Church - Light in the Midst of Darkness

Genesis 1:1-5
1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
2 And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.
3 And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.
4 And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness.
5 And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.

Here we have the very beginning of creation. I wonder if you've ever paid attention to the latter half of verse 4... “God divided the light from the darkness.” God saw the light, that it was good, and immediately divided it from the darkness. From the first page of our Bible, He was laying the foundation for this truth...

2 Corinthians 6:4
Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? (emphasis added)

I find it very troubling that so many churches in our communities are trying to be less and less different from the outside world. Often the reasoning is based in the following scripture:

1 Corinthians 9:19-23
19 For though I be free from all men, yet have I made myself servant unto all, that I might gain the more.
20 And unto the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain the Jews; to them that are under the law, as under the law, that I might gain them that are under the law;
21 To them that are without law, as without law, (being not without law to God, but under the law to Christ,) that I might gain them that are without law.
22 To the weak became I as weak, that I might gain the weak: I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some.
23 And this I do for the gospel's sake, that I might be partaker thereof with you.

What Paul says here is he made himself “servant unto all.” He was willing to go amongst these people, in service to them (and primarily service to God) by sharing the gospel. To say that he actually acted as these people acted is incorrect, easily proven by a look at verse 20. He says he “became a Jew.” Paul already was a Jew. He was a Pharisee who held men's coats while they stoned Steven. He did not literally become a Jew again, submitting to the authority of the high priest. He spoke explicitly against people submitting to the Jewish leadership or taking part in their rituals and traditions after the death of Christ. What DID Paul do for the Jews? He went to them, and gave them the gospel. He wasn't afraid to be like Jesus and “dine with sinners” that he might see their souls saved. However, he never would have made the church like a synagogue so they felt more comfortable there. That would have been blasphemous to him, and rightfully so. He went to them, but did not act like them, or conform the church to their habits in order to win them for Christ.

Unfortunately, this one verse is misinterpreted and used as an excuse for worldly behavior amongst the church. Churches are employing worldly methods of ministry, with music that sounds like Top 40 radio, rock bands leading “worship,” light shows, a church service that feels more like a concert, a dressed-down minister who looks like he would fit in on stage at a music festival better than in the house of God. Children's ministries that are simply parties with the name of Jesus thrown around, or sung in the midst of a hard rock beat. Trendiness trumps modesty. The philosophy of the day is this, “Let's make church less different than what they want or are used to, in order that we might entice them in, then hit them with the gospel.” Some churches are even removing the word “church” from the sign. “Church” is too stiff, too strict, too... *gasp* holy.

That is not the ministry you'll see in Biblical examples. Ministers in the Bible recognized that they existed, were saved, and were called to please God. The moment the church begins to focus on pleasing attendees instead of pleasing God, they'll head down this dangerous path.

Don't get me wrong; I understand where the human reasoning comes from. Going back to our (or actually God's) illustration of light and dark, when we leave a dark room and enter into bright light, it hurts our eyes. It is hard to adjust quickly. I believe that's why so many churches have tried to “dim” their light. The church can be uncomfortable or shocking to someone living in darkness... but what does the Bible say?

Matthew 5:14-16
14 Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.
15 Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.
16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

Our light is Jesus. It is a light of holiness and righteousness. It is a light in stark contrast to the darkness of the world. When we utilize worldly methods, those methods become the bushel over our candle. The Christian, and church (the body of Christ, after all) are to be a bright light in the midst of darkness. We are to be starkly different. “Worldly” church is an oxymoron. I know, I know, typically these churches/ministries won't call themselves worldly. They'll use the term “relevant” or “contemporary” instead. Both of these words can be defined as “adapted to the current world or culture” i.e. worldly. What does God's word say about the things of the world?

1 John 2:15-17
15 Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.
17 And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.

Yes, John 3:16 says “For God so loved the world...” but that verse is speaking of the people of the world, not the culture of it. God loves lost sinners, but hates their sin.

The simple “bible truth” (Hey! That's got a nice ring to it!) is this: The church is God's. It was bought with the precious blood of Jesus Christ. It exists to do His will in His way. Our job as ministers, deacons, youth leaders, church members, etc. is to create a safe haven where people who love Him can come and worship him (and learn how to best serve Him) in spirit AND in truth. The church is to be made acceptable to God, not acceptable to the sinners of the world.

2 Corinthians 6:17,18
17 Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,
18 And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.

God bless, Bro. Chris

(BTW, if you need a good church, I know of one... www.bibletruthbaptist.org)