FOCUS

I love Norman Rockwell paintings. They are classic Americana and define who our nation was at one time. Past tense. Back when. The good-old days. Life is different now. Divorce, low morality, lack of respect for self and others, not to leave out the corruption of the financial institute in our country has brought about a change in culture. We have noticed a rise in benevolence requests, in teens in need of a mother or father to care, in homes falling apart because of broken relationships and broken spirits, and an all time low of morality here in the United States. People need help.

So what is the solution? To find the answer, we must first look at the two-fold problem. First, the need is not financial. It is not even hunger. The need is focus. Overall, we have taken our eyes off of Christ and looked either at the world or in a mirror. We must realize that people need more than the simple fix in life. Get focused or refocused on the cross, looking to Christ as our source of life and light. The second problem is within the church. We, the church, are not getting passionate about our ministry as mandated in Matthew 28 and Acts 1:8. We are called, and should be abundantly passionate about, meeting people’s needs at the core, then finding ways to fix from the inside out. We must offer Christ as the initial, foundational, anchor solution. When that is settled and set, then the building process takes place. If Christ is our foundation, our house will not fail. When a quick fix of groceries or a light bill is all that is needed, then we set those things on a sand foundation. The person then moves to another solution or returns for help again.

We as the church must get passionate about God’s work for us. We must take our talents and gifts and bring them to the storehouse. Those good in accounting can help those who are failing in setting a budget. Those good with people skills can be an ear to listen and a gentle voice to pray with. Those who have discernment to counsel can help bridge gaps within broken families. When we, the church, can get to the root of our problem, that of lack of focus, then we can help bring others to help with their problem, which is a lack of focus. This process may take us to a different place in the life of the church. It is a new day. We are not the church of the fifties and sixties. We are the church of 2013. The message has not changed, nor will it ever, but we must look at our methods of delivery to see how we can be most effective in relaying the message of Jesus Christ. That means breaking down a few walls.

When will people come for help when in need? When they know you are there. People in need of benevolence will not show up at 6:30 p.m. on a Tuesday night, but at 9:00 a.m. on a Monday morning. Naturally, this is when the church should be helping them. Look at when Christ did many of His healings. There were many done on the Sabbath. (John 5:6, Luke 13:10-17, etc.) Why? They knew there would be religious people there who would take pity on them. Jesus healed them, against religious tradition and regulations. Matthew 12:1-8 declares the Sabbath as a time to meet man’s needs, not burden them with legalistic rhetoric. Jesus healed them anyway. There were many (Pharisees and Pharisaical sympathizers) who saw this as a negative act. It went against what they knew and how they were comfortable. It turned their spiritual world on its ear. There were upset people, people claiming this was wrong, and statements such as, “How can this man do such a thing as this on the Sabbath? Doesn’t he know the rules?”

We as a church must become relevant. Listen closely… THE MESSAGE MUST NEVER CHANGE. However, THE METHOD OF MINISTRY MUST CHANGE OR DIE! That is it. If the church does not adapt to the culture, then the church is as good as an empty building. This is why there are so many churches with many, many empty seats. In all honesty, no two churches should look alike, simply because the surrounding culture demands a difference in the church’s personality. For example, the church I serve in rural Kentucky would not survive long if transplanted from here to a Caribbean island. The culture is different. The needs are different, or maybe they are similar, but the personality of that church will differ greatly from this church.

The scariest ideology is when the church expects the people to come in and immediately completely adapt to the church traditions and regulations… eerily similar to the expectations of the Pharisees. A church on mission for Christ, living out the Matthew 28/Acts 1:8 calling cannot be a Pharisaical church.

So why should the church be culturally relevant? To let the community around us know that we are ready with open arms to show them the Christ, no matter what our traditions or regulations have been in the past. We are willing to be an open door with a message of hope that will change you to the core, then build on that foundation within you of Jesus Christ.

The Norman Rockwell collection reminds us of a peaceful time, when hard working men and women made a way for their children to live happy lives. A look into the church’s past should remind us of the hard work, sacrifice, and even martyrdom that took place to make a way for us to stand firm and deliver a message of saving grace to a lost and dying community. Let’s take our communities back for Christ, our neighborhoods for the sake of the cross, and by all means, reclaim our families in the grace of God.