Us or Them?

While sitting in my Sunday school class yesterday, the class was presented with some troubling statistics that spoke of the church's failure to reach their world for Christ. Among the discussion points that sparked a spirited debate was in considering if the given statistics were an accurate assessment of today's Christian or if it was skewed due to the fact that the world carries a presupposition of postmodern thinking? Us or Them? It's an interesting question to tackle and like yesterday's class, an argument can be made for both. The real question, however, was not explored. What the church should be asking is "What has changed?" Culture has always been in a state of change and inherit to the world is a hatred for the church. Since the fall of man, those in the world have always opposed God. The church, on the other hand, has had its moments of significant impact upon the world. Even in America, we have experienced Great Awakenings and extended revivals that have significantly affected our nation. Although the world is opposed to the church, there was once a time in our nation when the world actually had respect for the church. Things are much different today. Yes, there is the truth that in the last days the world will increase in wickedness; however, the world has always been practicing wickedness in the eyes of the Lord. So what has changed?

An honest answer to the question is simple: the church, like culture, has changed with the trends and fads of life. The church has become more like the world than the world like the church. This is the source of the problem. Why does the world consider the church to be "hypocritical, judgmental, and anti-everything?" Because the church is behaving like the world. We've promoted it in our churches by developing church growth businesses, seeker sensitive theology, and emergent heresy---and we call it "the church!" Although we have a difficult time finding a strong Biblical argument for finding ways to make the church "attractive" for the world, we label it as a form of creative evangelism in which we are trying to become "all things to all men." The end result is many converts but few disciples!
We cannot be Jesus to the world when for the most part, the church has no clue of who He is. Sure, we know about Him, but do we really KNOW Him?

This brings me to my point. True Christians have always been hated by the world and that's the way it should be. They should not be able to relate to our belief system, worship, or our culture within the four walls of the church. This however, does not excuse us from the one part of us that can relate to the world----Jesus Christ. After all, He is the Creator of this world. The issue is one of worship. The more we truly worship, the more we capture the heart of God. The result of worship should be Christ-likeness and their lies the problem. The reason the world sees us the way they do is because they cannot see Jesus through our lives. Gandhi said it best when he said something like "Your Jesus I like, it's His followers that I don't." Our methods, our debates, and even our relational attempts with unbelievers will not work---unless the life of Christ is radiating through our lives. The best thing that the American church can do for reaching this world is to come back to the heart of worship. Make the Christian life about Christ once again. If you're still unsure that worship is the key in reaching the lost, think about the 120 disciples in the upper room seeking the face of God. They were hated by the world, but they went forth in the power and presence of Christ winning people to Jesus.