The Right Thing, Not Just the Safe Thing
Deep within each of us, there is a drive to do the right thing, not just the safe thing.
Christianity has been beset with doing the safe thing, not the right thing. I don’t want to be a downer nor look only on the dark side. In fact, I’m quite certain there is a new surge of faithfulness at work in the American church today. There is a hunger for God, a passion to follow His ways, and commitment to do whatever it takes to break the mold of mediocre Christianity and step into lifestyles of transformational activity. But this is so essential because we HAVE been playing it safe for way too long.
Churches have been too easily pleased with their routines of predictable programs, mundane methods, and meeting their budgets. These, in fact, have been the primary goal of so many churches. And in the clutter of all this Churchianity, I hear the echo of Jesus voice, “Make disciples.” Fundamental to every church, foundational in the life of every believer is this clarion call to be witnesses so that more and more people can know Jesus.
It’s uncomfortable.
It takes courage to actually do this.
It’s not the safe thing, but it IS the right thing.
It takes courage to face the truth about ourselves, both individually and as a church. It takes courage to say, “I have failed to act upon Jesus command to get this done while He’s gone.” It takes courage to step out of our safe zones into the war zones of Kingdom building.
And the church has reinforced the fact, way too often, that it’s OK to be good, nice, uncontroversial, silent, passive, and irrelevant about evangelism. And the church has not done a good job at helping people understand God’s heart and determination on this matter. And the church has failed to succeed at training people to be courageous, loving, and effective witnesses of Jesus.
We are doing better these days at Edinbrook, but we still have a long way to go. We will keep working at it, following God’s lead, depending on His Spirit.
Let us do the right thing, not just the safe thing…
Pastor –
Thank you for these words. They hit the mark!
The Bible is full of people who did not live in fear and were willing to be different…because it is God who called them to that…to not be safe but to do what is right.
Blessings on your day.