THE DESIRE TO BE SOCIALLY ACCEPTED
Dear Friends,
The first draft of every blog I write is written on paper by hand. I do all of my sermon prep in a notebook, writing my notes and comments out by hand. I don’t use a Moleskine book, they are too expensive. I use a “sort of” Moleskine book I can buy cheaply at Costco. I also do almost all of my writing in coffee shops. Every couple of months someone will come and comment that I am writing in a book by hand. The other day someone said that seeing me write by hand had made their day. Then, as usually happens, they asked me what I was writing. I told them I was a pastor at a church and I was working on my sermon. As often happens, a chill fell on the conversation. They stayed polite, but made an exit. In Canada, being a committed Christian is not the path to higher levels of social acceptance. A couple of points.
First, the triune God made human beings to be social beings. This is a simple, but far reaching truth. In this context it means that we naturally want to fit in with others. On one hand, I am used to the reaction I got in the coffee shop. On the other hand, I am not used to it. To be honest I paused a fraction of a second, I suspected that my answer would turn admiration into a chilling disappointment. I would rather be admired.
Telling you I only paused and then went ahead is not said so you will think more or less of me. I share it because we Canadian Christians in 2020 need to walk towards the truth that being a Christian, and becoming a Christian, is not the path to social acceptance and admiration. If we walk towards that truth, then we can pray about it and talk about it honestly and realistically.
Second, if we remember and meditate on the truth, that the triune God made human beings to be social beings, then we can realize more about the shape of redemption, and the shape of how he answers our prayers to be true to Him, bearing witness to Jesus, unashamed of the Gospel. You see, as we are gripped by the Gospel, and the Holy Spirit works more fully in our lives, the Triune God will make us more human, not less. He will free us to be more as He intended us to be. This means He will make us more social, not less. We often pray, hoping that the Lord will take away from us the pain of social rejection. But He made us to be social, so He won’t take being social out of us. So on one hand, I have bad news for you. As you become more like Jesus, you will feel more keenly social rejection. The Lord will not make you unfeeling. That is not the direction of sanctification.
Third, because we are made to be social, it also means that we can stand far easier when we stand with another. The Gospel tells us that when we ask Jesus to be our Saviour and Lord, He says “yes”. He enters you. You enter Him. Your grip on Him may get weak. His grip on you will never waver. Others may abandon you. He will never abandon you. He is “the man of sorrows and acquainted with grief”. He was rejected. He was tempted in every way, just like you, but unlike you, He never sinned by giving in to the temptation. That means He endured the temptation until the temptation ran out of steam. So when we pray for help to stand, the Lord will not take away the feeling of rejection, but He will draw you to Jesus, where you can pour out you heart to Him. But not just Jesus. I do not say this because Jesus is not enough. Far from it! But, the triune God made us to be social beings. So when Jesus became your Saviour and Lord, He also made you part of His body and called you to be part of a good visible church. He does not call you to follow Him by yourself. He calls you to follow Him in company with others. So the shape of answered prayer to live unashamed for Jesus will always draw you to Jesus, and to His people in the context of a gospel-proclaiming, live giving, life-sharing, bible preaching, local church.
George+