Impact 2: "Radically Different" 09.21.08

Can holiness make an impact in our community?

Wouldn’t marketing a cool image or offering tons of exciting programs or preaching positive thinking make more of an impact? Holiness is not a very popular attribute in our day-in-age is it? Often when people in our culture think of holiness they usually picture such divergent things as incense, candles and church buildings, maybe puritans in stark churches, or monks or hermits or perhaps some mystical/spiritual place. Or, if they don’t think of things, they think of a ‘holier than thou’ attitude or legalism. Holiness to them seems incoherent and inaccessible at best and oppressive at worst. What about us? What do we think of holiness? Often don’t we think of it as some unattainable goal; something we need to be but we find impossible to pull off; something for super-Christians (who are way more spiritual than we are); or something that will define us in heaven, but not here on earth?

What is holiness? To be holy is to be set apart to God and therefore to be characterized by God. Holiness then, in the context of a fallen world – a world corrupted by sin - could be described as being radically different. And we learn about holiness and the impact it can make in our passage for today: 1 Peter 2:9-12.

I want us to look at this passage backwards, because that will allow us to look at the impact we are to have first and then discover how we are to make that impact.

That they may see your good deeds and glorify God

Live such good live among unbelievers

abstain from sinful passions

as sojourners and exiles in the world

Beloved

So, what is the impact? We find it in v.12: “that they may see you good deeds and glorify God on the day He visits us.” In our context, “they” are the unbelievers all around us – people we know and like; people we work with and live by. It is those people whom we want to see our good deeds (i.e. our Christian faith lived out genuinely, humbly and fervently) so that they might glorify God by believing and trusting in Jesus as their Lord and Savior. Could our impact be to so glorify God through our lives that others come to glorify Him as well?

I believe so. For what precedes this impact? Peter instructs us to live good lives. Now, this is not living the “good life” (the American dream), but rather living lives that make a difference; lives that make an impact. And what sort of lives make an impact? Lives that have been impacted by Jesus; lives that take His teaching and example seriously. In his book, The Living Church, John Stott describes this kind of life as one characterized by Jesus’ teaching in the Sermon on the Mount: a life of greater righteousness, wider love and nobler ambition.

And if we are to live such good lives – lives characterized by Christ – we must let go of certain things. The apostle Paul says it this way: “You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness” (Ephesians 4:22-24). We must take off what we were apart from Christ so that we can put on Christ. That involves abstaining from sinful desires. If you have remodeled a house, you know that destruction precedes construction. There is stuff to get rid of (clutter to remove, carpets to pull up, walls to knock down). The same is true in us. Before we can be rebuilt, things have to get torn down and removed. And to do that we must fight against the sinful desires which war against our souls. And that is not easy. That is why Peter refers to it as a war. Sin comes naturally to us. We’re all really good at it. Pride, selfishness, conceit, anger, hatred, jealousy etc. all come naturally and easily to us, but we must fight against those things. We must abstain (hold back, keep ourselves from) those sinful desires. And we must do that constantly. “The price of liberty is eternal vigilance,” wrote Thomas Jefferson. That is true of us. Sinful desires war against our soul and we must battle against them continuously.

But how do we do that in a world that preys upon our sinful passions; that encourages them; advertises to them; celebrates them? How do we do that in our Las Vegas culture? We must live as “aliens and strangers” or as it is also translated, “sojourners and exiles”. To sojourn is to stay someplace temporarily; to be a temporary resident. To be an exile is to be separated from one’s native land. When we live as sojourners and exiles, we recognize that this broken world is not our home and the way of this broken world is not our way. This world does not define us because we were meant to live for more. We are in it, but not of it. We live in the midst of it, but it is not our life. How do we abstain from sinful passions and live good lives in the midst of our Las Vegas culture? We change our loyalties and alter our priorities. We strive for something greater, higher, wider and nobler. Or as the writer of Hebrews says, we “fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith.” When surrounded and accosted and tempted by the glitz and glamour, the propaganda and propositions, the easy money and cheap thrills of our Vegas culture, we must train our eyes to see through it (to see it for what it is: empty, base, fleeting); to see beyond it (to what is good, true and beautiful); and to see Christ (to look to and through Christ).

But what makes us want to live as sojourners and exiles in this world? Most people don’t generally choose exile or a life of sojourning. What would cause us to want that? The answer is found in one word: “Beloved”. We are God’s Beloved. And that makes all the difference. It makes all the difference because as Paul says, “Christ's love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again” (2 Cor 5:14-15). People will do almost anything for human love, how much more the perfect love of God? And so, because we are loved we are willing and able to live no longer for ourselves but for the One who loves us; who died and rose again for us.

