If you encounter several people who are disconnected from a church and ask them what their impression of the church is, one of those responses would likely sound something like this:
“The church is against science.”
“The church is against gay marriage.”
“The church is against abortion.”
“The church is against liberals.”
“The church is against fun.”
Now, it is true that there are certainly some things that- biblically- we should oppose. At the same time, isn’t it possible that we’ve done more harm than good by leading with our opposition to things?
Think about it this way: If the way we lead into our engagement with culture is “We don’t agree with __________,” then we’ve already put ourselves in the posture of a combatant that communicates “It’s us vs. you.”
And we wonder why culture has been so resistant to the church.
The simple truth is when we put people on the defensive, the tend to defend themselves. They don’t want to lean in and listen to what we have to say. Instead, they are going to fight back.
The response by some who claim the name of Jesus has been to simply back off of what we believe. Long-held biblical truths have been sacrificed for the sake of appeasing culture and lowering walls of resistance. It makes the going easier- but does it really move the Kingdom forward?
No, for one simple reason: when our theology bends to cultural winds and we think and live just like the rest of the world, then God becomes, at best, an add-on- one that those not already in the faith will see as unnecessary.
There’s a better way to move forward- one that softens the heart of culture to the Gospel, advances God’s Kingdom, and does not surrender our convictions.
That’s where the power of FOR comes in. And it’s what #ForSmithfield is all about.
From the very beginning, we have wanted to be know what we are for instead of what we are against.
- We are FOR hungry children being fed.
- We are FOR teachers being able to take care of their classrooms.
- We are FOR healed marriages.
- We are FOR people stepping into their God-given potential.
- We are FOR children having someone in their life who believes in them and encourages them.
- We are FOR our community becoming a better place.
What FOR does is this: it creates common ground with people far from God. People that are distant from Jesus may disagree- passionately so- about what we believe about the Bible. They may think our belief in a supernatural God is crazy. They may think that church is the most pointless thing in the world, and the idea that there is only one way to heaven is completely intolerant.
What they can’t argue with, however, is our efforts to fed hungry children. They will agree that teachers need to be served. They would agree that the marriages in our community need to get better. They would agree that everyone should be able to fulfill their potential.
Just like us, they want our community to be a better place.
Does that mean they will automatically become Christians?
Absolutely not! In fact, many will not.
However, some of them will begin exploring Christianity- because, when they see how we serve- and what and who we are FOR- it begins to tear down the assumptions they have made about Christians. They begin to realize that the church is not against them- even if we disagree with some of the things they believe and do. And as their assumptions begin to crumble, it opens their hearts to the idea that maybe- just maybe- there really is something to our faith.
Not because they agree with us- but because they see how we serve.
Not because we’ve argued with them about what we disagree on- but because we’ve found common ground with them on what we are FOR.
And ultimately- even if they don’t realize it- what they are leaning into is the picture of Jesus they are seeing through us. And as they SEE Jesus through us, they will become more open to what we SAY about Jesus to them.
FOR brings down walls- and that’s why we are #FORSmithfield.