The cry for “relevance” in the Christian community today is deafening.
Consider: The cry for relevance is often louder than the cry for God’s Word or the Gospel!
Don’t misunderstand:
- I am not for Christians being irrelevant in society and culture!!
- To be irrelevant in todays society, is to have no voice.
- No voice is neither, wise or necessary.
- I DO think the Bible IS relevant!!!
- Whether a person realizes the relevance of the Bible does not determine IF the bible IS relevant.
Is their any caution to be given in the midst of the cry for relevance?
Relevant churches
Relevant evangelism
Relevant music
on and on it goes…..
Sometimes, Christians are not comfortable in their own skin…..
Paul to the Corinthians:
“For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God” (1 Cor. 1:22-24).
The gospel IS a stumbling block, it IS folly to the unbeliever.
Which means: We must be careful that our desire for relevance does not = compromise.
Ours is a day that can easily be captured up in the desire to “reach” people, at the expense of remaining faithful to the Word. And…. if we are reaching people, while NOT remaining faithful to the Word…. then what exactly are we reaching people to?
Pragmatism?
Our opinions?
Self- Authority?
Our hope is in the Word of God itself!
“And by neglecting the Scriptures, we lose track of what we are reaching people to. If it’s to a savior other than the holy, triune creator God of the Bible, or if it’s to a God other than the one in the Scriptures who died to appease God’s wrath toward sinful men, justifying completely those who repent and believe, then we’re no longer offering salvation at all, and we’re not building a ‘church.’ We might have gathered a good group of people who do good things, but it’s not the bride of Christ.” Matt Chandler
There is such a lust for relevance today. We want to be liked, accepted, thought well of in society. And it is this lust that (potentially) waters down biblical truths in the name of “reaching people”.
In the end, doesn’t it boil down to what we believe about the Bible? Is it the very Word of God??
Paul says to the Romans – I am not ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ for it is the is the power of God to salvation.
Do you believe that?
Or does God’s Word need some “props” – do you feel the need to take the “edge” off?
Or to quote Bono of U2 – “stop helping God across the road, like a little old lady….”
“The issue of sin and depravity is as old as the fall of man. Likewise the Word we live by is just as relevant today as it ever was. God is not in catch up mode when it comes to being abreast of current trends, trials, and temptations.” David Ravenhill Read full article here.
The Word of God is where our convictions MUST lie.
The grass withers, the flowers fade, but the Word of the Lord remains forever!
A BIG FAT AMEN to you Brother. I’ve been saying this for years. I’m socked that I’m often misunderstood when I say it. But you have articulated this concern so much better than I ever did. It can be said that the relevance of Christ transcended the relevance of the culture. Jesus was revolutionary. He never sought to be a harmonizing voice culturally. as He was, so should we be!
Good job Tim!
Thanks for chiming in Jason – your thoughts are encouraging! I love what you said above – “the relevance of Christ transcended the relevance of the culture.” How sad when we the church / pastors / and believers reverse this! the relevance of culture transcends the relevance of Christ…. Oh my – when that is what drives our churches, we have lost our way! (also – a coming post will be on arrogant Calvinism…. I think you will find that one interesting…. ;-)