I remember growing up and being at school and we had different groups of people in school. There were the nerds, the jocks and the hoods. I would dare to say there new names for groups now.
Whichever group you wanted to fit into would be determined by the way you dressed and carried yourself.
Hoods for instance were a jeans and tee shirt group who generally smoked cigarettes and enjoyed getting into trouble. They acted tough, emphasis on acted.
Jocks were little more preppy in their dress and were usually too busy to be in trouble in school.
Ironically it was believed that however you turned out during the school year was based on who influenced you.
Now couch that thought in the light of all the attempts on the part of the church to be relevant to the modern culture. If I wear a cut off shirt and spike my hair and you do likewise the idea was mine and I feel in control of the influence. I do not look to you for anything because you seem to me to be in need of what I have. I am the leader because you became the follower.
Everytime the church attempts to change itself according to the culture it sends a message of insecurity and disbelief in the power of the gospel. All the books on the churches need to adjust and become more relevant to the modern culture is like a plea for the church to reduce itself to antics that will only prove to convince the culture that they are in charge and have the answers.
I seem to remember that the generation of Jesus wanted Him to present Himself in an entirely different way than He did. They were not looking for a suffering Savior, they wanted a conquering King who overthrow Roman rule. They wanted a Lion not a Lamb.
But Jesus did not adjust Himself to what spoiled children demanded of Him. He stayed true to His purpose. He led by staying on course and expecting that teh only ones who would follow would be the ones the Father had selected for Himself.
Oh that we the church could walk in that same confidence and not be moved by all the gimmicks and books telling us to do crazy and outrageous things. The gospel is still the power of God unto salvation and the church is to continually be conforming to the image of Christ and not the culture. may God give us grace to see it through to the end.
About The Author
- Tim Atchley
- Knoxville, Tennessee, United States
- I currently serve as Senior Pastor of Harvest Church in Knoxville, Tn. I was sent out from Trinity Chapel of Knoxville in 1993 accompanied by my wife Sheila our four children Sarah, Hannah, Josiah & Isaac and a handful of bold, brave and committed believers determined to plant our first church. Pioneering is hard work but well worth the journey. That is why we desire to make disciples of Christ who will, like us, also embrace the call to plant churches.
