A few thoughts I’ve spent some time on recently:
Why do some Christians spend so much time on things that are counter-productive and do not build the Kingdom of God in the least? Examples of what I see are:
- Making a supposed “career” of shouting at the darkness. Does the darkness listen? Does it even care? Or is this exercise more about puffing up the one shouting? Brothers and sisters we are called to preach the gospel of Jesus, the “Light” of the world. Let’s remember to focus on that.
- Making a “supposed” career out of critiquing the Church. Almost every believer knows at least one of these kind of people. They are thrilled to have finally found a church home when they first arrive on the scene. It isn’t long before the criticism starts though. After a time that is characterized by trying to enlist other people in their “hobby-horse” ideology, the critics disappear. The reason is always the same – the church or the pastor is off-base and slipping into the error the hobby-horse theologian warned about.
Then there are those who rightly ignore the misguided efforts of those described above but make equally troubling mistakes by:
- Advancing a “let’s just focus on experiencing Jesus” theology. This is the theology of the “selfie.” This is the thinly disguised “let’s just all get along” mentality forever made famous by John Lennon in his humanist manifesto, “Give Peace a Chance.” Christianity is about being a disciple of Jesus Christ and teaching others to be one as well.
- Focusing on relieving human suffering. For this group Christianity is all about the “work” they do for Christ. A social gospel is not The Gospel that saves. A gospel that makes you feel good about yourself is not The Gospel.
- Finally, many believers I see have turned to a “prepper” mentality. They focus exclusively on studying the Bible, seeking to learn some mysterious message. What they plan to do with this message is seldom discussed. How this message once revealed will help them advance the Kingdom is never mentioned either.
Folks, we each have many opportunities to simply tell others about Jesus Christ and the salvation He offers through faith to all those who place their trust in Him. Let’s focus on this as the main thing shall we?
Your thoughts?