I have a transparent sign (Kinda like a Fathead Poster) on the wall in my office that says, “Win the lost. Disciple the Found. Mend the Broken.” I have it there to remind me what my purpose is in life. I believe this short, succinct statement is the purpose of all Christians and all churches. I further define my role in life by my personal mission statement. It states, “God has placed me here to passionately and consistently reflect the character of Christ through every role and season of my life.” I realize that as I take this journey called life, my roles will vary, the seasons will change, but my calling from God will remain the same. Now, do I always achieve what I have outlined above? Oh, no! However, they are the goals to which I aspire. They encourage me to be better than I am.
One of the first fundamentals of our faith is having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ that changes us for the better. Yes, He accepts us as we are. In fact, that’s the only way any of us can come into relationship with Him – just like we are. However, the truth of the matter is that although He accepts us like we are, He loves us way too much to allow us to stay that way. He changes us for the better!
One of the ways Jesus affects the change He desires to see in us, is through the rules and regulations He places upon us as His children. Now, I’m not a legalist. Keeping rules and regulations does not bring us into, or keep us in relationship with Jesus Christ. When we accept Him as our Savior, we become His children – period. However, for us to become the person He desires, to become fully mature in the faith, means there are certain rules and regulations we must adhere to. There are standards that must guide us. Herein is my subject for the column today – the lack of standards associated with Christianity.
In my opinion, in the church’s quest to become relevant in our world today, I am afraid we have abandoned the one thing that makes us relevant and distinct – Biblical standards. No longer do we demand that our members possess and display, through their everyday lives, a standard that is higher than the fallen world in which they live. We have lowered and “dumbed down” the expectations and Biblical requirements of what it means to be a Christian. If fact, it is easier to join a local church than the Moose or Kiwanis clubs. They do a better job of making sure a person meets their membership qualifications. One of the first steps to seeing churches and individual Christians return to the fundamentals of our faith is to raise the bar of expectations back to its Biblical position. I believe that when people look at “a church” they want it to see “a church!” They aren’t looking for a BFF. They are looking for a body that models Biblical standards!
What I’m saying is reflected in our county sports system today. Today, regardless of talent and ability, every child who wants to play makes the team. Every child has to play in the game. And in many of the games, they don’t even keep score. Why, in might warp little Johnny or Susie’s minds is somebody told them they don’t meet the qualifications or possess the skill set necessary to excel at a particular sport. Gone forever are the days in which I was raised. I was raised in a time that if you didn’t meet the standards you didn’t make the team. And hey, if you really wanted to play, you went home and worked on improving yourself and your ability. You didn’t expect the team to dumb down their standards to your level. You improved your level! What a novel concept! Church, are you listening?
Brother Aaron
To schedule Brother Aaron to preach a Sunday service at your church, a revival meeting, or a special event, you may contact him at: 1-800-511-9536, 706-302.9162, or e-mail: freshfire@mindspring.com
