30 Aug “Leaving Country Club Christianity” (Learning to do anything to reach the lost…except compromise) PART 13
We must leave “Country Club Christianity”…when we just stay among people who we are like and that like us, instead of going out into the community and connecting with people who are unlike us and don’t like us!
Over the past few weeks we have been sharing based on our key scriptures…
I Corinthians 9:19-23: “For though I be free from all men, yet have I made myself servant unto all, that I might win the more. And unto the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain the Jews; to them that are under the law, as under the law, that I might gain them that are under the law: To them that are without law, as without law, (being not without law to God, but under the law to Christ.) that I might gain them that are without law. To the weak became I as weak, that I might gain the weak: I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some. And this I do for the gospel’s sake, that I might be partaker thereof with you.”
We discussed: “Three Leaving Lessons”:
- We have to be able to Leave our Preferences.
- We must be able to Leave our Privileges.
- We also need to Leave our Prerogatives.
Last week we jumped into “7 Prerogative Principles”:
1. Connection precedes correction.
It may be our prerogative to correct sinners because of how sinful they are, but let’s connect before we correct!
Think of it this way: How would you feel if you walked outside and saw a neighbor that you barely knew spanking your child? Even if your child was doing something demonstrably wrong, you wouldn’t want someone you barely knew spanking your kid…no one would!
Remember this: The voice of correction must be earned. Love is the price that must be paid to earn that voice!
2 Perception determines reception
Most of the world perceives the church as irrelevant and judgmental and sometimes hypocritical! Let’s change that perception.
Jesus did just that in His interchange with the Samaritan woman in John 4. This woman had a perception issue with Jews and men. Jesus then shared something by the Holy Spirit with her and she replied, “Sir, I perceive you are a prophet” (see John 4:19). She gave her life to Jesus and started a revival in her city all because perception determines reception!
3. Identification precedes salvation (I Cor. 9:19-22)
Here Paul used the terms “I became as…” and “I made myself….” In other words, Paul found common ground without compromise. Rather than get in our echo chambers on social media, let’s slip on another man’s shoes…you’ll find a lot of compassion flows there!
This week we continue in our series with…
4. You can’t truly serve people until you are free from people (I Cor. 9:19)
Here the Scripture tells us, “For though I be free from all men, yet have I made myself servant unto all, that I might gain the more.” I have had people ask me why we do so much to reach the community. I tell them that we don’t have an ulterior motive, but we do unashamedly have an ultimate motive…we want to lead them to Jesus!
We don’t want something from them…we want to get “everything” to them!
5. You gain people by serving people (I Cor. 9:19-23)
Notice how many times Paul uses the term “gain” in our key verses!
Remember this: When you fill a hungry belly you open a hungry heart!
6. If you see people as weak…you will help them. If you see people as broken…you will fix them. If you see people as valuable…you will serve them.
7. Saved people serve people (Eph. 2:10)
Remember this: As we leave Country Club Christianity….I will do whatever I can with whatever I have…to reach as many as I can!