Good to Bad or Death to Life?

Some random theological thoughts based on experience.

A few years ago at a Youth Camp I was helping to direct through Revive, our speaker made a comment that has stuck with me; one that has made its way into my every day theological thoughts and language. It went like this:

Jesus didn’t come, suffer, and die to make good people bad, he did all this to make dead people come alive.

Along the same lines, a couple of weeks ago in church, I finally put on my big boy preacher pants and make a comment from the pulpit that I hesitated greatly from saying for too long. It was a comment that I had heard from the President Pro Tempore of the Mid-Texas Conference a number of times. In fact, when I considered making the comment in a sermon, I jokingly asked her for a new appointment to be prepared just in case I got run out of town.

The claim is this: In the Gospel of Jesus Christ, there is no room for Pew Potatoes.

In other words, there is so much about the Gospel that does not allow for us to just be people who come to church on Sunday, sing songs, listen to a pastor preach, and go late to our favorite restaurant for lunch because the preacher talked too much. The very nature of the Gospel is action…it is not passive but active.

But then something else happened. I had an enlightening conversation with one of my parishioners named Mrs. Barbara

Mrs. Barbara set an appointment to come visit with me about a couple of questions she had about some of the things she had been thinking about, researching, and questioning. Nothing about her faith, just some pastoral guidance on a range of topics.

But at one point, the conversation shifted and she asked me how she could help me. She has a calling to serve, which I greatly thank God for moving in her life to ask such a question. It really is a moment that a pastor dreams of and is thankful for when it happens.

But she made a comment that, very similarly to the “death to life” comment will be with me forever.

When talking about ways to serve, she said: “The church really comes a live for dead people.”

The implication in our conversation with some follow up questions were that so often when tragedy strikes, the church really steps up. I can think of a couple of instances lately here in Llano specifically where this is the case.

Now, to be fair, there was no implication that this is bad. In fact, when there is tragedy, it is the church where I hope people will turn because they know they will receive love, support, and a Gospel of hope.

However, when it comes to the second half of the statement, it begs the question: how can we as a church come alive for people who are alive and walking in Christ? How can we step up for our children? How can we step up for our adults? How can we serve one another when there isn’t tragedy, but just every day life?

I don’t know about you, but I want to be a part of a church that holds on to the Gospel so much that we get just as involved and just as energized when everything is going good as we do when things are tragic.

Something to think about…

Stay Hungry for God, My Friends.
Pastor Bryan