Saturday, September 12, 2009

­­­­­DANGEROUS CHURCH: READS A DANGEROUS BOOK
RUMC September 13, 2009
When I talk about dangerous books I am not talking about physically dangerous.  Though I suppose it is in theory possible to be killed by falling books or injure your back lifting a heavy Bible, most of us use smaller versions that are in that sense much safer.
I’m also not particularly referring to those who abuse the scripture by warping it and using it for their own personal or political agenda like the pastor from Arizona who uses the Bible to justify preaching and praying for the slow and painful death of the president of the United States.  That is an issue for the secret service and qualified mental health professionals, not a sermon.
When I refer to the Bible as a dangerous book I am really only referring to two groups of people.  They are equally dangerous in completely different senses of the word.
1.  Those who never read it and don’t know what it says.
2.  Those who do read it and know full well what it says.
You know, I guess that includes just about all of us doesn’t it?
Our congregation as a whole, falls somewhere in the middle.    Do you remember that a while back – about a year ago you took the same survey you took this morning?  At that time the percentage was 16% of you read the Bible at least 3 times a week.  Since then I have been challenging you to read with me, we have started a new Bible Women’s Bible Study, I have offered an on line source for the upper room.  I have done everything I can think of to encourage you.  Now, let’s see how you are doing today?
_________% of you read the Bible at lease 3 times a week.
That means that you are still somewhere in the middle.  For some of you the Bible is dangerous because you don’t read it and you really don’t know what it says.  For others it is dangerous because you do read it and you do know what it says.
Let’s look at both groups.  First the larger group of those who don’t read the Bible regularly. 
Let’s try something.  Let’s see how well you know your Bible.  Where does the Bible say “God helps them who help themselves?”  Do you remember?  Was it at the end of one of the parables? Or was it the Old Testament?  Do you remember which one? 
I’m sorry it was a trick question.  It’s not there!!  That was Benjamin Franklin that said that!
 I’ll be the first to admit that when I buy something, I would rather try to put it together myself then follow the directions.  It is much more interesting that way.  When was the last time you sat down and read in its entirety, the manual that comes with your cell phone?  Or your new TV or anything else.  Most of us would rather try to figure it out ourselves.  How does that work for you?  I have to admit that I have almost completely assembled things only to realize that I have to take it apart to get the last part on? 
How about directions.  I hate directions too.  I remember when Robyn and I went to Rochester earlier this year.  We got to the hotel and had reservations at the restaurant at which we had been engaged.  I looked up the directions on faithful Google directions and followed them.  Out the parking lot to the north, couple of blocks to find a one way street going the right direction, make a right and the restaurant will be on the right.  We parked, had a wonderful dinner, listened to the band, looked at the pictures of all the famous people how had eaten there, came out to get in the car, looked up and there across the street was the hotel.    The directions had taken us 8 blocks to get across the street.  Do you know the lesson- some people will fall for anything!
If you don’t read the Bible, how do you keep from falling for anything?  If you don’t know the Bible how do you decide whether your friend who believes differently from you is right or wrong?  If you don’t know much about the Bible how do you know what your faith stands for?
Oh, I’m pretty sure that most people know John 3:16 and Psalm 23 and 4 or 5 other main passages, but that’s about the end of it.  And they are taught things like “God helps them who helps themselves” and they swallow it hook line and sinker.  Apparently they are willing to take about anyone’s word for what they Bible says
Sixty-five percent of Americans agree that the Bible "answers all or most of the basic questions of life."  Amazingly, 28% of Americans who believe the Bible “answers all or most of the basic questions of life” say they rarely or never read the Bible (The Gallup Organization, October 20, 2000).  Therein lays the problem.
o        Among born again Christians, 10% believe that people are reincarnated after death.
o        Among born again Christians, 29% claim it is possible to communicate with the dead.
o        Fifty percent of born again Christians contend that a person can earn salvation based upon good works  (Barna Research Group, October 21, 2003).
Don’t miss this. We are not talking about the beliefs of Americans here. We aren’t even talking about the beliefs of churched Americans. We are talking about “born-again, churched Americans.”  These are things believed by the people who sat in the pew next to you last Sunday.  /And from a biblical perspective, they are all equally wrong.
Let me tell you.  We may worry about the fact that we are told that now 35% of our nation’s adults are functionally illiterate.  That’s abysmal, but that is nothing compared to 84% of our church that is functionally biblically illiterate.  Some might call that sad.  I call it dangerous.
Second, and dangerous in a completely different way, are those who do know the Bible.  How can that be dangerous?
The Bible stands in stark contradiction to much of our culture. 
The principle of justice in our courts is nothing compared to God’s vision for justice communicated through the prophets.
The concept of love as it exists in our culture today stands in stark contradiction to the love we see described in 1 Corinthians 13.
The idea of hope- which politicians love to exploit has nothing to do with politics, power or personality.  Biblical hope is based only in God and Gods future.
The American way of borrowing our way into wealth, taking advantage of the next guy; the consumerist grab, the greed and the gluttony is outright condemned by the Biblical principles of stewardship, community and generosity.
Can you see that people who hold a true biblical worldview might be considered dangerous by the rest of our society?
Let’s move to the church:
Imagine- Just imagine- if we as a church read the Bible and decided together that the Bible calls each of us to tithe.  And together we decided to tithe.  Suddenly we would have so much money we would collect 2 ½ times as much money as we have budgeted to spend.  What would we do with all the extra money?  I don’t know but I’ll bet we could really make some changes.  We could really do some awesome things.  We could make a pretty good run at turning at least our little corner of the world upside-down.   A church with those kinds of resources would be a dangerous church indeed.
Imagine if we read the Bible together and decided that we were truly going to be driven by love.  Just imagine that we started really loving those around us.  Not just the people like us, but those who are very different from us.  Not just those who believe like us but those who believe the church is a sickness.  Not just those who love us back but those who are the most self absorbed, and self seeking people we can find.  I don’t just think I know that people would start to look at us out of the corner of their eye, thinking we had all gone insane.  A church that started to love like that could really upset the status quo.  A church like that would be a really dangerous church.
Or imagine that we studied the Bible together and agreed together that we were going to be a Matthew 28 community.  Do you know what Matthew 28 is?  I just preached on it last week.  “Go therefore into all the world and preach the good news. Baptizing in the name of the father and the son and the Holy Spirit.”  Just imagine that we all did that.  Just imagine what they other churches would think if we started hauling in new Christians by the boat load.  Just imagine if each and every one of us became a Matthew 28 Christian and took seriously the command to GO- and TELL.  How long do you suppose it would take for some other pastor to get threatened by us and declare us “dangerous?”  I don’t think it would be very long.
Let me tell you, I’d rather be declared dangerous because we are learning the Bible, following the Bible and living the Bible out in our ministries than because we don’t know our Bibles.  Wouldn’t you love to belong to a church that was seen as a danger to greed? A danger to hatred?  A danger to sin? A danger to fear? A danger to all varieties of unrighteousness? Wouldn’t you like to belong to a church that is considered dangerous because of what we know, rather than what we don’t know? A church that is considered radical because we rely on the power of the almighty God, rather than one that believes that Jesus said “God helps him who helps himself?  Wouldn’t you like to belong to a church that is considered on the cutting edge of society because we take God’s Biblical vision for humanity seriously and live it in our everyday lives?  I’d like to be part of that kid of dangerous church.  Won’t you join me??
And let’s start by getting to know our Bibles. 
Dangerous?  Sure- but I’m willing to take that risk.  How about you?

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