"Preach on. Speak to issues of fundamental importance--like world view. Younger Christians more acutely feel the tension between the confession of Scripture and the mindset of the twenty-first century. Preaching on the underlying causes for this tension [e.g., world view] rather than railing against the symptoms [homosexuality, gender issues, cohabitation, etc.] would, I think, ring true and be very appealing for those who think the Church is there simply to say 'no' all the time." Quotation from an article I recently read from Concordia Technology Solutions.
It comes up in discussion when I visit with people. I hear it on Sundays following worship. Recently, when I requested input for stories from the Bible that people wanted to hear more about, I not only received the stories, but specific things that people were looking for from the stories. I've had discussions about the importance of preaching on 'the issues of the day', with a good number of people having an honest question and desire to hear what God has to say about many of the things we face in our daily lives.
Now, I could make far more out of this than I should. However, the quotation above from a "Millenial" shows us something of vital importance when it comes to the Christian faith and our proclamation of it. In essence, what this young person points out is that our Christian focus truly impacts our lives when we focus on the "underying cause" rather than the "symptoms."
Okay, so what does that mean? Let me use an example. A little over a year ago, our nation was rocked when the Supreme Court "legalized" marriage between people of like gender. Like many, I heard a fervent plea to preach on what the Scripture says about marriage. A good request, to be sure. However, given the context, such a reaction is addressing the symptom rather than the underlying cause. The symptom (homosexual marriage and all its accompanying issues) took on a priority over the underlying cause (a world fallen in sin and in need of redemption) in the eyes and minds of many.
Preaching on the symptom rarely drives us to the cure. Usually, what happens instead is that those who do not condone or practice the symptom feel better about their lack of sin in that area, and they develop a tendency to look down on those who either practice it or condone it. In other words, preaching on the symptom can often lead us to be more secure in our own righteousness and seeing others as less "deserving" of God's grace in Christ Jesus.
Preaching to the disease, though, gets to the heart of the problem of the entire human race. Once we realize that the issue isn't the symptom, but rather, the underlying cause, now we find ourselves standing at the same place with those who condone or practice the sin. We stand at the foot of the cross with them, as people who do not perfectly reflect God's desire for our lives, and who would be at His judgment if not for the mercy God shows in Jesus and His carrying our sin in His own body on the cross. Rather than looking down on them, we are then more likely to stand with them, looking up to the One who redeems them and us, and wanting them to receive the same gifts that we have received.
I find it utterly fascinating that so many young people in our day and age are looking much more fervently at the heart of what our problem as humans is, and are not content to merely look at the symptoms. When we look at that underlying cause and disease, that great gift of God in Jesus becomes so much more precious to us, and something of far greater value for us to share.
It comes up in discussion when I visit with people. I hear it on Sundays following worship. Recently, when I requested input for stories from the Bible that people wanted to hear more about, I not only received the stories, but specific things that people were looking for from the stories. I've had discussions about the importance of preaching on 'the issues of the day', with a good number of people having an honest question and desire to hear what God has to say about many of the things we face in our daily lives.
Now, I could make far more out of this than I should. However, the quotation above from a "Millenial" shows us something of vital importance when it comes to the Christian faith and our proclamation of it. In essence, what this young person points out is that our Christian focus truly impacts our lives when we focus on the "underying cause" rather than the "symptoms."
Okay, so what does that mean? Let me use an example. A little over a year ago, our nation was rocked when the Supreme Court "legalized" marriage between people of like gender. Like many, I heard a fervent plea to preach on what the Scripture says about marriage. A good request, to be sure. However, given the context, such a reaction is addressing the symptom rather than the underlying cause. The symptom (homosexual marriage and all its accompanying issues) took on a priority over the underlying cause (a world fallen in sin and in need of redemption) in the eyes and minds of many.
Preaching on the symptom rarely drives us to the cure. Usually, what happens instead is that those who do not condone or practice the symptom feel better about their lack of sin in that area, and they develop a tendency to look down on those who either practice it or condone it. In other words, preaching on the symptom can often lead us to be more secure in our own righteousness and seeing others as less "deserving" of God's grace in Christ Jesus.
Preaching to the disease, though, gets to the heart of the problem of the entire human race. Once we realize that the issue isn't the symptom, but rather, the underlying cause, now we find ourselves standing at the same place with those who condone or practice the sin. We stand at the foot of the cross with them, as people who do not perfectly reflect God's desire for our lives, and who would be at His judgment if not for the mercy God shows in Jesus and His carrying our sin in His own body on the cross. Rather than looking down on them, we are then more likely to stand with them, looking up to the One who redeems them and us, and wanting them to receive the same gifts that we have received.
I find it utterly fascinating that so many young people in our day and age are looking much more fervently at the heart of what our problem as humans is, and are not content to merely look at the symptoms. When we look at that underlying cause and disease, that great gift of God in Jesus becomes so much more precious to us, and something of far greater value for us to share.
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