CATCH OR CLEAN ‘EM FIRST?

James Emory White wrote in his blog (Oct. 7, 2013, Vol. 9, No. 80) we need to keep “First Things First”. He emphasized the need to bring people into a saving relationship with Jesus first, and then we start the process of transformation leading to a fully devoted follower of Christ. Why bring up a topic like this? Because we have far too many churches who feel these people of the world need to come up to certain standards before we can allow them into the Kingdom of God (meaning our tight-knit little Christian family).

The Act comes before the Process, and conversion does not equal completion. You cannot shape someone into the image of Christ if that person has never met Christ. The words of Jesus to the rich, young man summarize the steps every individual must take to have that special relationship with him. (Mark 10:17-22) Rather than following all the right rules, a follower of Christ must eliminate everything that stands between him and Christ. “Sell all that you have and give it to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come and follow me.” When we remove the idols from our lives, then we can freely follow Jesus and begin the process of replacing our idols with Christ. How many of our church members would have been able to follow through on Jesus’ command?

The Apostle Paul provides a valuable insight, “If any man be in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away, and see, all things have become new.” (II Corinthians 5:17) New creation leads to becoming Christlike. It is a lifelong journey that involves commitment. The beginning, however, is a point of confrontation with the Living Lord. Only then can there be a lifestyle change that is heart deep.

Before Zacchaeus met Jesus (Luke 19:1-10), he was recognized as a Rome collaborating tax collector. He was under suspicion of taking more money from the people than he was due. No one could question what he did because he had the full authority of the Roman government behind him.

Yet after one meal with Jesus, Zacchaeus was ready to give away half of his possessions to the poor and make restitution to all whom he may have defrauded. That is what happens when Jesus says I want you in my company. After you have learned from me, you will start behaving in a new way. You will be a new creature and the old will have disappeared.

Too often our traditional way of allowing people into our group has been through the three step method of adopting proper behavior followed by believing the proper doctrinal statements and concluding with permission to belong. People had to act right (act like us) proving they really wanted to be a part of our group. Once they acted in acceptable ways, then we would teach them the great truths of our faith insuring they were of the right blood line. After they had passed all the tests and shown they were good enough, we allowed them to add their names to the roll and become a member of our family (though often on a probationary basis).

That, however, is not the way we find Jesus doing it in the Gospels. Jesus took risks. Jesus demanded faith. Jesus looked at what people were and saw what they could become. The Jesus Way was asking someone to belong to him and his company. That lead to believing, having faith in what he said was Truth. The result was a life that focused on behaving in a way that honored God and the redeeming love he offered the world.

Jesus called to a smelly bunch of fishermen and said, “Follow me and I will make you fishers of men. Come and be a part of my company. While with me you will learn about the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Then you will know how to behave as a citizen of my Father’s Kingdom, as a child in the Family of God.”

The Sad Loss of Civility

Keeping a civil tongue in your head used to mean not saying something that would otherwise get you into big trouble. Now it would appear that a "civil tongue" is such a rare commodity that few take its absence as any great loss. Thankfully there are a few who have noticed and do raise the issue of "What ever happened to civility".

Several years ago a professor from the Kenan School of Business at UNC-Chapel Hill in an address to the leadership of the Baptist State Convention of NC made the point that the lack of civility would be one of the great challenges of the 21st century. Especially during this election year we have seen his words proven true.

In recent days an opinion piece has been in our local community newspaper, The Pilot, that decried the use of half truths and outright falsifications in the presidential campaigns. From both sides I might add. In his most recent blog posting, James Emery White chose a British slang term "snarky" to describe the tone and verbiage that has characterized much of our public speech. As he said, there is nothing like having a word that sounds just like what it describes.

In his blog White quotes several biblical passages that emphasize the positive of civil speech. Such communication has the power to calm, to heal, to restore, and to reconcile. It also has the power to save your hide from getting burned when you might have otherwise said something totally out of line. A favorite one-liner is "Make sure your words are always soft and sweet just in case you have to eat them."

Civility has its cousins, not only in its root word of "civil", but in the verb civilize and the companion adjective civilized and noun civilization. We have concrete images of what these words convey. We have equally graphic images of what their opposites convey. As we ponder these meanings, we need to make sure we do not confuse uncivilized with simple or primitive. Some of the most civil folks I've met are those who saw people from a very uncomplicated perspective.

A civilized person is noted for qualities such as self-respect and respect for others. A civilized person will have a sense of moral direction that allows for the freedom and moral development of others. A civil person will see her/himself as a part of a greater interdependent whole that functions best for all when all are seen as valued members of that society, or civilization if you will.

A civil person will treat others as he or she would want to be treated. That kind of treatment includes the aforementioned respect, willingness to give the benefit of the doubt and a second chance, and the desire to forgive when a wrong has been committed. A civil person sees the innate value in others and the potential for development that is good both for the individual and society.

Jesus was civil. He was honest, brutally at times. He served instead of demanding to be served. He saw the best in others. He encouraged others to be their best. He offered a way for others to be their best beyond the limitations of this world. Jesus revealed and exemplified a society, a civilization that exceeded the rules of human relationships. His civility created relationships with the Divine and could redeem willing souls for eternity.