July 22, 2025 -- John 15:18-19 -- Crash helmets? Check. Life-preservers? Check. Okay, now preach the Gospel

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People loved by the Father, in the Spirit's power: Sh'ma ~ hear and obey Jesus!

If the world hates you, know that it hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.
John 15:18-19 ESV
 
Every day North American Christians have a decision to make. Will we cozy up to the culture and stay relatively safe, or will we deeply live out our faith? That means welcoming the outcast, meeting the untouchables of society? One of my favorite quotations related to the missionary endeavors of the church comes from Annie Dillard. She spent some time as a teenager in the church, but to my knowledge, is not a practising Christian. Listen to what she writes:
On the whole, I do not find Christians, outside of the catacombs, sufficiently
sensible of conditions. Does anyone have the foggiest idea what sort of
power we so blithely invoke? Or, as I suspect, does no one believe a word of
it? The churches are children playing on the floor with their chemistry sets,
mixing up a batch of TNT to kill a Sunday morning. It is madness to wear
ladies’ straw hats and velvet hats to church; we should all be wearing crash
helmets. Ushers should issue life preservers and signal flares; they should lash
us to our pews. For the sleeping god may wake someday and take offense, or
the waking god may draw us out to where we can never return.”
Annie Dillard, from Teaching a Stone to Talk
 

  • What if a murder, who really committed that crime, paid their debt to society by time spent in prison, becomes a Christians while incarcerated, what if such a man wanted to join your church?

  • What if Muslim, who lives five doors down from you, were to radically encounter Jesus and learning that you are a Christian, ask to join you in your church? His family is furious. They are angry with him, and angry with the church body taking him in. There will be consequences.

 
It seems to me that church today has become gentrified. We are insensible to the depths of the raging conflict “out there” in the world. We read about it in missionary blogs and reports. But then it is safely a half a world away. We hear of persecution in the church, but that is usually reported in countries we don’t have on our cruise itineraries or in our vacation brochures.
 
Does the world really hate you as a Christian? Do fellow Christians get uneasy around you and push back against you? If not, I guess my question is, where have you compromised the Gospel to the point that you do not expect God the Warrior to do as He has always done:

  • to the exiting Israelites adding heaps of hated Egyptians, who have joined the believing community. Can you imagine the chaos that would cause? Talk about having to overcome hatred of one’s enemies;

  • to the conquering Israelites, adding Rahab the prostitute and her family;

  • to the young Christian church adding Cornelius, the man who gave alms, but is a ranking officer in the Roman Army, the oppressors;

  • to the church rocked by persecution and imprisonment adding the apostle Paul, who himself prior to becoming a Christian was Saul. As Saul he had killed and imprisoned so many that any gathering of believers likely had someone in their family or extended circle of friends who had been personally affected by Saul, now Paul. And he’s preaching!

 
But brothers and sisters, we are not of the world. When Christ called us His Own, He remade us. What we once were is not what we are. Knowing the greatness of His salvation, the on-going renovation of your soul in holiness, get ready, welcome other refugees from the tyranny of the world. If you are not prepared to be who you are called to be in Christ, stop praying for revival. God will bring despicable to your doorstep. Who else is there? Sin makes us despicable. If you are not prepared to minister to people who have all kinds of needs, wounds, traumas and baggage, stop praying empty pious words.
 
But, you, who are in Christ, rouse yourself. Don the life preservers. Strap yourself to the mast of Christ’s salvation and throw life-preservers to the drowning people of this world and brace yourself to draw them in against the wind, the storms (and keep going even against the howling protests of those next to you in the pews who will say, “but they will change us. They will affect our comfortable life in the pews.”) It will get ugly. And it will be glorious. What glory there is for those who are saved. What joy there is for the ones privileged by the Spirit of God to bring in wounded and weary souls into the glory of the Kingdom of God. You are not of the world, you are Christ’s. You have been chosen by Christ to come out from the world and serve Him and be hated by the world.
 
Faithful Father, thank You for the life that is ours in Christ. Thank You for faithful parents, Sunday School teachers, neighbours, chaplains and evangelists who went to the highways and alleys of this world and rescued us from the depths of our depravities. Spirit of God, rouse us from our slumber and lethargy and give us holy boldness and courage to welcome all those whom the Father has given unto Christ as the prize of His atoning work. Amen.
 
https://youtu.be/dHLikbLXQ8E?si=FbAljrVaGcOpMVCr Not What These Hands Have Done
 

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