I just got back from running sound at a sweet bar, that very much resembled Coyote Ugly, named Fergie's in Lebanon, KY. The show was awesome, it was by a guy named Jason Aldean or something like that, I dunno he's some random country guy, and a band named Hooker. Yeah I know that's a funny band name. Well while I was running sound, I started having some theological thoughts, so I thought I would quickly blog about them before I go to bed, even though it is 4:00am.
As I was standing at the monitor console tonight, I began to wonder what exactly separates me, as a Christian from the drunken mass on the dance floor. Other than the obvious - Christians don't dance! What makes me different from them as a Christian that wouldn't be different if I walked away from the faith?
Here is the dialectical discussion that ran through my head:
Is it that I don't drink? No, that's not it, because I believe drinking is theologically permissible and if I walked away from the faith, I"m pretty sure I still wouldn't drink,just because I have no desire to at all.
Is it that I don't swear? No, words are just words and I just don't like to be vulgar, so even if I left the faith I probably still wouldn't swear.
Is it that I don't wear cowboy hats and say Yee Haw! No, cause that's just lame.
Is it that I am kind to people? It seems that, this one gets closer, but I just enjoy being nice to people and I think that if I walked away from the faith I would still be a pretty nice guy.
I thought through a bunch of other things and I began to wonder "where is the sacrifice." Almost as soon as I thought this I remembered Jesus' quotation of Micah something that sounds like this "understand this, I desire Mercy not sacrifice." Couple this with the overly quoted "they will know you by your love" and one would tend to think that the answer to my question is self evident. Well I think not.
I thought about this for a bit.
Is showing mercy and love to the poor what separates me? No, because I would have compassion on them anyways. There are plenty of people who do lots of wonderful things for the poor and they're as unregenerate as unregenerate can be.
Is showing love enough? Well, yes, but then we have to hyper-qualify the love to be unconditional love that is only perfectly displayed through the power of the Spirit.
And I feel we cannot forget sacrifice, although if we take the above quotation out of context we can easily assume that no sacrifice is needed anymore. However, the bible is very clear that sacrifice is required.
So where is the sacrifice?
It seems to me that this might be what the distinction is - willingness to sacrifice, or better yet the practice of sacrifice. I am not ignoring mercy and love, they are essential, but so often we try to show them in our own strength and confuse love and mercy with good deeds and we do the deeds as the end in themselves and call it sacrifice. I believe love, mercy, and sacrifice all go together, but it seems that we've really forgotten sacrifice. True love and mercy (to hyper-qualify them) truly do mean love and mercy that are sacrificial beyond our wildest thoughts.
But I think the important questions for us all to answer, one that I'm still struggling with is this. "If I walked away from the faith today, what would be different about me?" If the answer is nothing or hardly nothing then we have sold ourselves out to something that is nor more Christian than the Mormons are. Non sacrificial living is not living in the shadow of the cross and it is not living in the reality of the resurrection.
The problem for us is seeing what sacrifice really is. We say "but I do sacrifice" and refer to something lame like teach Sunday school. Yes for some that may be a true sacrifice, but for most, it's a cop out. We as Americans suck at sacrificing. What we need is a good old fashioned persecution! Then sacrifice will come, it will come at the cost of our lives, at the cost of our children, parents and other loved ones. We will then live in the ever-present reality that our brothers and sisters in China live in. It seems to me that when we learn sacrifice, true sacrifice, that we will also learn true mercy and love, because there will be nothing left in us to hinder the flow of those things from the Spirit in our lives.
I know, these are crazy thoughts especially since they were developed while listening to country songs about beer and tractors. But maybe I'm right, or maybe I'm completely wrong. But either way I still think a good question to ask ourselves is: "If I walked away form the faith today, what would be different about my life?"
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8 comments:
Interesting thoughts.
A guy at the Bible study Cherith goes to (and I started attending, now that I'm back) on Hebrews, who happens to be Chinese, recalled a conversation he had with a leader of the persecuted Church in China, in which the leader said: "We're praying for a persecution to come upon America, so that our brothers and sisters there will truly understand faith." That's deep stuff.
