Good Morning, Friends,
I grew up in an era of time when the church just seemed to be against everything. I just assumed that’s what Christians had to do. Churches distributed leaflets, flyers and voter guides. I remember churches being against the Equal Rights Amendment, and yet I never thought, “Now, why are we against women having the same constitutional protection as men?” I never asked why; we were just against it. We were against the lottery, of course; we had bumper stickers about that. Some churches were against Cabbage Patch dolls (I don’t remember why), and one denomination, when I was a teenager, boycotted Disney World. I remember that.
But as I kept growing up, there was something in me that thought, “Wait a minute, there we go again,” being defined by what we opposed. So, I decided somewhere along the way that I didn’t want to spend the rest of my life as a Christian, nor as a Christian leader, just being against everything in culture. As I began to read the gospels with fresh eyes, and I began to specifically read the book of Acts and the letters of Paul, it occurred to me that neither Jesus nor Paul positioned themselves against everything in culture or even against the Roman empire.
In fact, the only thing that Jesus and Paul were consistently against were the people on the religious side of the aisle who were against everything. That was the only group they were ever against. It was the perennial conflict with the Pharisees. In contrast, what I saw in a lot of churches by the time I was in college looked kind of like this: “Become like us, and then you can join us. And until you become like us, we’re going to preach against you.” They were making a point, but not making much of a difference in the community.
It’s always easier to make a point, I believe, than it is to make a difference. Making a difference requires a very different strategy than the strategy required to make a point.
It’s always easier to make a point. Making a difference takes far longer. There are plenty of churches that sit back and throw hand-grenades out into the culture and make a point. Early on, we decided that we’re not going to do that at Imagine Church. We want to be a church that genuinely makes a difference.
Jesus said, “You are the light of the world” (Matthew 5:14-16). The implication is that the world is dark, the world is in trouble, and God has put a flashlight in it, and that’s us. God has put a light in this world and we are that light. “In the same way let your light shine before others in such a way that they may see your good deeds.” Jesus is saying, “I want you to live your life in such a way that you make a point by making a difference.” You’re like a light in a dark world and the world is attracted to you.
Do you know why Rome finally switched over to Christianity? It wasn’t because of preaching; it wasn’t because of billboards. It wasn’t because Christians got together and made a point. They decided, “Let’s just do what Jesus told us to do. Let’s be a light. Let’s get this right, and we will be like a light in the dark room and people will begin circling and looking and then they’ll join us.”
And my friends, that’s exactly what happened.
We’re here to make a difference,
Bruce Jones, Pastor
Imagine Church
