Shifts 3 - Politeness to Honesty

I am the world's worst about avoiding conflict!  I either clam up, or I just ignore the situation.  It is a character flaw I am not proud of, but at least awareness allows me to work on it with intentionality.  But I (and the Church) must press forward to seek truth instead of "fluff" in our relationships, our faith-walk and our culture.  We are to "speak truth in love, growing to become the mature body of Him who is the head, that is Christ (Ephesians 4:15)."  Paul understood that the Church is to grow to maturity if it was to become the life and world-changing entity Jesus sent out.

I remember a story of a town in which the Town Hall caught fire one evening.  The people stood around watching it burn until a family in an old, beat-up truck drove into the middle of the fire, got out, beat out the fire and saved Town Hall.  The Mayor ran out, made a speech congratulating the family, and giving the mad $50 as a reward.  He asked the old man, "What will you do with the money?"  The man said, "First thing I'm gonna do is fix the brakes on that truck!"

We are confused.  We think we see things clearly, but we miss what is really going on.  We are into the "fluff" of living.  Football shows highlight the design of the uniforms worn by the teams.  We are caught in the non-reality of reality shows.  We affirm everybody and get upset when someone says, "Wait a minute ... that is wrong!"  The truth-bringers that say, "Town Hall is on fire and someone needs to put out the fire!" are targeted as "storm-crows" and "alarmists."

Jeremiah was truthful about the state of Judah and Jerusalem.  Jeremiah said that the people had become followers of Baal, even to the point of sacrificing their children.  He was called an alarmist and a "purveyor of doom!"  He was ignored, and even had death threats.  In 587BC Babylon destroyed Solomon's Temple and took Judah's brightest and best off into exile.

Jesus came with a message of truth and salvation.  He called-out the Scribes and Pharisees for their falseness and apostasy.  You know the story ... He was crucified.

There are (at least) two points here.  The first point is the truth about what happens with truth-tellers.  We bring the truth in love, but the response is anything but loving.  A group of women who don't want to compete with biological men in women's sports are called, by some, bigots.  I call them truth-tellers.  A group of congregations that place the authority of Scripture above cultural norms are called "dinosaurs."  I call them Bible believers.  Both groups will be persecuted.

The second point is more hopeful.  In Matthew 16 Jesus says that those who become His Church (His followers who believe He is "the Christ, the Son of the Living God") will not be overcome, even by the very gates of hell.

Town Hall is on fire.  I don't think an old man and his family in a beat-up pickup truck is coming to put the fire out.  But we are here.  To tell the freeing truth of the Gospel.  To leave our politeness and say what Paul said.  We are sinners, we need salvation, we need Jesus crucified, risen and forgiving our sins.  We need an intentional and everlasting God ... not an accidental hero.  As I said in my message last week ... normal isn't coming back ... but Jesus is!  That's the truth! Randy