How to Stay Relevant with an Irrelevant Message

Getting deeper, farther, and yes, into more complex theology will
be more helpful than diving to the bottom of all the troubles of
the average high schooler.

The quest for relevance consumes us all. Nobody wants to be the one out of the loop on what everyone's talking about. At a party sports-haters learn enough about the playoffs so they can name drop like they just checked TSN, the IMDB reminds of that actress who was just in that movie, and in the church we love to analyze the 'issues of today' before we address our listeners. Sit down with a youth pastor and talk about the New Reformed movement or dispensationalism, and you've lost him, but starting talking about dealing with depressions, and he's right with you, remembering that phrase he's been repeating to his youth over the last year, 'breathe deep, smile and keep dancing.' If you were to make a list of everything you thought teens were struggling with today – pornography, cutting, depression...you'll have just made the sermon topic list for the last month at the average city church youth meeting. And who can blame them? No one wants to put their audience to sleep.

This is a far-cry difference from the fiery baptist preachers we remember from fifty years ago who strode into the pulpit with a big Bible, booming voice and an opinionated stance on deep theological issues that caused arguments, church divisions and a host of bitter feelings. But perhaps it is this 'deeper theology' and not the work to be relevant that is going to help us address our issues. All the psychologists and counselors in the world might have great advice but for all their years of experience, they have nothing to compare to Scripture, which is, “breathed out by God” (2 Timothy 3:16).

This means that even the most well targeted talks to the most relevant of issues will never be as profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, or for training in righteousness as some old-fashioned Biblical theology. You want to give your young people something that meets them right where they're at? Give them something real. Give them something living. Give them something sharper than a two edged sword that pierces to the division of joint and marrow. Getting deeper, farther, and, yes, into more complex theology will be more helpful than diving to the bottom of all that troubles the average high schooler. Discipleship means bringing them further in, not coming out to where they are.

I think of the words of Charles Spurgeon,

“I am quite certain that, if God had not chosen me, I should never have chosen Him; and I am sure He chose me before I was born, or else He never would have chosen me afterwards; and He must have elected me for reasons unknown to me, for I never could find any reason in myself why He should have looked upon me with special love.”

It's a weighty encouragement written in layman's terms, but rooted in theology. Working with someone trapped in depression, self-loathing or looking for love? Here's a Calvinistic exegesis of Ephesians 1 that answers their questions. He's writing on the doctrine of election with an understanding of human depravity. It's all those daunting subjects you looked at in seminary but never thought of teaching your teens. It's the kind of Biblical theology they need.

So the next time someone starts talking Hollywood and you have to google that actor, don't worry, we're all irrelevant on some subject. But when your young people wander up to you with scars three feet deep, wrapped in baggage and shame. Don't start talking about scars, baggage or shame. Reach for your Bible. Talk about what God says about God. Talk about what God says about us. Talk about how exactly the cross works and why. When depression hits, 'He predestined us for adoption' (Eph 1:5) will be a far better rock to stand on than 'breathe deep, smile and keep dancing.'

Interested in more?

Several months ago on this blog we wrote about the correct way to deal with self-esteem issues.

You can check that out here.

How to Live In Peace With Others

For most people 'turning the other cheek' would be easier for a physical attack than an emotional or verbal one. It is a natural human instinct to retaliate, to defend ourselves, to justify our decisions. Unity is a necessity - we are to be “eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit” (Eph 4:3). Yet when someone brings an accusation against us that strikes too close to home – they accuse our personal work, our ministry, our families – we leap to arms to defend our decisions.

We just celebrated Easter, and I see something fascinating in Jesus' actions before he went to the cross. As He is accused He is 'silent' (Mark 14:61). As He is beaten, He says not a word. As He is mocked, He gives no response. I think there is something for us to learn in all of this.

I'm sure you can well picture the tense and awkward moment in the church service as an elder carefully explains to the congregation why they chose to excommunicate a member. Someone in the third row leaps to their feet, shouting about grace and love and wanting anyone who wanders in off the street to feel accepted. The elder turns red and begins to stammer an explanation and thumb quickly for Corinthians to defend his position. In the same spot, we would doubtless all do the same – try to explain, to reason, to justify to correct – most quickly when we know the accuser is incorrect.

But this isn't what Jesus did. He bowed his head, He listened, and “he gave him no answer, not even to a single charge, so that the governor was greatly amazed” (Mat 27:14). Why? Because Jesus is the 'Prince of Peace' (Isa 9:6) and conflict requires two sides. If we were to open His mouth, He would have started a war. Now, Jesus was no stranger to conflict (overturning tables), and I certainly don't stand for ministers allowing their doctrine to be trampled. There's a time to fight, but here's the bottom line – the easiest way to avoid conflict is usually to shut your mouth. To give no response. To listen.

