Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which on the outside look beautiful, but inside they are full of the bones of the dead and of all kinds of filth. So you also on the outside look righteous to others, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness. (Mt 23:27-28 NRSV)
This passage has always been interesting to me. It's part of the 7 woes Jesus describes to the "religious" of the day. I've acted as a Pharisee myself from time to time. Odds are, my local church contains people with Pharisaical attitudes. Yours? The same.
Ed Stetzer has a great interview here with Kary Oberbrunner in regards to Christianity and Culture. It's worth checking out. Let me know what you think.
What's the role of the Church within culture?
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4 comments:
Crowm,
It's good to have that in Scripture, and we need every part to help us get a full view of what God sees and how God responds to that, and how in Christ there can be a difference.
You're right Ted. And I think Oberbrunner makes some great points when it comes to the Church being in the world but not of the world.
I don't think you will be surprised by my answer here. I think that our role as the Body of Christ is to set a table for Jesus, The Host. Our job is to prepare His table, send out the invitations, and serve His guests. Invitattions go out to anyone and everyone. Friends, family, and complete strangers come to His table, break bread, hear the Good News, and encourage one another towards obedience to Him. Dinner conversation includes, prayer, confession, and discussion about His words and His actions, and how we can become more like Him. We gather, are centered in Him, and are transformed by Him. We no longer do missional things, but we actually become missional people, because our Host is. Might sound oversimplified, but that is my picture of our role as the Body of Christ. Gather together with our Host and be transformed!
Hey Cheryl, welcome back!
I don't think it's oversimplified at all. You have encapsulated what it means to be the church. Very wise. Thanks.
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