You cannot say that!
Mark brought a convicting message to show us what it means to follow Jesus in a world of bullies that is shouting about what we can’t say. It is time for us to have a thick skin to start speaking up about the truth, putting bullies in their place and to start preaching the Gospel that is in the Bible. It is time to let people know where we stand, for saying nothing is no longer an option for the Church.
As Mark put it so poetically, “The Church has to find its voice because the wrong choir is singing and they aren’t very good at harmonising with God’s melody. It is time for us to find our melody that aligns with God’s truth.” It is the only way to live an unashamed life, without hypocrisy or offence.
In a world that is easily triggered and offended, this message will probably press a lot of buttons, but we were reminded that Jesus is not looking for allies but altars. He doesn’t need cheerleaders who only praise His good messages. Roman’s 12 urges us to offer our bodies up as a living sacrifice, which is our true and proper worship, that is pleasing and acceptable to God.
The challenge of following Jesus is to go against the immorality of our world and to keep ourselves pure and holy for our spouses. Jesus tells us to deny ourselves and give up our own way, and to take up our cross to follow Him. Like a wild horse, we get to choose to stay bridled to the King’s chariot, to ride into glory! The Gospel is just an invitation to make Jesus our King. In the area of our sexuality, this will be hard and challenging that will require self-control and denying a lot of desires, but the reward is a life of joy and satisfaction. To follow Jesus and take up our cross, we need to accept there will always be opposition to face, and feelings of being exposed and suffering that we will need to deal with.
Jesus challenges us in Luke 6:46, that if we call Him Lord, then we should do what He tells us to. Following Jesus means to embrace a life of denying our flesh and old self, believing we receive the promises of God for this life and for eternity.
The question is how do we engage with a world that stands on the offense, ready to be triggered? The world shouts their beliefs and values that are so contrary to what the Bible says, yet we have remained silent too long, allowing them to live with these lies. The reason we live is to be part of the mission of spreading the truth of the good news. The world is not our target to attack, boycott or protest against, but it is our mission and calling of people to reach.
Mark challenged our thinking by reminding us that God can use anyone and that it was a pagan King called Haram that provided the skills and materials to build the Holy Temple. Even David, who had many flaws and failings was called a man after God’s own heart.
We are not here to target the world, shouting out how bad they are, but to live a life that brings glory to God. That doesn’t mean we are called to celebrate with the Pride movement. We also need the courage to walk away when we are called to do something that goes against the Word of God. There are lines that we can’t cross, but we need to make sure these lines are based on our mission and not our own prejudices, preferences and bigotry. God wants to use you to reach people, even those whose lives and actions you don’t agree with. The question is how far are you willing to reach? Don’t become so offended that you become like little T-Rex’s that can never reach anyone.
In conclusion, Mark left us with 5 helpful and humble challenges from a Pastor:-
1) Slow down – Pause and pray for discernment before sharing posts on social media. Jesus is not winning when we are all shouting and protesting. Are you willing to lose some battles and followers for Jesus to win? We need to live as children of the light and stop being triggered by the world with offense. Let our goodness and righteousness shape our responses.
2) Theological Faithfulness – Stop Amen’ing only the things you agree with and being quiet on the things you don’t. When you bring your perspective and opinion, by sharing God’s Word in a response, make sure it is what Jesus actually said and in the context of how He said it. We need to be presenting God’s truth and not just our own opinions, but we also aren’t called to throw scriptures at the world, like paint on a wall. Doing Christianity is to engage with people and to show them what the love of God looks like.
WE NEED TO BE A CHURCH THAT IS WELCOMING TO ALL, BUT NOT AFFIRMING
3) Love Courageously – To love someone, you need to listen to them. This will be challenging when it is not something you can affirm, but as a Church, we need to be stepping up to receive the outcasts, the marginalised, the sexually confused and the sinners, with the love of God poured out from our hearts. If the doors to your home aren’t open, then the doors to your heart probably aren’t either.
4) Christ Confidence – Simply put, we need to know who we are and be confident in what we stand for, so that we will not cower in situations that might come to shake us. Stop shying away from sharing the truth of God. Romans 3 reminds us that we all have our own sin problems and brokenness that makes us fall short of the glory of God, but we must not let it erode our confidence in the ability of Jesus to overcome it all. We need to become the echo and harmony of what God says.
5) Be Humble – When we forget that we have received grace, we become useless in the Kingdom of God. Ephesians 4:2 instructs us to be completely humble and gentle. Outside the presence of God, our default leans towards arrogance. Humility demands us to suck it up sometimes, not defend ourselves every time and to stop worrying about what people think of us. Proverbs 11:2 warns us that with pride comes disgrace, but with humility, comes wisdom. Stop fighting the world out of pride and start being humble!
When we stay in God’s Word, in a posture of humility, we will find the truth, grace and authority that will help us to stop reacting and start reaching and engaging a world that is far away from God, by responding with His love.