My choice to wear suspenders on a near-daily basis has caused no end of grief to me these last few weeks. People simply to not wear suspenders any more, so to see someone stepping outside of culturally accepted norms demands comment. For me, suspenders are more than a fashion statement, they are an act of defiance, of rebellion against what this world has become.
Suspenders harken back to a time in our past when men were men. They worked hard, got dirty and still held open doors for a lady. They derived a sense of worth and satisfaction from how much they could do and provide themselves as opposed to how much they could buy in a supermarket. These men worked long hours out doors. They sweated, were tan from the sun and didn't think to count calories as they ate biscuits and gravy with sausage links and coffee.
We have lost much of that rugged past, but I think it is coming back. People want to do things for themselves again. They want to have dirt under their fingernails and know what a tomato fresh off the vine tastes like when it is still warm from the sun. These neo-Pioneers give me hope, hope that one day I will see more men in suspenders.
What, you may be thinking, does this have to do with advancing God's Kingdom on the earth? When is Ben wasting my time and his writing about suspenders and frontiersmen when this is supposed to be a blog about the Church and ministry? What does this mean for me life? Honestly, nothing. Honestly, everything.
You see, our churches are in decline. Our churches have gone the way of our culture rather than the Way of Jesus. Our churches have become soft, pious places where no one dares to say anything of any damned importance for fear of offending someone else. I am tired of it. I am sick from it. This isn't the Church that I read about in the book of Acts where people drop dead because they tried to deceive the leadership and advance their reputations. This isn't the Church where Godly instruction is given and is confirmed in power by the Holy Spirit. This isn't the Church that can say without hypocrisy "If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ," Galatians 1:10c.
We need people who will "wear suspenders" to church. Men and women who will stand firm on our Christian heritage, who will defy the Doctrine of Tolerance in our Age. NO, all ways do NOT lead to heaven. There is only ONE Way, and that is Jesus. That is the offense of the Gospel. Jesus is both radically inclusive and radically exclusive. Absolutely anyone who comes to Him, confesses their sins, repents, is baptized and names Him Lord will be saved. Easy, right?
But so many will not.
So many are prideful, they think they can win God's favor with their own righteousness. So many think that Jesus is just a man who had a few good things to say, but is largely irrelevant to our world today. So many think that Jesus is just one of a multitude of great thinkers who wanted to push humanity towards enlightenment and fulfillment.
My question - Is anyone telling them differently?
Again, there is a growing movement of people who are. People who are fervently proclaiming "Jesus is LORD" to the exclusion of any other. People who are living radically different lives because they are sold out on the Gospel message. People who are reclaiming Biblical Christianity as a viable alternative to the impotent culture of this age that claims there are no absolute truths. We call these people Forerunners in the House of Prayer movement. Like John the Baptist, they choose to be a voice calling from the wilderness, "Prepare the way for the Lord!" It sounds foreign to our modern ears, but Jesus is coming back. The Early Church knew this, indeed, it was their only hope. That hope empowered them to live differently than the culture around them. It empowered them to seek God in every circumstance. It empowered them to shrug off temptation, persecution and punishment for the Glory that lies ahead.
I want to be one of those Forerunners and I want to live in a community that wants the same thing. So this is my encouragement to you who read this, you are not alone. Surround yourself with people who will love you and support you so that we can all cry out together. You are always welcome at our table.
No comments:
Post a Comment