I see two great concerns addressing the church today.  They are the issues of righteousness and relevance.  At times they would seem to be mutually exclusive.  For people who live on life's edge, this tension is a very necessary one.  It prevents life from losing its color and zest.  It causes us to remain salt that has not lost its savor.

Jesus has called us to live in this world distinctly different from it.  That always is a much greater difference than what you look like on the outside.  There are people who look very much acceptable by external standards who have little and many times no idea of what true godliness is all about.  This internal difference is the concern of the Bible.  This as well must be our paramount concern.

In a day infamous for it's scandalous revelations regarding the double life of those in high profile, we are in need of personal righteousness that is impeccable.  Our convention at Boston challenged teens of the Northeastern Area to ask the question in all circumstances, "What would Jesus do?".  That question has haunted me, particularly since reading Sheldon's book, "In His Steps".  Let's face it!  A profession of faith in Christ makes us suspect and we have little defense.  The louder and the stronger our assertions, the greater the suspicion.  We have looked at movies like The Last Temptation of Christ and responded to the unjust and unholy way that the secular media has treated our Savior.  Might I dare suggest that they portray the concept that they have seen lived out in the lives of his professed followers. Who has brought such disgrace?  I wonder indeed if it has been the movie makers.  Could it possibly be that the fault may lie more with us.  What impression of Christ would people draw from your life?  Would your profession alone be enough for this world to get the right picture?  God help us!  I would like my life to be such that people might see my "good works and glorify the Father in heaven."  We have this call to righteousness today.

Now here we come to some hard stuff.  In an attempt to be righteous people it can be easy to become rather reactionary and have an effect opposite to that which we desire.  We are eager to stand out against those things that make us mad.  We'll grab picket signs or take up arms all in the name of Jesus.  Why is it so difficult for us to marshal a force standing for the love of God reaching with open arms to embrace a lost and dying world.  Many Christians draw their identity in a negative fashion believing that they are Christians because of what they do not do.  I would rather become known for what I do.  This is one of the great factors in our achieving relevance in our society today. (Missionary

Story) People must be able to see our worth.  They must be able to understand in practical terms our "raison d’être".

It calls us then in this day to have a solid understanding of the biblical imperative.  We cannot afford the luxury of settling for the imposition or the legislation of "Christian" behavior upon those who make no profession.  Our job is not to get non-Christians to act like Christians.  We must understand the reason that we take the stands that we do and they must be defensible.  Here is one example.  Why do you take a stand against secular music?  I mean boil it down to the base reason.  You know the one that will make sense to all.  Not that all must agree with our reasoning but certainly, we should have an understandable rationale.  Make certain that consistency as well is included therein.  If you don't listen to certain music based on the lifestyle of the performer, then make certain that you don't watch TV when there are actors whose lifestyle you do not agree with.

Let's be consistent!  Let's be relevant! (Cat's In The Cradle).

If the church does not come to grips with these two issues they will face one of the greatest of all threats. That is the threat of being ignored out of existence.  People are able somehow to cast off old garments that have outlived their usefulness and they decay from neglect.  God's church will never be beaten but that is the church invisible.  The one that only the dawn of eternity will reveal.  Let's not become comfortable feeling that the organizational trappings of that church are just as secure.

I am attempting to speak to those this evening whom:

1.      Believe that there is an intellectual position or an achieved state of grace which provides relief from tensions in the Christian life

2.      Are perplexed because they sense a tearing in their spirits regarding differing outlooks on certain things in the Christian life.

3.      Regard compromise as something totally evil.  See the example of Daniel's proposed test in Chapter 1.

4.      See the evil in the church today and constantly bemoan the fact that things are not as they once were.  They believe that things are getting so bad in the church today.

What are the basic concepts, which you want to communicate.

1.  Tension between two extremes is often our biggest friend as it helps us to avoid the deadliness of extremes.  It helps us to remain approachable to the world that we live in.  They marveled at Jesus because he spoke as one having authority. It was such a surprise to hear someone speaking with definite reason.  Do word search for the word authority.  Explain between power and authority.

2.  Two clarion calls to the organizational church today. The call to righteousness and the call to relevance. (Looking through rose colored stain glass windows -- Hell is burning while the church is asleep.)

3.  When we talk today about the church, there is an area of confusion.  The church invisible is the body of believers universal.  There is no need to talk to these folks about some of these things.  There is the church organizationally. Every one of them has faults.  You will never find perfection in the church organizationally.  There is the church physically and locally.  This too will always have it's faults.  It is a much easier church to belong to than the .  There have been the times when it required very little explanation to distinguish between those who were serious about their Christian profession and those who were not.  Persecution and commitment were the hallmarks.  These

things are very difficult to counterfeit.

James 1:26 If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless.  27 Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. [1]

The Nature of True Faith

There seems to be a general weariness in the world toward religion.  Why might that be?

·         We love to give directions more than we have loved to give help.  An example is the story of the Good Samaritan.  People rushing by on their way to their Christian activities with no time for hurting people.  C.K. Chitty used to say to me something that I think we inadvertently say to people all the time, “Is there anything that I can say to help you?”  That is the classic line of too many churches.  I know that I tire of people who want to remain detached from my plight or someone who wants to pass me on to someone else.  It is as though we have an agenda that we want everyone else to buy into but really have no time to listen and to embrace another person’s situations and problems.  Perhaps they at times have difficulty understanding what worth there is in their involvement.

·         The gospel message is redemption & hope & deliverance.  We have for whatever reason been more prone to communicate judgment

·         No power – heap big smoke but no fire.  How often are lives changed and transformed in this place and other churches?  The Samaritans were impacted by the power of the woman’s testimony related to her encounter with God.  If they see us to be very little different than they are then why would they want to be one of us?  If they don’t like os or at least respect us then they aren’t going to look much more closely at our faith.

·         I think there are times when the church displays a “power lust” in it’s desire to see people live according to scriptural standards.

·         Perhaps we are too easily offended by people who make no profession of faith.  We react in ways that communicate that we are too good.

·         I am not sure that we seem real “happy” to many people.  I know that happiness is a bi-product rather than an end to be pursued but the concept of happiness or joy is one that is hard to ignore and certainly represents the quest of a good many people in this world.

Christian faith gives us new perspective on religion. It no longer is a ritual kind of thing, but now is seen to be a response to others that mirrors the concern of the God who is Father to humankind. Pure religion is now understood to “look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.”[2]

James highlight three distinctives or characteristics of what he calls “pure religion”.

They are related to:

·         Tethering the tongue

·         Meaningful ministry

·         Personal purity

Some Most Important Words

THE SIX MOST IMPORTANT WORDS:

“I admit I made a mistake.”

THE FIVE MOST IMPORTANT WORDS:

“You did a good job.”

THE FOUR MOST IMPORTANT WORDS:

“What is your opinion?”

THE THREE MOST IMPORTANT WORDS:

“If you please.”

THE TWO MOST IMPORTANT WORDS:

“Thank you.”

THE MOST IMPORTANT WORD:

“We.”

THE LEAST IMPORTANT WORD:

“I.”[3]

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[1]The New International Version, (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House) 1984.

[2]Richards, Lawrence O., The Teacher’s Commentary, (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books) 1987.

[3]Tan, Paul Lee, Encyclopedia of 7,700 Illustrations, (Garland, Texas: Bible Communications, Inc.) 1996.