Uh, If You Don't Believe in Female Preachers...Look Away

Well hi there.  It's been a while.  I could go into this long drawn out story about where I've been and what I've been doing, but I think I'll leave that for some other time.  Suffice it to say, I stopped blogging because I didn't think I had anything to talk about that was worth anything.  

That's about to change. 

I had forgotten the reason I started this blog.  It wasn't supposed to be about me, it was supposed to be about Jesus Christ and my day to day efforts to walk where He walked and do what He did.

But I got caught up in trying to be "relevant" and "witty."  Which brings me to the point of today's post.

Today I was reading a bio about someone who works for a major Christian song writing machine/company.  In the bio, the person is saying that their vision is to see the church embrace culture and become a leader in creating. 

To be honest, at first I was like, "Yeah, cool."  But the phrase, "embrace culture" was bothering me.  I wondered, "Embrace whose culture? America's? God's? Dairy Queen's?"  As I pondered this, other questions began to arise.  Why would The Church need to embrace culture?  Aren't we to be the "Called Out Ones?"  Aren't we supposed to be separate?  Why would anyone think that we need to embrace culture unless we think that The Church is no longer relevant?

Point taken.  Unfortunately, a lot of churches have become little more than social clubs these days.  We all know this and what's worse, the world knows it.  From top to bottom, many of us have become so lukewarm that we have rendered ourselves and by extension Christ, as useless and of no effect on the people around us.  Brothers and sisters this is truly a huge concern and blight on The Church, but we can't fix the problem by embracing culture.  Embracing culture is what has gotten us into trouble in the first place.

If we want to be effective, we must first in our own lives yield wholly to Christ and Him alone.  We must passionately pursue and develop a relationship with Him.  If we "seek first the Kingdom of God" doesn't the Bible say that everything else will fall into place?

In I Corinthians, Paul warns of the dangers of trying to win others to Christ with "clever words" and "fleshly wisdom."  In 1 Corinthians 1:17 he says, "For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not in cleverness of speech, that the cross of Christ should not be made void."NASB

It is utter foolishness for Christians to try to convince the lost that Christ is who He says He is with our "relevance."  In fact, Paul states that doing so actually makes what Christ did on the cross void.  What we need to do as The Church is embrace the cross not culture.  We need to make ourselves available to be used of Christ through radical obedience and submission to Him in all things.  When we do that, the natural overflow of that process is that Christ then becomes raised up in us, at which point He and He alone will draw all men to Himself.  The world is dying and in need of a Saviour, not a song and dance or the "7 Keys to Prosperity" manual.  We hold the gateway to eternal life hostage by our desire for man's approval and our fear of being mocked as outdated or foolish.  Friend, the Bible says that the foolishness of God is wiser than the wisdom of men.  We must return to Him if we are to be of any use, of any "relevance" to this world. 

Oh God, in my own life, forgive me for relying on my own wisdom when talking to others about You.  I repent and ask you to tear down anything in me that is not of You.  Father be merciful to us and send Godly conviction and repentance to Your people.  Show us how to love You the way You want to be loved.  In Jesus' name Amen.

Thank you for reading.  I hope that this post stirs your heart and prompts you to think of Christ and His desire to be our all.