And sometimes, and this is the hardest part – you'll have to issue an apology for something that you weren't in the wrong for. And why is that so hard? Because humility is hard. But every good leader will find at some point or another that being a good leader means taking the flack and backlash not only for their own decisions, but for those that they are leading. Which means shutting our mouths, biting our tongues, listening and humbly accepting blame that shouldn't be ours. And isn't that exactly what Jesus did?

Shutting our mouths, biting our tongues
listening and humbly accepting blame...
Isn't that exactly what Jesus did?

We look to our Savior the one of whom it was written, “He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth” (Isa 53:7). The accusations against Jesus were false, unjustified and from men whose wicked hearts He could clearly see.

So often a pastor must look to the Prince of Peace as he hears a list of unjustified criticisms towards his church. The worship leader must follow the Lamb's example as he hears all the problems with his music style. The congregation member must mimic to the Son of God before Pilate in order to maintain unity among brothers. The Christian in the work force must remember Jesus stripped and beaten as he listens to the mocking laugh of his coworkers.

Silent, cheek turned, the Christian experiences perhaps the most practical example of having a crucified self as He looks to His Savior's model of humility.

The Cross is All that Matters

Twisted and mangled corpses hung, lining the road on either side as Paul entered the city, pen in hand. Crosses stretched in every direction along Rome's famous roadways, reminding people not to lie, steal or murder lest they suffer the same.

Paul sat down and began to pen the words of his letter, “For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing,” (1 Cor 1:18) we must remember how familiar (and disgusted) his readers were with crucifixion. Historical accounts suggest many roads were lined with thousands of crucifixions. Men were beaten beyond recognition, often with tongues cut out, hanging above piles of their own waste as they took days to die. For all the crucifixions that took place, very little is actually written about crosses – it seems to be too vulgar, too repulsive a subject for good citizens to pay any regard to. No one wanted to hear about it.

It's no surprise then, that Paul says, “we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles” (1 Cor 1:23). I don't understand much about literature, but I know that this is not how you want to present your hero – identified with criminals, ridiculed by the masses and then hung naked to die. Yet Paul sees no other message of equal importance but “decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified” (1 Cor 2:2). He was “not ashamed” (Rom 1:16), but “the gospel I preached to you” which was “of first importance” was that “Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures” (1 Cor 15:1-3) and “we have now been justified by his blood” (Rom 5:9). Paul had no issue with talking about the offence of the cross, but he came to preach it simply (1 Cor 1:17), without removing its offence (Gal 5:11) and boasted only in the cross (Gal 6:14).

Why then, would we have the right to preach on anything else? There is no gospel without a cross. There is no salvation without the propitiating penal substitution of the man on the tree. I do not know how many times I have heard a message in a church that did not include a description of the cross and seen people invited to 'accept the gospel of Jesus.' Dear friends, a gospel without a cross is no gospel at all.

The cross is at the centre of our message, regardless of what people want to hear. You can preach on love, forgiveness, self-esteem, freedom from cutting, pornography, depression, anxiety, God's work in cultural transformation, social justice, or the end times, but if the cross is not at the centre of your message, you have presented no gospel at all. As Greg Gilbert once put it,

“If you preach a sermon, or write a chapter on the good news of the kingdom, but neglect to talk about the cross, you've not preached good news at all. You've just shown people a wonderful thing that they have no right to be a part of because they are sinners.”¹

It's like this – you see a man step into a church for the first time harbouring a lot of resentment, so much so that his life is being consumed, his health wavers, his hair is falling out. So you stand up and Sunday and preach about the freedom of forgiving others - about letting go of bitterness. Just stop and consider – why do we forgive others? “Forgiving one another, as Christ in God forgave you” (Eph 4:32). What enables us to forgive? “But the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, patience...those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh” (Gal 5:24). Why do we forgive? Because he forgave us. How do we forgive? By identifying with his death. You see? You preach to an unsaved man about forgiveness but do not mention the cross, you have invited him to be a part of something he has no part in.

The cross is the only way into the kingdom. We happen to live in a day when people do not want to hear about a wrath-absorbing substitution on a tree. That doesn't mean we look for other ways to entice people further into church culture or Christian living. The cross remains as the only way into the kingdom. Preach it proudly – it offended Paul's listeners too.

“But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.” (Gal 6:12)

1. Don't Call it a Comeback. DeYoung, Kevin p. 78