Monday, October 01, 2007
That's Offensive
Milt Stanley links to David Wilkerson sermon on repentance. Wilkerson's primary thesis, as Milt quotes it:
The problem most churches face in this arena is that their constituencies appear sinless. After all, what is greed or pride when stacked up against $5 alleyway sexual encounters? Well, they are quite a lot actually, different symptoms of the same illness. But the reason the church struggles with this so is because we have not found those less obvious sins in ourself.
Repentance is a form of "reaching bottom." 12-step programs deal with that routinely. It is, compartively easy to find bottom for the drug addict. But for the Christian leader, we think reaching bottom will compromise our leadership position, so we never look to bottom.
But the bottom is precisely where we are supposed to lead people! And to lead them there - we have to go first.
Other people find the message of repentance offensive because we do not preach it sincerely and it is not born out in our lives. It is not repentance that is offensive, it is our failure to practice what we preach. Guess what, that failure offends me too!
The key to genuine church growth is not a better program. It is better people. Have you ever thought about the fact that the success of the megachurch lies in the layers of insultation the size provides to prevent the detection of the failure I just described? Might want to.
But a vast number of churches have decided that repentance is too offensive a message. In fact, entire denominations have de-emphasized it.Why is repentance offensive? Why? - It is the key to true salvation. Says Wilkerson:
Repentance is not meritorious. Only the sacrifice of Christ’s blood can forgive. But repentance is the only way to know true healing and rejoicing. There is no other way to enter the peace and rest of Christ except through the doors of repentance.He discusses preaching repentance in his own ministry and concludes:
After confronting sin through repentance preaching, incredible joy began to break out. People were being freed from their sin and forsaking old habits and a sensual way of life.I have to say this - Wilkerson, by his own admission was working in a millieu of obvious and degradating sin. Prostitution, drug-addiciton, these obvious sins are sins that are easy to denounce.
The problem most churches face in this arena is that their constituencies appear sinless. After all, what is greed or pride when stacked up against $5 alleyway sexual encounters? Well, they are quite a lot actually, different symptoms of the same illness. But the reason the church struggles with this so is because we have not found those less obvious sins in ourself.
Repentance is a form of "reaching bottom." 12-step programs deal with that routinely. It is, compartively easy to find bottom for the drug addict. But for the Christian leader, we think reaching bottom will compromise our leadership position, so we never look to bottom.
But the bottom is precisely where we are supposed to lead people! And to lead them there - we have to go first.
Other people find the message of repentance offensive because we do not preach it sincerely and it is not born out in our lives. It is not repentance that is offensive, it is our failure to practice what we preach. Guess what, that failure offends me too!
The key to genuine church growth is not a better program. It is better people. Have you ever thought about the fact that the success of the megachurch lies in the layers of insultation the size provides to prevent the detection of the failure I just described? Might want to.
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