Tuesday; December 8

What is the role of the church in today’s society? While it might be tempting to consider this previous question and answer “Well, no duh, it is to preach the gospel of Jesus”, but the point of the question centers around our willingness to do this rather than get distracted by everything else going on in the world. Through the years, Christianity has wrestled with its place in the world – often getting dragged into the political and social arenas – and today’s world is no different. It is easy (and fun) to view the church as a place to argue which candidate most represents us or whether mask-wearing is a religious responsibility or if churches should demand constitutional rights, but we must remember that these are not our primary functions. Do they deserve to be discussed – probably, but they are not the function of the Lord’s Church! That focus should go hand-in-hand with our Lord and Leader’s comment, “For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.” (Luke 19:10).
Getting lost in the maze of worldly opportunities has a tendency to dilute our message and distract us from our mission. If we want to delve into these other issues, let’s do so with an understanding that our main function is to preach the saving message of salvation to a lost and dying world. When we keep that in mind, our priorities should fall into place.

Think About It!

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