Sermon Date: August 7, 2005
Did you know that only 40 percent of
Americans can name more than four of the Ten Commandments, and a scant half can cite any
of the four authors of the Gospels.
Twelve percent believe Joan of Arc was Noah’s wife. Three quarters of Americans believe the Bible
teaches that “God helps those who help themselves.” However, it isn’t in
the Bible. Ben Franklin said it. The thing is, not only is Franklin’s wisdom
not biblical; it’s counter-biblical. Nothing
could be farther from the truth. Jesus talks a
lot about helping and loving your neighbor, not about helping only those in position to
help themselves. (Harper Magazine, July 27,
2005: How a Faithful Nation Gets Jesus Wrong.
By Ben McKibben.)
So I guess knowing this it is not surprising that we misunderstand the definition
of the word evangelical too.
I don’t know about you, but occasionally I’m asked if I am an
evangelical. I could easily answer yes but
today I feel the need to ask one important question. “What
does evangelical mean to you?” You see,
in today’s world, the word evangelical means something different than it meant in
Jesus’ day or the days of the disciples.
So I want to say this as clearly as possible – being an evangelical simply
means spreading the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
It meant nothing more. In Romans 10:13,
Paul reminds us that Joel said in chapter 2 – “How beautiful are the feet of
those who bring good news.” There it is,
plain and simple. Bringing good news to those
who need to hear it is the definition of being evangelical.
Today however it comes with other baggage. Being
evangelical in some corners is known as being politically conservative. Well, the word conservative is in “raw”
form means you don’t like change. Liberal
means being open to change.
But being conservative has nothing to do with being evangelical. My friend Stephanie Allen likens being
evangelical to seeing a movie and thinking about who you will tell about it on your way
out of the theatre. It is inside you
dying to get out. You cannot wait to tell
someone about about it. That is being an
evangelical. If you cannot share the good news
about Jesus Christ, you will explode.
It doesn’t mean that you are pro-life or support prayer in school anymore than
not being evangelical means that you are against the death penalty, favor gun control or
oppose school voucher programs. None of that
has anything to do with being evangelical. It
simply has to do with your desire to share the good news.
You may wonder just what the good news actually is.
You will find a number of Jesus’ quotes in the Gospels but I would say that
Paul said it best in Romans 8:38-39, which most of you know is what I believe is the basic
good news in the entirety of Scripture. “For
I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present,
nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation,
will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Now that is good news. No strings
attached. Just God loves you through Jesus. And that is good news that needs to be shared with
a world that is hurting, hungry and thirsty for good news.
And believe me, there are plenty of hurting, hungry, thirsty people out there.
The second week of my vacation was spent in Scottsburg helping my parents move from
their larger home outside of town into a smaller home in Scottsburg. The move was not planned for that particular week
but the couple wanting the house had 15 days to get out of their home so we were moving
fast and called in the reinforcements – my children.
My son Gregg came to town on his motorcycle, stopped at a light and took off his
helmet at the main intersection. There he saw
people, on every corner, holding signs that said, “God hates faggots.” As Gregg sat waiting for the light to change, one
turned to him and said, “Hey fag, you with the earrings, God hates you.”
Now Gregg has told me that a faggot (in old English language around 1300) was
actually a bundle of sticks and used to be burned, like a bundle of sticks. Heretics were burned at the stakes by using these
“faggots.” Somehow the term showed
up in the U.S. about 1914 calling gay men “faggots.” No matter how you cut it, it is meant to be
offensive, like the N-word of another time and place.
These people get permits that allow them to stand on street corners, one of hard
things about freedom of speech, and spout off that God hates people. We cannot be certain exactly what they mean because
there was no dialogue involved here. But hear
me: this is not being evangelical and most
people that consider themselves deeply evangelical wouldn’t do this. This is being hateful. God doesn’t hate anyone – gay or
straight, earrings or no earrings, motorcycle or car.
