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“When Bad Christians Happen to Good People” First in Series on Wesley’s Rules Sermon Transcript for November 9, 2008 By Pastor Andy Kinsey
Do No Harm
Prayer of Preparation O God, may your Holy Spirit open our hearts and minds to your Word of truth as we share in the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. The Message When bad Christians happen to good people… Years ago a famous book appeared entitled When Bad Things Happen to Good People by Rabbi Harold Kushner. It was a best seller, and it sold millions of copies. In the book, Rabbi Kushner wrote about some of the deepest problems we face as human beings when we experience pain and suffering in our lives. He wrote about his own suffering and about how he dealt with the pain and loss of his own son. It is still a popular book, and if you haven’t read it, I recommend it highly. But what would a book entitled When Bad Christians Happen to Good People say? Any thoughts? Has anyone here had an experience with bad Christians? What happens when Christians go ‘bad’? This morning Pastor Bob and I begin a three week series on a topic that many in United Methodist Churches are discussing and learning more about these days: The General Rules Many in this church have studied the General Rules, and many more across the church are turning to them (again). In fact, if you would like to know more about them yourself, I would invite you to pick up a copy of this little brown book by Bishop Reuben Job in the Lobby. Here, you will find a short introduction to a beautiful way of life grounded in God’s love in Christ.
If you don’t come out of the Methodist tradition, or if you are new to the United Methodist Church, it may be worth noting that the General Rules have a long history. John Wesley, the leader of the Methodists, understood a strong connection between the gospel and the moral life. In fact, it is worth remembering that in 1739 the Methodists adopted the General Rules as a condition of membership in the societies. When a person joined the Methodists bands, the condition of membership was simple: All one had to do was to exhibit a sincere desire to flee from the wrath to come and to be saved from one’s sins. This desire in turn would be made manifest in a moral commitment which was at once negative and positive: On the one hand, the person joining would cease to do harm, refraining from evil of every kind – e.g., taking the Lord’s name in vain, fighting, gossip, owning and selling slaves, to name a few. On the other hand, the person joining the Methodists would agree to do all the good he or she could, doing good of every possible sort, and as far as possible, to everybody – Doing all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, at the times you can, in all the places you can, to all the people you can, as long as you ever can – e.g., giving food to the hungry, clothing the naked, visiting the sick, helping those in prison, sharing with others, reaching out to the poor, to name a few. In terms of the Christian life, I believe this was (and is) a very sane and astute way to highlight the inner harmony between Christian experience, as captured by conversion and new birth, and outward behavior, as directed toward the love of neighbor. Surely, Wesley and the early Methodists were right to insist on this as a minimal condition of membership! Transition Now, I share that bit of information to say that, no matter the period of history, and no matter the group, there has always been a challenge in the church to align ‘right belief’ with ‘right action’; there is always the challenge to have consistency between what I say as a Christian and what I do as a Christian, between Christ’s teaching and my living. Every effort to renew or reform the church has, in some way, always focused on this truth, always trying to refine or capture the heart of the Christian faith. In fact, we could read the Scriptures as the struggle to live according to God’s will, as God’s people miss the mark here and get it right there, or fall short there and behave well here. It has always been a struggle. But what happens when the people who say they follow Christ don’t act and speak in ways that are in keeping with Christ? When then? Perhaps you have seen the bumper sticker that says “Jesus, save me from your followers!” It is a subtle reminder that we are not always the people we say we are when we follow Jesus. As one of your pastors, I know I have heard my share of stories in churches with Christians who have gone ‘bad,’ and I know Pastor Bob could share story upon story as well, of what happens when good fruit becomes sour grapes. There is a sense of disappointment when Christians don’t practice what Jesus taught. Growing up I always heard ‘religious’ folks described as being ‘good’ Christians. And yet, when they messed up, I always heard something like “and he was supposed to be such a good Christian.” And as I a young person I always wondered why they just didn’t come out and say he was a ‘bad Christian’ like someone was a ‘bad student’ or a ‘bad soccer player.’ I guess people thought that ‘bad’ and ‘Christian’ were mutually exclusive. I like what C. S. Lewis writes in Mere Christianity when he says that “When a man who accepts the Christian doctrine lives unworthily of it, it is much easier to say he is a bad Christian than to say he is not a Christian at all.” I think it is in keeping with what we shared last week with respect to Peter and Paul. They were not always exemplary followers of Christ, and yet, they were believers. We read this throughout the New Testament: almost all the letters of Paul were directed to churches that were having a difficult time behaving in ways consistent with the love-ethic of Jesus. In fact, have you ever wondered why the writers of the New Testament
– e.g., Luke, Peter, John, Matthew – speak so much about love?
