Well, August is almost finished, and I think it is about time I weighed in on a few issues that have come up over the past few weeks. I will first be discussing the trivial (Cubs), and moving to the not so trivial (Pastor Paul's preaching), and finishing with a few thoughts on the weather.First of all, I had a chance to see the Cubs play last night with my dad. It was his birthday present to me and I have to say, I had a blast. Granted it was very hot (about 95 with no wind) and there was a rather large Boston Red Sox fan scrunched against me, and the Cubbies were losing going into the 7th inning, but it turned out great. They managed to rally back and took the game 5 to 3. They held onto their 2 game lead for first with two more to go against the Brewers. It was great to think of the heritage of that old ball park. Over a hundred years worth of fans have passed through those seats. Dad told be about his grandpa, how he would come to as many games as possible from the 30s to the 60s, smoking his cigar and cheering on his team. I hope our little girl can have those kind of good memories from her grandparents. All in all, it was a great time with some long lasting memories. Now, onto the not so trivial.
Over the past year, and especially over the past few months since Paul started his sermons on Galatians, I have heard a lot of talk about his sermons. Some of these comments are good, but many are critical, saying things like, "I feel beat up" or "Why does he emphasize sin so much?". I believe these comments come from a consumer saturated congregation. Let me explain what I mean.
Our culture has programmed us to have certain expectations going into every situation. We go into a comedic movie expecting to feel happy at the end. We read a certain type of book or listen to music expecting a certain emotional reaction. When we listen to radio like K-love :"Positive and Encouraging" or listen to messages on Moody, we generally feel encouraged and somewhat good about ourselves. There is nothing wrong with this as a lot of scripture is encouraging. However, the danger comes when we come to expect all of preaching to make us feel like K-love or Joel Osteen. When we hear a message and don't feel "Positive and Encouraged", we think that the preacher is being too negative and needs to lighten up. Perhaps it is the Holy Spirit convicting us of our sin through the preacher, and we just don't want to deal with it.
That, I think, is why people are reacting negatively to Paul's preaching. He preaches the Word. If you have read the beginning of Galatians, it isn't a bed of roses. There are many challenges to genuine faith and not mixing it with our own sinful ideas about justification. When that conviction comes to our own hearts, we are not used to it. We approach church hoping to feel better when we leave than when we came. If that doesn't happen, perhaps we need to adjust our mindset. My father very wisely said, "When you come to church, don't come looking to analyze the preaching and the preacher. Come with a heart that says, 'What does God have for me to learn about Him and myself today?' Then you will be free to worship God for the whole service." If more of our congregates had that mindset, I think a fresh wave of humility and fruitfulness would characterize us and God would be pleased with our hearts. So, I say, keep up the preaching Paul. I would rather be warned of my sinful heart than coddled by a preacher that echoes the sympathies of the world.
Lastly, I have been amazed by God's strength poured out in the weather of the past week. Huge trees have been uprooted, rivers have swelled, and houses have been flooded. It is so amazing that God has guided every little droplet of water to its final destination, just as He guides each of our decisions, even the small and tiny ones (Prov. 21:1). What a great and sovereign God we serve.