If they were attempting to share the good news of Jesus Christ, they failed
miserably. If they were attempting to say that
knowing and loving Jesus can change your life, no one got the message. People driving through Scottsburg would only get
the message that folks there think that God hates. People
who are already feeling unloved and unlovable. People
who woke up that morning wondering if this life had anything to offer. Then they see a sin that says God hates and they
wonder, “could God hate me too?”
And that is a sin in my book. Telling
people that God hates is unconscionable. God
is love, not hate.
I’ve been reading “If God is love” by my friends Phil Gulley and Jim
Mulholland. They would argue with those on the
street corners and say that “Salvation is not about what happens after we die, but
what begins whenever we realize God loves us.” (“If God is love,” p. 10). Telling people they are hated is unchristian. Telling people they are hated robs them of hope.
Being hateful is not evangelical. Being
hateful does not entice someone to share the story of his life while seeking hope.
We discovered about three years ago that as a church we hold tightly to the belief
that “God is love.” We just need to
figure out how to share it with others.
Many of you have said you don’t know anyone that doesn’t go to church but
if you think about it, you do. You may not
know them well. You may not even know their
names. They wait on you at restaurants. They do your hair.
Change your oil. Live next door to you. Play with your children and grandchildren. Go to club meetings with you. Check your weight and blood pressure at the doctor. You know them.
Remember that George Barna says there are 95-100 million people out there
unchurched and that one-third of them do not even know anyone that goes to church.
I am not suggesting that your gift is to go door to door or even look these folks
in the eye and ask, “Do you know Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior?” I am suggesting that we do as Father Tim does in
Jan Karon’s Mitford Series books when each day he asks God to make him a blessing to
someone.
You can listen to someone’s problems and tell them that you will be praying
for them. You can ask if they have a church
and invite them to come with you if they don’t. At
LUM last Thursday I was working with a woman facing uncertainty in her housing situation. She mentioned that she prayed and read her bible,
so I asked if she had a church. Yes, she did
but she wasn’t going. I mentioned that
fellowship could be good for her and she thanked me for encouraging her. “I needed that!” she said. And all I did was ask her if she had a church. By the way, she has no idea that I am a pastor.
You can be open to new friendships. If
someone asks you how you handle life’s problems, you can talk about your faith. When we have a special event here, invite your
neighbor. We are beginning “Come
Thirsty” small groups in September, so maybe you have a friend who would benefit from
joining you in a group. There are ways for
each of us to find our niche in being evangelical without being political or coming across
as heavy-handed.
However I am tempted to find out when those folks get their next permit in
Scottsburg and make signs of my own saying – “God even loves these people
holding up these hateful signs.” A little
long, but true.
You may still be uncomfortable to say you are an evangelical. You don’t share the beliefs of those you
understand to be evangelical or maybe you are afraid because you don’t feel worthy. So let me share with you a poem by Maya Angelou
called “Christians.”
Christians - By
Maya Angelou
When I say... "I am a Christian"
I'm not shouting "I'm clean livin'."
I'm whispering "I was lost,
Now I'm found and forgiven."
When I say... "I am a Christian"
I don't speak of this with pride.
I'm confessing that I stumble
and need Christ to be my guide.
When I say... "I am a Christian"
I'm not trying to be strong.
I'm professing that I'm weak
And need His strength to carry on.
When I say... "I am a Christian"
I'm not bragging of success.
I'm admitting I have failed
And need God to clean my mess.
When I say... "I am a Christian"
I'm not claiming to be perfect,
My flaws are far too visible
But, God believes I am worth it.
When I say... "I am a Christian"
I still feel the sting of pain.
I have my share of heartaches
So I call upon His name.
When I say... "I am a Christian"
I'm not holier than thou,
I'm just a simple sinner
Who received God's good grace, somehow.
I hope the words Christian and evangelical go together in your life. I pray that the story of a resurrected Christ is
bursting on your lips and that you will be asking to be made ready for the new friend God
wants to bring into your life. You have a
story to share, your story, God’s story. A
story of hope and God’s abundant grace. Pass
it on.