Today we finished up the Book of Acts. Paul made it to Rome without causing any more riots and lived happily ever after under guard in a rented house until Nero needed a scapegoat for the big fire. Well, that part isn't in there, it just says he lived there for two years preaching without hindrance.
It's funny, though, here he has been traveling all through Asia Minor (Turkey) and Jerusalem, causing riots nearly everywhere he goes, but when he gets to Rome and calls together a meeting of the Jewish leaders they said they knew nothing at all about him or his reputation, they had received no letters from Jerusalem, etc., but they were very interested in this new sect which they had heard nothing good about. So Paul gets up on his soapbox and goes into a spiel with divided results, some believe, some don't. Of course, he always has to have the last word so he quotes them a passage from Isaiah about their hearts and minds being closed--in other words, it's their own stubbornness that is keeping them from believing. That's a very good argument, one to trot out when all else fails. You're not getting it because you are just too blind to see . . . Am I the only one who sees a resemblance to the Emperor's New Clothes in this argument? (Another fine subversive story, by the way).
So then Pastor starts talking about "people you know who really want to hear about the Gospel, people who have a yearning for it but are waiting for you to make the first move." Well, I don't know anyone like that, quite frankly. It seems to me with all the churches around here, those who want to be in church are already there, and those who don't have already made their minds up. Just like in that Central American village with 30 some churches, there's no shortage of the Gospel around here. If you are telling me that there are people around here who really want to believe, really want to hear the good news, then where are they? While he was talking I looked around at all the empty seats. Granted, some of them were empty because the kids that were in them were down at Sunday School, but even so. A few weeks ago, the church was so crowded that OMG we are running out of room and what shall we do? But that was Christmas. Easter is coming up in a few weeks and it will be crowded again like that too. But watch what happens when summer comes!
In Paul's day Christianity was so new people were curious about it. People aren't curious about it any more. They have already formed an opinion about it, and it's not favorable. We sing "They will know we are Christians by our love," but it is not love the world sees; it's meanspiritedness. And that is not good. People aren't hoping you will invite them over for a cup of coffee so you can tell them all about Jesus whom they are dying to meet. On the contrary, should you do so, they end up feeling used and rightly so. Because it's artificial, forced. They know it and you know it too.
Quite frankly I think it is egotistical and delusional to say that we have something the world really wants when the world clearly isn't beating down the door to get it. And then to say that the reason for that is because of deliberate wilfulness on the world's part sounds like sour grapes to me. I think the churches need to be honest about that.
It's funny, though, here he has been traveling all through Asia Minor (Turkey) and Jerusalem, causing riots nearly everywhere he goes, but when he gets to Rome and calls together a meeting of the Jewish leaders they said they knew nothing at all about him or his reputation, they had received no letters from Jerusalem, etc., but they were very interested in this new sect which they had heard nothing good about. So Paul gets up on his soapbox and goes into a spiel with divided results, some believe, some don't. Of course, he always has to have the last word so he quotes them a passage from Isaiah about their hearts and minds being closed--in other words, it's their own stubbornness that is keeping them from believing. That's a very good argument, one to trot out when all else fails. You're not getting it because you are just too blind to see . . . Am I the only one who sees a resemblance to the Emperor's New Clothes in this argument? (Another fine subversive story, by the way).
So then Pastor starts talking about "people you know who really want to hear about the Gospel, people who have a yearning for it but are waiting for you to make the first move." Well, I don't know anyone like that, quite frankly. It seems to me with all the churches around here, those who want to be in church are already there, and those who don't have already made their minds up. Just like in that Central American village with 30 some churches, there's no shortage of the Gospel around here. If you are telling me that there are people around here who really want to believe, really want to hear the good news, then where are they? While he was talking I looked around at all the empty seats. Granted, some of them were empty because the kids that were in them were down at Sunday School, but even so. A few weeks ago, the church was so crowded that OMG we are running out of room and what shall we do? But that was Christmas. Easter is coming up in a few weeks and it will be crowded again like that too. But watch what happens when summer comes!
In Paul's day Christianity was so new people were curious about it. People aren't curious about it any more. They have already formed an opinion about it, and it's not favorable. We sing "They will know we are Christians by our love," but it is not love the world sees; it's meanspiritedness. And that is not good. People aren't hoping you will invite them over for a cup of coffee so you can tell them all about Jesus whom they are dying to meet. On the contrary, should you do so, they end up feeling used and rightly so. Because it's artificial, forced. They know it and you know it too.
Quite frankly I think it is egotistical and delusional to say that we have something the world really wants when the world clearly isn't beating down the door to get it. And then to say that the reason for that is because of deliberate wilfulness on the world's part sounds like sour grapes to me. I think the churches need to be honest about that.
