Are We Scandalous Enough?

I said I was going to post tomorrow. Well several tomorrows later, I am finally going to do it.  Somehow, with eleven kids life just seems to happen fairly often.

My question is “Are we scandalous enough?”

When we look at Jesus’ ministry, we see that He was scandalous in several different ways.  As I look at myself and my church I think we do a good job of confronting error and standing for the truth.  At times this makes us scandalous.  

Where I think we fail is that we do not reach out to the kinds of people that Jesus did.   It seems that, when we confront the seeker friendly, purpose driven, or emergent churches for their unbiblical methods, we stand for the truth but miss a valid criticism of our ministry.  That is that we are not reaching people that we should.  Perhaps we should rename ourselves the Reformed Church of the White Middle Class.

When I look at our community I see those of other races and nationalities.  I do not see the same demographics represented in our church.  When I look around our community I see many “tax collectors and sinners,” yet I do not see many of them in our church.  I see mostly middle class intact families who have a basically Christian background.  Not that we never see the others just that they are far less common than they are at our workplace, the gym, or the other places we frequent.  Our church is made up of people mostly like us.

So why is this?  This is one of those areas where there is not an obvious particular sin of an individual or group, but the net cumulative effect of all our actions appears to be something wrong. It is certainly worth examining to see what it is we are doing wrong.

First, I do not think is comes from bad doctrine.  Those who teach in our church are sound and would confront someone who was actively sinning in this regard.  Nor do I think it something wrong with the leadership.  All the members of the church are to be making disciples, and if they all look like us, whose fault is that?

I cannot answer for all the others in my congregation, but if I examine my own heart I find at least three particular sins in this regard.

1. I am too in love with the things of this world.  I get distracted by all of the things in my life that are of little importance.  Thus I do not seek out others to who I could witness? Do I get out into my neighborhood and meet the neighbors, or do I sit inside working on my computer?


2. The fear of man.  I am more afraid of the rejection and persecution of man than I am the displeasure of the Sovereign Lord of the Universe.  Do I speak the truths of the Gospel to my neighbor or co-worker or do I, out of the fear of man, hold back lest they think I am weird.  Of course they already think I am weird with eleven kids.


3. I am lazy.  I would rather sit and rest than take the time that is required to get to know my neighbor.

May God grant us the Grace to take the Gospel into the uttermost parts of the earth, including the guy in the next office at work!