To be ‘beloved’ is to belong to the Father by being in the Son, Jesus Christ, and being filled with the Holy Spirit. To belong to the Father is to be reconciled. To be in Christ is to be redeemed. To be filled with the Holy Spirit is to be made holy. And so, to be ‘beloved’ is to be set apart and made right, or in other words, to be holy. As God’s beloved, we are made holy and as those who are made holy, we are beloved. As we read in vv.9-10, to be holy and beloved means we have received mercy; we are God’s people; we are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation; a people belonging to God. And notice that even in that description we are pointed toward the impact we are to have. We read at the end of v. 9: “(so) that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.”

How do we make an impact that causes unbelievers to come to Christ and glorify God? By living good lives in front of them and abstaining from sinful passions as those who choose to live as sojourners and exiles because they are the beloved of God (declared and being made holy). Or in other words, by living radically different lives out of our love for God.

But does that really work? Does living radically different lives (holy lives) make a difference? Yes.

For one reason, if we are no different from the world, what do we have to offer it? Why would people want more of the same? Without holiness (radical distinctiveness) that comes from belonging to God, all we have to offer is gimmicks and games. And our world doesn’t need any more gimmicks. It doesn’t need any more propaganda or platitudes. It needs integrity, confidence, strength and love. And so, holiness is compelling because love is compelling. Our good deeds, our lives of love cause people to glorify God. And holiness is compelling because integrity is compelling. When we live good lives; when our conduct is honorable and Christlike, people take notice. Personal strength is compelling because in a world of license, of indecisiveness and lack of commitment; a culture with the mantra of “if it feels good, do it” personal strength and self-control are rare and therefore striking. And confidence is compelling. Knowing who we are and being confident and comfortable in our identity as sojourners and exiles is somewhat refreshing in a world of identity confusion and identity fraud; of living vicariously and of people constantly trying to find themselves.

A second reason that holiness makes an impact is because holiness is a reflection of God. And when people see God, they are never the same. When people see a reflection of God’s character in us, they are astounded by it and attracted to it.

A third reason that holiness makes an impact is because holiness is personal. Holiness cannot be advertised or marketed or printed on a church letter-board sign, or glued to a billboard or made into a movie; it cannot be communicated through a bumper sticker, a t-shirt, a tract or any other impersonal means. Holiness makes an impact because the only way to see it is personally – we see it in the another person’s life; we see it lived out. You can ignore church letter-board signs. You can throw out a flyer. But it is difficult to ignore someone’s life. When Mother Theresa spoke at the National Prayer Breakfast in 1994 (in front of the President and other leaders) what made her compelling was not what she looked like (a small, Albanian woman dressed as a nun), not her performance (she read from a paper held close to her face), but the truth of her words backed up by the holiness of her life. You could ignore her appearance and performance, but you could not ignore her life. Holiness makes an impact because it allows the truth of our words to be backed up by the love and integrity of our lives.

Impact 1: "A Living Church" 09.14.08

Salt and light are two things that make a tremendous impact, but often in subtle ways. Salt brings out flavor in food. It preserves food. And it has antiseptic qualities that help the body heal. Light obviously allows a person to see. Light brings color. Light brings life. It’s no wonder then that Jesus used these two things as metaphors for what His People should be: “You are the salt of the earth. You are the light of the world.”

But are we living as salt and light? Are we having a positive impact in our community, our culture, our world? Does our presence make a difference in this neighborhood? If SRC were not here would it make any difference (other than freeing up some tax-exempt land for development)?

The past two years we have heard a lot of messages about what we believe, who we are and what we are called to do as the Church. Will we allow what we have heard and learned to compel us to think differently, act differently, operate differently so as to make an impact in our surrounding world? The messages in this series are a call to do just that.

And so the call today comes from Acts 2:42-47.

We are called to be a Living Church. And as John Stott suggests in his book by that title, to be a Living Church …

We must be a LEARNING CHURCH. We read in v. 42, “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching…” The first Christians were devoted – they were persistent, committed, loyal - they gave their time and attention to learning how to follow Jesus. They knew their faith had content. There was a message, a teaching that was essential for them to understand and cling to and follow. We too must devote ourselves Scripture - not simply a respect or an appreciation for Scripture - we must devote ourselves to studying, learning and living Scripture. And that takes personal responsibility. Often Christians talk about “being fed” and the pastor is the one who is supposed to “feed the flock”. But as John Stott perceptively asks, “How do shepherds feed their sheep? The answer is that they don’t. To be sure if a newborn lamb is sick, the shepherd will doubtless take it up in his arms and bottle-feed it. But normally shepherds do not feed their sheep; they lead them to good, green pasture where the sheep feed themselves” (The Living Church, 103). So if we are to be a learning church, we must be committed not simply to listening to sermons, but to actively and personally feeding on God’s Word. When led to the green pastures of God’s Word, we must start chewing. Sheep that lie around waiting for the shepherd to stuff grass in their mouths would be pretty sickly sheep. If we are to be a living church that makes an impact in our community, we must be a learning church. And here’s a little secret: the more you are feeding on God’s Word, the more natural it is to make an impact.

