The world loves to laugh at Christians. They don’t understand living for a purpose greater than ourselves. When we, Christ’s followers, step out and make our intentions front and center, unbelievers are quick to poke fun at our inconsistencies, failures and sometimes outright hypocrisy. For me, this is a problem.
I would rather fail while daring greatly than give up and live a mediocre life. Yet shooting myself in the foot with a lifestyle that is more about rules than Christ, or living in oblivious hypocrisy isn’t my definition of becoming more like Christ. Transformation can be messy, and I’m not talking about perfection. But too often, I give myself permission to be less than I can be, less than I’m called to be because my example, Jesus’ life and character, seems too high to reach.
Recently Pastor Mark Driscoll has been under fire. I admire Pastor Mark, and would likely be part of his church if I lived on the left coast. He’s a highly visible preacher, and he makes no room in his preaching for intentional failure. At the same time he’s not perfect, and that’s what the unchurched (and often the worldly believers around him) take pleasure in proclaiming.
But enough back-story.
Pastor Mark, under fire for strident preaching and some questionable choices regarding marketing his recent book, did something that other high profile preachers should take note of, and any Christ-follower can learn from. He issued a public apology, repenting for decisions made in the heat of the moment, with lack of complete information, and under the pressure of leading a swiftly growing church and family. He didn’t make excuses. He publically apologized for those he may have hurt directly, and those for whom he set an un-Christ-like example indirectly.
Integrity. Accountability. Humility. Honor and Honesty. We throw these terms around in our churches and Sunday school rooms. Mark – Thank you for demonstrating them. Thank you for showing us what it looks like to follow Christ, for being committed to becoming more like Him.
If you haven’t read Pastor Mark’s letter, you can find it here.
His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire. For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Peter 1.3-8, ESV)
What do you think? What does it look like to live like Christ in a fallen world?
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