:: ::..::Living in the Ghetto::..:: ::
Wendell United Presbyterian Church // October 19th, 2004
::Introduction::
· Play clip from The Matrix
· Joke (necessary) :: Gold phone (CA: $100, UT: $50, ID: $0.25, b/c it’s a local call)
· Plane story
o You just need to realize that you’re God, God is you.
o My response? “I don’t want to be God. I know that I’m a pretty screwed up person. And this world is a pretty screwed up place. And you don’t want me to be God – but I’m gonna mess things up.”
· We know that this world is messed up – something happened. We see this in the evil of this world, the injustice, the wars, famines, children abandoned
· Many of us just sort of have this feeling, like Neo did in the clip, that there is something inherently wrong with the system. Something is not right.
::Our Response::
· So what is our response to the world then…???
o And when I say world, I am meaning culture, society, secular…not like, the earth…
· We become fearful of it.
· What is our natural response when we encounter something we fear? [Back home, afraid of dark…turn off light & run]
· Hide. [I don’t like conflict] We don’t want to deal with it. We don’t know how to deal with it, and so we run…and we hide.
::What Have We Created::
· By doing this, I want to suggest that we’ve done something that is unbiblical – we’ve created something that is unbiblical.
· We’ve created a Christian subculture
· What do I mean by that? Does anyone know?
· We have decided that the world is an evil place – filled with things Christians do not to be exposed to – and so we’ve attempted to create a safe-alternative for ourselves, for our children so they wouldn’t have to be “exposed to the things of the world”
· Disclaimer: I’m not saying that all of these things are bad. Some obviously have very good results, some have done some very great things – I am just trying to help you see how we’ve created Christian alternatives for just about everything in the world.
· Christian:
o schools (I went to one – but here it is a question of motivation – b/c a better education? wanting a Christian foundation? Or because the parents are fearful of the ‘evils of the world…’)
o bookstores
o toys
o food-products
o clothes
o books
o music
o movies (not going to comment)
o businesses
o health clubs
o diets
o magazines (World)
o Christian music for aerobics:
§ Christian music gives you the motivation and inspiration you need for your walking, power walking or aerobics workouts. Unlike any other music, these tapes give you a non-stop energizing beat that keeps you moving at the proper pace. All you do is follow the beat and enjoy the music. The upbeat arrangements keep your feet moving and you're spirits soaring.
§ Upbeat and inspirational hymns at the perfect fitness walking pace.
o I hope you’re able to see a bit of the humor in some of these things that our Christian subculture has created!
::The Ghetto::
· In a sense, what we have done, is created a Christian ghetto.
· The Pianist: the pianist, main character, Spielman, had to go live with his family in the Jewish Ghetto. All of the Jewish people had to go live there. There is a huge wall built all around the ghetto, with barbed wire to keep them from getting out.
· However, I find it pretty ironic that we, as Christians, have built our own Christian ghetto and moved in and many Christians are living happily in our Christian ghetto. We’ve even put barbed wire on the top of the wall to keep anything “secular” from getting in. And there we are…in our Christian ghettos…
· Jesus said in the Sermon the Mount: “You are the salt of the earth…you are the light of the world…”
· We ARE the light of the world – we have great, amazing news about a new life, a fulfilling life that Jesus offers us --- but what happens when we simply live in the ghetto?
· We end up simply comparing our lights’ brightness to other Christian’s lights – and what SHOULD be happening is we should be going to where there is darkness so our light can be seen! And shared! And experienced!
::What’s Wrong?::
· Some of you may be asking yourselves right now, “Well, what’s wrong with that?” And for good reason.
· Let me share with you a few verses (some of which some of you may have already been thinking of):
o 1 John 2.15-16: Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For everything in the world--the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does--comes not from the Father but from the world.
o James 4.4: You adulterous people, don't you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God.
o James 1.27: 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.
· Well, from the sounds of those verses, it doesn’t sound like I have a very good case to make here.
· Except that, there are other verses, one in particular that you may be very familiar with, that seem to contradict those earlier verses:
o John 3.16: “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
o John 17.15: My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one.
o Mark 16.15: “Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation.”
· God seems to be a bit schizophrenic here…not too sure what he means here…first he’s saying that he loves the world…then he tells us not to love the world…next he tell us to go into the world, then he says that we shouldn’t be a friend to the world…but then he says that he doesn’t want to take us out of the world
::Language/’World‘::
· Many of you may already know where I’m going with this. Some of the problem here is language. And I am sure I would be able to offer even more here if I actually knew Greek and could tell you more about these words.
· Dick Staub’s Too Christian, Too Pagan :: he addresses this issue.
