Today's Scripture Reading (March 23, 2021): 2 Corinthians 6
Leadership expert Patrick Lencioni
argued that “if everything is important, then nothing is.” It is hard advice
for most of us. Our list of what is important is long and sometimes unending.
But the reality is that we can’t focus on everything, and if everything is
important, or even if a long list of things are important, then, in reality, we
will focus on nothing, and nothing will be important. Somehow, we have to
narrow down our list of what is important so that we can focus on what is critical
to the faith.
And that is the purpose of
priorities. Priorities are important. Ideally, they set us up to achieve what
is essential. We need to understand our priorities if we want to know where our
lives are going and what it is that we are trying to accomplish.
Maybe that is what disturbs me
about the direction of the Christian Church. What is important, or essential,
for Christians? And often, the answer to that question is found in the things
that Christians oppose. Our opposition to abortion, or same-sex marriage, or
maybe even our opposition to women in leadership or Sunday Shopping, these are
things that often define Christianity.
But should it? Are these the
things by which the Christian Church should be known? Are these the central
hills on which we want to die? I would argue no. I don’t want to be defined by hot
topic items. I want to be defined by something else; or, instead, someone else.
It is the presence and character of Jesus that should define Christianity. And
I can’t imagine Jesus petitioning an abortion clinic or holding a sign that
proclaims hate for those who love differently. Is either of these things sin? Sure,
we can make that argument. But as hard as it is for us to imagine, it just
might not be the most important thing. I am convinced that what is essential to
Christianity is the person of Jesus Christ and sharing the love he has for us
with a world that feels desperately unloved. Everything else, well, we can
figure out. But Jesus and sharing his love has to come first.
And I am sure that this was what
Paul is trying to tell the Corinthians. Paul admits that he has tried to do
nothing that would cause him to be discredited in front of his main audience.
But his primary audience wasn’t the church; it was the Greek and Roman culture.
Paul wanted to persuade the larger culture to accept Christ. Our messages, even
ones presented in blogs like this one, are often directed at Christians. It is
a phenomenon that I am not sure that Paul would have understood.
In his first letter to the Corinthians,
Paul phrased his thoughts this way;
Though I am free and belong to no one, I have
made myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those
under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the
law), so as to win those under the law. To
those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am
not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law), so as to win those not
having the law. To the weak I became weak, to win
the weak. I have become all things to all people so that by all
possible means I might save some. I do all this
for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings (1 Corinthians
9:19-23).
There
will be time to win people to the minutia of the Gospel. But first, we have to
proclaim Jesus in such a way that our culture can understand him and what he
represents. There is no doubt that the Gospel of Jesus is offensive, but it is offensive
because it declares the primacy of love and acceptance in a world that would prefer
to pursue hate and retaliation. We don’t need it to become more offensive to
satisfy our own pet peeves. Our priority can only be Jesus and love, and when
we perfect that, then there will be time for all the rest of the things that we
may think are important.
Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: 2 Corinthians 7
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