Good thoughts BennnyBenBen (irrelevant ps. I watched the senior slide show for the first time a few nights ago... and I think the globetrotters picture of you is...PHEnomenal..).
I can tell you something easy that would be different about me: hope and all the things that come from hope. Like the ability to get out of bed in the morning, the backbone to walk through another day on polluted terra instead of giving up and quitting early.
Good words, Ben - And a question that I think needs to be asked by many, many more people than actually do ask it. What would be different about me and my life if I walked away from my faith, from Christ, from Holy Spirit? I think I'll have to agree with Tegan when she says that hope and everything related to it would definitely be gone. A hope that, somehow, by the grace of God, my small existence is made to be more than just an insignificant speck in the grand scheme of space and time. And joy would be gone, too - I'm not talking about happiness here, those moments when we laugh and when we feel like we can smile. Because I'm sure I would still have those. I'm talking about deep-seated joy, that runs deeper even than pain and sorrow, that doesn't depend on circumstances.
But I DO think that you need to give up listening to country music, Ben...All that twanginess, and living in Kentucky and all...Please don't ever start wearing a black Stetson, or a belt buckle the size of Saturn!
oh hoojawhamma! the thought of Ben in a stetson and a huge-o belt buckle makes me creepy crawly! :) (don't worry Ben, it's probably just the belt buckle, irregardless of you or the stetson. :))
So what your saying is that I have to take the belt buckle back and stop asking for a big Stetson for Christmas?
I was gonna wear them both to Chuck's wedding and Shelly's reception.
wellllll,
yes. :)
although, if you added cowboys and super-tight jeans...maybe it would be okay.
My name is Jared. I have never, until today posted anything on a blog. Until recently, I wasn't even sure what a blog was.
I've been asked to preach at my church in June. I've been praying and seeking a message from God. Tonight, I believe I got an answer.
I started picturing the church membership in my mind, as if I was already on stage. Then I pictured my non-Christian boss sitting out there among them, as I have invited him to come hear me preach. Then I wondered, what would provoke him to join the church, return for another visit, or even turn himself over to salvation. The question in my mind and the topic of my sermon: What sets Christians apart from non-Christians.
I decided to do a search on the Web particularly looking for the passage of scripture, "They will know you by your love..." That's how I ran into this entry in your blog. It gave me food for thought. Which is kind of strange since my brain doesn't have a mouth. But, I digress.
Here is the answer you seek: If you left the faith, you would be without Christ. He is what makes you different. We are a "Royal Priesthood" set apart by Christ Himself. We are unique only in that we have accepted Him and others have not.
We sin the same, live the same, want the same, and die the same. We're supposed to be better than they are. But, we're not really. See, we don't make us different. He makes us different. If you were to leave the faith, you would leave Him.
Jesus said that eternal life is this, that you know the father. I conclude then that eternal death, hell is this, seperation from God.
The only difference between them and us is His Presence. I understand that this makes it difficult to evangelize. We can't offer people whom we want to save a better life, no sickness, no death, or even a break on their taxes. What we can offer them is God and the internal and eternal benefits that come with Him.
By the way, thank you for helping me with my sermon.
Hello. I came across your blog post tonight and as coincidence would have it, I was at that same show. Please don't take this the wrong way, but as one of the masses in the dance floor I was not drunk at all and consider myself a Christian. I don't drink, I am a kind person, and I don't wear cowboy hats or yell yee haw! I completely understand your thoughts and applaud your Christian beliefs. I just wanted you to know that it sounded a bit hurtful to be part of that crowd that you as a Christian separate yourself from. Yes, there were a lot of drunk people there, but there were lots of great ones too. I am a teacher, a coach, a club sponsor, a membership chair of a local volunteer group, and I walk with Christ. I know your intent was not to pass judgement, but I just wanted to remind those reading that you cannot always judge a book by its cover and that there are good people all around. Sometimes you just have to look a bit closer. Thanks for a remarkable post and God bless.
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