Kingdom and through his clever ways of deception has caused us to actually corrupt some good ideas. And I believe it was all to do with the endgame of taking our eyes, us Pentecostals, away from a pursuit of holiness. This was the beginning of this series.

The last area I defined to a small degree was relevance. There is a definite need to be relevant to the culture we minister in. So many in the past have tried to go into a culture and forcefully try to change the very way they live into something we deem more appropriate for Christians.
Paul had some things to say about this:

1Co 9:19-22 For though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them. To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews. To those under the law I became as one under the law (though not being myself under the law) that I might win those under the law. To those outside the law I became as one outside the law (not being outside the law of God but under the law of Christ) that I might win those outside the law. To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some.

Paul says to go to them, whoever we have been sent to, and be one among them so we might reach them. He did not say to go to them and seek to change them first into something more recognizable. Jesus never asked anyone to change either. Instead, He simply said, “Follow Me”, and they did change, but it was from the close association with Him.

So we have some taking all of this to heart in the Kingdom today. They call it being culturally relevant.

We now have ministers that use profanity from the pulpit, some for the shock value like Rod Parsley, and others because they think it is the best way to reach the younger crowd. We have some ministers who seem to never speak of anything but Jesus as a friend. They paint such a one-sided view of our King that it is no wonder why no one is serving Him. Most of the younger generations just hang out with their friends, they sure don’t serve them.

The truth of Gods standards, of His Holiness, are nowhere to be found in the churches that are considered the most culturally relevant. This is not the case in all churches, but it has spread far enough to be alarming.

This whole concept about relevance seems to miss the mark in one major way. There seems to be no attempts at winning those some of us are being relevant to. Paul said he would become all things to all people for one reason, to win them over; to lovingly, persuasively, bring them to the truth of Christ. Our attempts have mostly only taken some of our own over to the worlds side.

By portraying the idea that profanity is no big deal, for instance, some of us have not brought about a change in those we attempt to reach, but instead has lowered us to their level. If there is one thing I know for a fact about meeting the risen Lord it is that I change, not Him.

Relevance is about meeting them at their level. Jesus was the master of this. But then it is about the slow, steady change to Christlikeness. Not the other way around.

We must reach out to a lost and dying world, not in condemnation, but in love. Maybe stooping to their level, getting down in the dirt beside them, but never with them, and letting the light of the truth and the love of God convince them of the need for change. Holiness is the goal and the proper explanation to a lost soul is that holiness is being set apart. It means joining the gang. The Holy, wonderful, life giving and love filled Kingdom gang.

And most of the younger generation would just love to be in a gang.

And that might just be true Kingdom relevance.

Love you all

Tags: Christ, Christians, Christlike, Church, Combat Readiness, Enemy, Holiness, Kingdom, Love, Pentecost, Pentecostal, profanity, Relevance, Relevant, Truth

This entry was posted on Sunday, December 21st, 2008 at 11:33 pm and is filed under Body of Christ, Relevance, Spiritual Warfare, Strategy and Tactics. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

4 comments so far

Doug

Kind of makes me think of my most famous phrase. “God called me to be a fisher of men, not a cleaner”. I catch em and put em in the boat and God will clean them up. I know that we have had a field day with that analogy, but it really fits in with what you are saying. To go fishing you are going to get some worm guts on your hands and you are going to get dirty. Your hands are going to smell like fish when you catch them, however I do not go in the water and swim around with them in order to do this.

Living the example of Christ is very much the same way. I’m going to get dirty and at times I might bleed for lack of a better example I might get a hook caught in my hand…..yet all the while I am fishing. I back up wash my hands and put a band aid on, then go right back to it. God wants the same in our spiritual lives. Go and get dirty doing it, but don’t wollow (woller in Alabama terms) along with them to get them into the boat.

Love ya Bud!!!

December 22nd, 2008 at 7:18 am

Tammy

I have heard this scripture reference many times, usually incorrectly.

As I read it, I notice that although Paul says he will become all things to all men in order to reach them for the kingdom, he never says he will sin or break any law, man’s or God’s. I have actually heard people use this reference to excuse a behavior (sin).
I believe Paul would go into a bar to reach someone, but I do not believe he would drink if he thought it would hinder his walk with Christ (By the way, drinking is a sin to me because of my past, and I could care less how others view it, this is not a time to debate the subject)!!

I believe Paul would respect a different religion (or custom), but I do not think he would allow it to change his belief in God.
We used to tell our kids that the employer would not miraculously knock on our door one day and offer them the job of a lifetime, or any job at all, for that matter. Does the same rule not apply here? The homeless, hungry and hurting unbeliever may never walk in our door, but we can reach out to them in their time and place of need, through the love of Christ.

Gang leaders do not always wait for potential members, they actively seek recruits.

We need to be aggressive in our attempt to advance the kingdom. This is no time to be passive!

Hugs

December 22nd, 2008 at 11:42 am

Connie

This subject is my heart. Just yesterday (between church services) my son and I spent the afternoon with a woman that called me in need of most everything (food, shoes, soap, underware, etc.) she had NOTHING; as consequences for the choices she has made. She is living in a motel in Birimingham which is basically a 4 story crack house. With the help of my Pastor and the church, I went shopping for things she much needed just to survive. I delivered the things she needed, hugged her and told her that Jesus (and his people) would be waiting on her when she was ready to change her life. I reminded her that she did not have to live that way any longer. All she has to do is “make the call”. We all cried, then my son and I left. That was the only way I knew to show her God’s love. I did not have to walk in that place and smoke crack with her to so. My son needed to witness that too, as he is not saved either.

The rest of the afternoon we spent visiting a man (some of you know him as Derreck) who our church reached out to a couple of years ago when he was sleeping and eating on the street. I called to check on him and he was so proud to invite us to his new apartment. He had it decorated for Christmas, his Bible was still on the table where he laid it after church that morning. He was elated about having his mom (who still lives on the street) over to his house for Christmas. He said, “Maybe yall (meaning the people of my church) can help my momma like you helped me”. No one had to sleep or eat on the street to reach out to Derreck. They just went to him to tell him Jesus loved him and that he was worthy of His love.

I pray that no one thinks I am bragging about yesterday. I just wanted to share it with all of you and tell you that what Sonny is talking about in this blog is so true and so simple to do. Paul was one of my favorites in the Bible. I think he and I could have been best buds or at least I could have been a memeber of his gang.