Half of the Truth

Last week one of my friends turned me on to an article that just came out from the Barna Group.  The nutshell of the article is that the majority of Christians, or around half, believe in God, but don’t belive in Satan.  They also don’t believe in hell.  When asked if they believed the Bible was absolutely true, about 1/3 said no, and about another 1/3 said maybe.  Staggering.  A large chunk also questioned if the Holy Spirit was real or figurative.  Wow.  Here’s a link to the article:

http://www.barna.org/barna-update/article/12-faithspirituality/260-most-american-christians-do-not-believe-that-satan-or-the-holy-spirit-exis

I printed off this article and brought it to our discipleship class yesterday.  We are on a week that focuses in on The Word.  The Bible’s truth.  How it relates to us.  How we can trust it.  And how it’s our guide/rules for engagement for life.  Here’s the interesting part of the conversation:

“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness.  So that the man of God may be thouroughly equipped for every good work.”  2 Timothy 3:16

I have this verse memorized.  I’ve known it for years.  I’ve taught on it.  Probably preached on it.  But I think with my bent lately on looking outside the box for where God is and what He wants to teach me, I’m noticing something.  There are four ways God’s word prepares us for every good work.  Not one or two.  Think about it.  We lean on the “teaching and training” parts of this verse.  We say, “Yes, the Bible is great for teaching me how to live.”  Which is true.  But it seems to me that there are three other ways it helps us grow up.  Two that we rarely see.

Where have rebuking and correcting gone?

I’m trying to process this through.  Why don’t people rebuke or correct?  I’m talking only about within the body of Christ.  In our church, at least.  Care to wager a guess?  As I’m processing this through, I think it starts with a few reasons:

• We’re ashamed of our own sin
• We don’t know how
• We’re afraid of what will happen
• It’s not taught or modeled for us at any level
• We’re not open to anyone “telling us what to do”.  We’re not mature.

These are real, but they are real excuses.  Lies really.  From the person who half of Christianity doesn’t believe in.  Satan.  My buddy Joel Maust wrote that it’s no surprise people don’t experience victory in their walk with Jesus.  If you don’t belive in the bad guy, where’s the battle?

• Rebuking and correcting seems to be one of those ancient things.  Not relevant for today.  We’re all fine.  You don’t get into my business and I won’t get into yours.  Rebuking and correcting are messy.  So it’s best we stay away from them.
• I can’t rebuke or correct anyone because I have stuff in my own life.  I have to be perfect first.  Nope.  Wrong answer.
• I don’t know how so I won’t try.  Nope.  Wrong answer.  Study it in Scripture.  Seek out a wise mentor to find the answers.  Sounds lazy to me.
• I’m afraid if I do say something, it will upset the apple cart of my relationships.  Yep.  It may.  What do you value?  Right relationship or easy?
• It’s not taught or modeled.  This is a hard one.  If leadership doesn’t model or value this, doing it becomes hard.  No answers on this other than going outside the box.  Maybe outside the local church.  Find someone who smells and looks like Jesus.  Listen and do what they say.  Pretty soon (like 20 years maybe), the ethos may leak in.
• We’re not open.  Yeah.  Maturity is a tough thing.  Heck, I’m not mature.  But lack of maturity is not an excuse.  If you can’t receive rebuking or correcting, done in the right spirit and with love, God needs to do work.  Living in a vaccuum where everyone tells you you are right and doesn’t challenge you to grow will kill you.  Literally.

I don’t know if I’m weird or not, but I don’t think I mind being rebuked or corrected.  By people I trust who’ve earned the right.  By people who care about me and the Kingdom.  I want people to speak into my life and challenge me.  It’s the only way I grow. That happens when I place myself in front of people in authentic relationships.  Which are hard to come by these days.

Last night I was Online with one of my professors.  A class I’m not too into.  But she is making me want to love the class by her leadership.  Also, because she’s raised the bar and challenged me to publish an article and speak at a conference.  She’s pushing me beyond me.  Joel Miller did the same when training for the mini.  We need to do the same in our spiritual journey.

Until the body of Christ can do all four, we’re not operating the way we should.  The result will be what Barna reported.  Immaturity.  Untruth.  And really for many, death.  Harsh I know.  I wonder when we’ll step up to the plate and shake up the apple cart.  How much time do we have left to play around?