We must be a LOVING CHURCH. We read that the believers also devoted themselves to “fellowship.” Their fellowship was a common life. The Greek word, koinonia means “common” and is also at the root of the word “generosity”. We read, “All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need.” This was not communism, but rather simple generosity. It was love for each other. Jesus gave His followers the command to love one another. It was how people would know they were his disciples. And so here we see it lived out. And that was huge. Just as the message that the apostles proclaimed was backed up by signs and wonders. So it was also backed up by love. And that was an incredible witness to a watching world. It still is. People can tell us we’re crazy for believing in God and deluded for believing the Gospel, but it’s hard to argue with love. It’s hard to dismiss human beings showing love for one another – and showing love for them. Love is convincing. Love is essential for our impact. Love is the impact we are to have. The thing we often miss as evangelicals is the fact that our methods have to match our message. We focus on the message, but the message is love and therefore must be accompanied by love. If we do not love one another, why would anyone want to be a part of us? If we do not love the broken people around us, why would they ever listen to anything we have to say? The Living Church is a loving church.

Additionally, we must be a WORSHIPPING CHURCH. We read, “Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God…” The early Church wasn’t fractured by worship as we often are. They worshiped formally (in the temple courts) and informally (in their homes). They worshiped joyfully and reverently (with glad and sincere hearts). What mattered was not where or how they worshiped, but that they worshiped. Often Christians focus on where and how we worship, rather than actually worshipping. And often our worship is corrupted by self-interest. We are often guilty of what Jesus warned against in Matthew 6.7: babbling (“when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words.”) The word in the Greek is an onomatopoeia (it sounds like what it is). It is battalogia (babble, stammer, repeat meaninglessly). John Stott defines it as, “any speech in which the mouth is engaged but the mind is not.” Jesus speaks of this as He quotes the prophet Isaiah, “These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me." Is our worship just babble? Do our lips move while our minds and hearts are disengaged? May we not be guilty of that. May we worship with joy and sincerity - all that we are praising God for all that He is. Because that kind of worship makes an impact.

And finally, we must be an EVANGELIZING CHURCH. We read in our passage, “And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.” We need to be doing all of the above (learning, teaching, loving, caring and worshipping) with a view toward others. We need to honestly look at ourselves and ask: Are we a church in which people who don’t know the Lord very well can learn about Him? Are we a church in which people are genuinely cared for? Are we a church in which people can find and experience God?
Here’s a test: Think of a friend, neighbor or colleague (someone you know and have a relationship with) who is not a believer. Would you feel comfortable – even excited - inviting them to attend our church? If not, we have a major problem.
Is our church accessible to the people of our community? I’m not suggesting that we water down our message and strip away all the core elements of worship, but I am asking do we do ‘our thing’ with a view toward our non-believing community? And the question is not only are we accessible? But are we inviting? Are we simply a “waiting church” that sits around waiting for non-Christians, for some reason, to darken the doors of our church? Or are we a “going church” – one that seeks the lost and invites them to know Jesus and worship Him with us? If we are to be a Living Church, and have a future, we must be a “going church”.
- We must understand who we are and what we believe.
- We must also organize ourself in such a way as to reflect our understanding of our self. If we know that we are to be salt and light in the world, do we organize ourself – our worship, our ministries, our money, our time and effort so as to actually be salt and light in the world?
- The living Church must also express itself. We have to articulate our message. We must speak to people. And we must speak to people where they are at (not where they should be or we wish they were). We must share the Good News not ‘the way we’ve always done it, but in a way that is understandable to other people. We cannot simply broadcast the Gospel; we must articulate it - so people can actually hear and understand it.
- And the living Church must be itself. We don’t need to apologize for who we are. We must not shy away from our identity as followers of Christ. We mustn’t water down the Gospel or conceal the radical calling of God in our lives. An embarrassed Christian is not attractive to the world. Be a Christian! Be who God made you and redeemed you to be! Not obnoxiously or abrasively, but honestly, authentically, humbly. An authentic faith, lived out honestly and humbly IS attractive. It IS compelling.

Are we making an impact in the lives of people around us? The only way we can is if we are a church that is learning, loving and living the life Jesus gives us. Brothers and sisters, we are rescued sinners, brought back to God in order to learn, love and live for Him. Pastor and writer David Hansen made the observation that perhaps the most basic principle of evangelism is that “we lead people to Christ through living simple lives of love” (The Art of Pastoring). May we do that, and in so doing, impact the people of our community, our culture and our world.