· READ SEGMENT
· So, the issue of understanding what meaning is meant, is important. For example, we wouldn’t think that John meant to use the meaning of “the fallen race and systems at war with God” when he wrote “For God so loved the world…” – JUST LIKE – we wouldn’t expect, again, John to be thinking of the definition of “the universe and created order” – God’s creation, when he says that we are NOT to love the world
· So, we have to understand that there are some language issues here
::What Do We Lose?::
· So, out of fear, we separate ourselves – and there is a sense in which we NEED to separate ourselves – the definition of “holy” is set apart – and we have to do that to some extent…but by utterly and completely separating ourselves from the world – what do we lose?
· Well, when we become so utterly opposed to the things of the world – we will lose “hooks” – things that we can use to start conversations with people about our faith – analogies we can use
· Levi’s Ad: Levi’s put out an add in New Zealand for their new re-cut original jeans. Woman goes out into the water, surrounded by men, wraps a piece of denim around her, gets dunked, and emerges with her jeans and the tagline “Born Again.”
o Christians protested and the ad was banned.
o A pastor from Graceway Baptist Church in New Zealand, writes the following: Today people have so few hooks to hang Christianity on, and we have so few hooks to start a conversation. I frequent my local café. It’s one of my spiritual disciplines. Not just drinking the coffee. But going to the same local café. It means I build up a relationship. So earlier this year, after I’ve been going a year, they finally pop the question – what do you do for a job. Always a great conversation killer when you’re a minister. You’re a what ... long, embarrassed pause in conversation A church minister. OH .
Anyhow, my local café owner looks at me and say “oh do you believe in re-birthing”. He was sent to a Baptist Sunday School and somewhere in the recesses of his mind he is trying to connect God, baptism and water. And the only language he’s now got is re-birthing. Eventually we establish he’s talking about baptism.
And this is my point. At least when the Levi jeans ad was on, at least when that woman is emerging dripping wet and “born again,” I’ve got some hook to connect Christianity to local café owner. Bring back the Levis ad I say. Then at least when I baptize some unchurched friends in a few weeks, and when they bring their unchurched friends along to watch, I can haul out the Levis ad, and say, see that hook, well let me tell you the full story.
· How many of you knew what movie the clip I played was from – let’s just see a show of hands.
· The Matrix, which is a trilogy – is one of the best movies we have today to use as a hook to get people talking about spiritual things, about Christianity. Another great example is The Lord of the Rings trilogy.
· Not just movies here :: Insert – given you movies, books, websites – but music, books, spending time with non-Christians – we can’t separate ourselves so much that we are going to lose all possible hooks from the Christian faith
::The Question Remains::
· We still have to think about this question. What is the proper way for a Christian to relate to, interact with, the world?
· I don’t think it is biblical to create a Christian subculture, to build ghettos to live in, to hide from anything we might think is “not-Christian” or “secular.”
· But I also don’t think we can just blindly accept anything as good and not be discerning at all about what we do, watch, say, etc.
· I definitely didn’t come here today to give you an answer – but to spark an interest – to stir you a little bit – encourage you to think about this issue
::Go Into the World::
· Dick Staub writes to find a middle ground between these two different options in his book
· We are very good at looking at God as our savior – our redeemer…but we have to remember God is CREATOR
· God created everything – all things – therefore, since he created all – his fingerprint can be found in all things
· It’s our job as Christians to be discerning where God’s fingerprints are – sometimes it may be harder to find, but in ALL THINGS – no matter how bad we may initially think they are – we can find some good in them – God’s fingerprint
· Dick believes we have to follow Jesus’ command to go into the world – & look for God(!) full steam ahead. We have to:
o listen to the music & look for God
o watch the movies & look for God
o go where the non-Christians are & look for God
o go to the parties & look for God!(disclaimer) // Interestingly enough – Jesus went to parties – and people thought he was drunk!
o Luke 7.34: The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and you say, 'Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and "sinners." This alone tell us that Jesus just didn’t go to these parties and sit in the corner…for someone to think he was a drunk…of course he was spending time with these people, loving them and having fun!
· And we go to these places because this is where Jesus would be
· This doesn’t mean that we are rejecting our faith or our beliefs, but sometimes we may to have prioritize things here. Is it more important to be right? To make sure someone knows they are doing something wrong…or is it more important to love someone….? I hope that we would ALWAYS error on the side of love.
::Too Christian, Too Pagan::
· Now, this is where his idea of being “Too Christian and Too Pagan” comes in. He means that if we really follow Christ, and go where Christ would go, and do what Christ would do --- we’re probably going to seem too pagan when we’re around our Christian friends. They won’t understand how we can possibly be doing these things…
· However, because we are taking Christ’s love to people, and we’re not afraid to talk about spiritual things with them – we may end up seeming too Christian for our non-Christian friends.
· Again, a language issue – I hope I don’t come off as “too-Christian” to my non-Christian friends. Maybe more like….real, authentic, safe, honest, accepting…but not too-Christian….
::Bring it Home::
· Okay, so I think I already know the question that many of you are thinking right now. What in the heck is Adam talking about?
· Is he forgetting James and that being a friend of the world means you are being an enemy of God?
· What about Romans 12, “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind…”??