Readings for today: 2 Kings 8:1-9:13, Acts 16:16-40, Psalms 143, Proverbs 17:26
“And when they had brought them to the magistrates, they said, "These men are Jews, and they are disturbing our city. They advocate customs that are not lawful for us as Romans to accept or practice." (Acts 16:20-21)
The gospel is disruptive. It confronts as much as it comforts. It stirs up as much as it calms down. It incites conflict as much as it brings peace. The Bible calls it a “two-edged sword.” Jesus warns us it will cause division. Setting family members against one another. Good friends. Whole communities. It forces us to face ourselves. Face our fears. Face our failures. It forces us to make a choice between Jesus and Self. Submission or sedition. Surrender or rebellion.
Preaching. Teaching. Living the gospel will set you at odds with our culture today. One could easily reframe the verse above to say, “And when they had brought them to the judge, they said, “These people are Christians and they are disturbing our city. They advocate a way of life that is bigoted, hateful, deceptive, and not lawful for us as Americans to accept or practice.” The Bible commands us to deny ourselves. Our culture celebrates Self as the new god. The Bible condemns greed, pride, lust, and ambition. Our culture monetizes them. The Bible teaches us to surrender and submit. Our culture teaches us to resist and rebel. The Bible demands that we love our enemies. Our culture demands that we demonize them. The Bible roots human freedom in the practice of forgiveness and grace. Our culture enslaves through rage, anger, and vengeance.
Paul is on his way to pray. He soon notices a young woman following him. She lives in terrible torment. Oppressed and possessed by demons. She is enslaved. Rather than care for her, her community uses her for monetary gain. They pay her to divine the future and her owners reap the profits. Then one day she meets Paul. She can’t help herself. There’s something about him that is different. Attractive. So she follows him around for days. The evil spirit lurking within her recognizes the Spirit of Christ that lives in Paul. She starts shouting to all who would hear her, “These men are servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to you the way of salvation.” Perhaps wanting to keep a lower profile, Paul finally gets exacerbated and casts the demon out. Now the trouble begins. Her owners have just lost their business. A significant source of their revenue. And Paul is just one man. What will happen if Christianity sweeps the city? Won’t it turn their whole world upside down?
Make no mistake. The gospel is personal but it is not private. It impacts communities, villages, towns, cities, and nations. It influences politics and societal norms. Paul will later tell the Corinthians that the gospel tears down everything that sets itself up against the knowledge of God. He will tell the Romans that the gospel is the power of God. And this same power is alive and well even today. The gospel confronts how we think about human sexuality. Wealth accumulation. The projection of military power. The gospel confronts how we think about the crisis on the border. The rise of white nationalism. The way we weaponize false information and lies to our own political benefit. The gospel confronts how we think about the environment. Family systems. The value of human life from the womb to the tomb. In short, the gospel penetrates and permeates every corner of society seeking to reshape and reform to the glory of God.
What difference does the gospel make in your life? In your relationships? In the way you vote? In the public policies you support? In the candidates you endorse? Where has the gospel disrupted you? Where is it currently challenging you? What implications does this hold for the way you live? “Do not be conformed to the patterns of this world but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” (Romans 12:2)
Readings for tomorrow: 2 Kings 9:14-10:31, Acts 17, Psalms 144, Proverbs 17:27-28