whys are wise

Awhile back I heard a clip on Way of the Master Radio. This clip was a montage of witness encounters, where people professed to know Christ as a savior, but could not explain what they were saved from. this worries me; that we church goers and pastors care more about how to life a more Christian life, than about the setting a solid foundation. Ok, yes, we do need to know the how. But what good is a how if we don’t know the why. I firmly believe that one good why is as good as 20 good hows. E.g. ideal gas law is a why, from that we can understand how refrigeration work, how 4 stroke, 2 stroke, and diesel engines work, how planes fly, how the weather works, and many more things. So, why is it that so many churches only teach sermons like “how to live a faith full life”, “how to be a better you”, “how to have peace in your life”, and ect. Alright, so that is the problem as I see it.

So why do we need to fix it. So people can have a solid foundation; so they can answer the question “what did Christ save you from?”. I know, it’s hard to understand, it’s boring, people have heard it before, it doesn’t pull people in off the street. I’ll answer these one at a time. First, “it doesn’t pull people in”, well what good does it do them if they don’t hear the gospel in church. They can just as easily not hear the gospel on the street, and without the all the hypocrisies and impositions. Next, “people have heard it before”, well we are people and we forget. We need to be told over and over. Vince Lombardi in the training can after winning a super bowl the previous year to his professional player “we need to get back to the basics. Gentlemen, this is a football”. Re-hearing the basics is good for the people that have heard it before, but it is even better for the countless number of first time visitors. Thirdly “it’s boring”; boring how can you say that! If it’s boring, you may need to check you conversion. Because, for a Christian there should be nothing more exciting and heart wrenching than to hear that, while we were filthy, rotten, evil, bad, sinful men, that have nothing of any worth and no desire to follow Christ, He died for us. Lastly “it’s hard to understand”, yes, God’s sovereignty and mans responsibility is hard. So is explaining the Trinity in such a way that everyone understands and at the same time no gets confused and believes a heresy. Just because it’s hard doesn’t mean we should not do it.

Hopefully if we all can get back to the basics then we won’t have people like the one in the way of the master montage

“Know your Savior”

How can you have a savior,
When you don’t know what you’re saved from?
You don’t know where you came from.
You don’t know all His names done.

What you lack in wisdom,
You make up in rebellion.
You live a life that’s loathsome.
Read the word and grow some.

All your, good and righteous works,
Are nothing but cow dung
In the nostrils of God’s son.
A stench filling his lungs.

If you want to change this,
You need to be undone.
Realize your sin’s sum.
Get on your knees and pray some.

Repentance is the only way,
So turn your back on where you came from.
This is what His names done.
Bought your salvation.

the poem "Know your savior” is copyrighted by Chris Carey 2008