A Word Of Caution

I'm new to this whole blog thing, but my wife reminds me from time to time to be careful when on my soapbox, so... It's time for a word of caution. Mostly for me, but also to many of you out there in Blogville.

I just read a great post on Joe Thorn's blog, Words of Grace, about contextualization. Joe wrote about the issue of contextualizing the Gospel without watering it down, and how it's easy to speak of contextualization on the mission field, but harder in your own home town.

What caught my eye was the commentary from all of us in Bloggerland congratulating Joe on his great post, and how sad it is that so many Baptists out there are scared of the term "contextualization," and how, unlike us, they just don't understand that contextualization is a good and necessary part of evangelism.

I catch myself thinking the same thoughts from time to time. "Why can't they understand? Don't they get it?" Or a quote from me last Sunday over coffee, "I have to question whether anyone who voted for that resolution really understands the Gospel at all."

But the truth is, to the extent they don't understand the fullness of God's glory and mission, we don't really "get it" either. And I was in the same place theologically not so long ago. And yet God was even then molding me, challenging me to stretch my view of Him and His work. Am I to think that I have reached the pinnacle of grace and maturity, that I have no more to learn? Perish the thought!

Instead, I turn again to Romans 14:1-4, 9-12:

1Accept him whose faith is weak, without passing judgment on disputable matters. 2One man's faith allows him to eat everything, but another man, whose faith is weak, eats only vegetables. 3The man who eats everything must not look down on him who does not, and the man who does not eat everything must not condemn the man who does, for God has accepted him. 4Who are you to judge someone else's servant? To his own master he stands or falls. And he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand.
. . .
9For this very reason, Christ died and returned to life so that he might be the Lord of both the dead and the living. 10You, then, why do you judge your brother? Or why do you look down on your brother? For we will all stand before God's judgment seat. 11It is written:
" 'As surely as I live,' says the Lord,
'every knee will bow before me;
every tongue will confess to God.' " 12So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God."

When God called me and my family to ministry outside of my local church context, it didn't take me long to start judging those who seemed happy to stay right where they were. "Don't they understand that we're called to Go?" I wondered. "Their complacency demonstrates that they just don't get what the Gospel is all about."

Yet the Lord has shown me clearly (and humiliatingly) that I was wrong to judge. In fact, many of the people I dismissed so quickly are right where God wants them to be right now, doing the work He has for them to do, and giving Him glory for it. Their ministry provided the fertile ground through which called called my family to ministry, and is even now calling us to take the Gospel to those far outside our church. Many of the ones I judged, in fact, are right now more spiritually mature than I may ever be.

Don't get me wrong. I'm not saying we ought not debate these things, and strive for the truth, and judge for ourselves which is the best way. But for all of us, especially me, a little humility goes a long way.