This is certainly the case in our passage from Galatians: The churches in Galatia were divided into different parties – one party believed that persons must be circumcised before becoming a Christian, another party believed the law no longer had authority, still another group did not want to give up the habits of their pagan background. The conflict was quite intense. There was quite a bit of back-biting and arguing. Paul writes in Chapter 5 that they were all missing the point. The issue, according to Paul, is that God does not want to us live according to our sinful nature, but rather serve one another in love (5:13b). God calls us to be free (5:13a). In fact, Paul writes, “The entire law can be summed up in a single command: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ If you keep on biting and devouring each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other” (Gal. 5:14-15). Reflection: Commentary wonder what would have happened if the Galatians would have practiced the first General Rule: Do no harm? I wonder what would happen if more Christians today would adopt the first Rule: Do no harm? What kind of change would we see in church, or between churches, or between different Christian groups, not to mention between believers and non-believers and different religions…? How would we act differently? I don’t know if any of you have been hurt by legalism, or moralism, or judgmentalism in the church. And I don’t know if you have known someone who has been wounded by the occasional friendly-fire or emotional drive-by shooting that can take place when a church or a leader goes off course. The wounds can last a long time. It is true that many people stay away from the church or leave the church because of a bad experience, or because they have, or someone they know has been injured. It is not easy during those difficult moments. Certainly, no one is immune. There is no such thing as a church that does not miss the mark in some way – e.g., United Methodist, Roman Catholic, Independent Christian, Baptist, etc. I would be surprised to hear of a church that has it all together, that doesn’t make a mistake. And yet, what we hope to share over these next few weeks is that if we can spend hours, days, and even weeks dabbling in our favorite hobbies, or watching our favorite TV shows, or developing our favorite sports skill, then surely we should be able to squeeze out a little time when we get up in the morning to understand Christ’s claims on our lives and what they mean – regardless of our experiences with other Christians. I can remember so clearly what my parents shared with me as a teenager before I would walk out the door on a date or to spend time with friends: “It doesn’t matter what others are doing or how they are acting; what matters is how YOU are acting and what YOU are doing. Others acting badly doesn’t mean you act badly!” In other words, this is how you are to act, regardless of how others act. Now, this is hard. It is difficult to look past the actions of some and focus on Christ and live a faithful life, without becoming moralistic or judgmental. It is difficult to live a Christ-like life when others are not. For example, I am sure – in fact, I know – I have hurt folks, both knowingly and unknowingly. I know I have said and done things I have regretted. And I have also been on the other end, receiving a few blows or two. Not always Christ-like, to be sure. As Christians, we can do some indefensible things to one another. And yet, we can also do some amazingly wonderful things to one another! . We have an amazing capacity to support one another and yet, hurt one another. We can take the Bible and share the love of Christ, work for justice, and show compassion, but we can also take the Bible and use it as a weapon to pound our message into the heads of others. I can’t begin to tell you how many times I have been accosted by a ‘Bible Believing’ Christians. I haven’t pressed charges yet, but I’m close. Show me you care and understand before hitting me with the Bible! Take time pray with me and listen to me before, telling me how I ‘lost’ or ‘unspiritual’ I am if I don’t pray or believe. The entire law is summed up with a single command: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ How do I live the Christian faith without doing damage to my neighbor? Closing Remarks Do you remember the movie Field of Dreams? In that movie, the character played by Kevin Costner keepings having a vision about building a baseball field. And during the film Costner keeps hearing a voice say, “If you build it, they will come.” I believe it’s a voice similar to what I keep hearing that says, “If we live as God’s people, following Christ’s loving rule, in the presence of the Spirit, others will come. And they will see. And they will hear.” They will come and they will see the goodness of the Lord lived out in this place at this time, and they will hear the glad tidings of salvation. They will come and they see how Christ’s followers love one another and turn to God’s Word, and they will hear what is good and pleasing in God’s sight. That’s how people come and believe. Amen! E-mail Comments to: Pastor Andy Kinsey
Copyright Grace United Methodist Church.
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