What Should The Church’s Focus Be?

This one is going to be fun!

So yesterday I get home and I am sort of chillin’ in my HUGE recliner (every man should have one!) and a reporter from our local newspaper calls. (The Anderson Independent). She informs me that the Southern Baptist Convention will be partnering with SLED in an effort to crack down on illegal video gambling machines.

How do they recommend that we partner? Simple—they will post pictures of the machines on their website and then ask the pastors to speak to their congregations about this matter, encouraging them to go to the website & get a good glance at the illegal devices…and then become super sleuths in their community so that this oppressive wave of illegal gambling can be stopped.

Then she asked me the question, “Mr. Noble, will you take this issue before your congregation & urge them to get involved in this matter?” I didn’t even have to think about my answer…or even pray about it—the answer was, and always will be, NO!

Let me share with you several reasons I am taking this stand…

#1 - I am under the conviction that everything we do on Sunday matters—everything. I am also under the conviction that people matter to God and that He wants myself and the staff I serve with to make the best use of His and their time by presenting the Gospel in a clear, compelling, creative way. It REALLY bothers me that when it comes to many churches you can definitely tell what they are against…but they rarely declare what they are for.

The people coming in our doors do not need to get involved in political protests. Seriously, where in the world do you EVER see Jesus organizing His apostles together to protest the illegal occupation of the Roman armies? No you do not! And that, my friends, is one of the reasons He was crucified. The people thought He was going to be a political Messiah & that He had come to free them from the oppression of their Gentile rulers—but He had a higher purpose and refused to immerse Himself in arguments that might have won a battle—but would not have resulted in kingdom advancement.

Do you ever see the Apostle Paul encouraging the churches to picket pagan businesses for selling idols? No you do not! Paul had a simple message, Jesus Christ crucified, buried, and raised again on the third day—THAT is what changes lives—not a boycott on Disney or trying to rid society of the perils of evil. For too long the church has tried to change people from the outside in…and Scripture is clear that before there is a change on the outside that there must be a change on the inside.

I love the way our home groups pastor, Trevor Cox, put it once during a conversation with someone. He said, “We choose to bleed over the issues that Jesus bled over.” Well said my friend!

#2 - Where do we draw the line? If we are asked to report these machines then why aren’t we asked to report other things. In my opinion, drinking and driving is a MUCH bigger problem. Why aren’t we being asked to report it when we are at a restaurant and we see someone who has had too much to drink and then attempts to operate a vehicle? Are we going to be asked to report it when people speed? After all, that is illegal and is, once again, more dangerous than a poker machine.

Do you see my point? I do not believe that the Great Commission urges us to be the morality police for our communities…it tells us to go and make disciples. If we focused MORE on Jesus and LESS on social issues I really do believe the issues that we are so concerned about would be taken care of.

#3 - I do not believe that the illegal poker machines in stores are the problem…I think gambling is the problem. I think that by removing the machines from the stores several years ago that the state DID NOT solve the problem. Why? Because gambling is an addiction—just like smoking and alcoholism. If you take away one method of gambling—a person with an addiction will just find another way to remedy it.

For instance…look at our lottery. Whether you are for or against our state lottery you have to agree on one thing with me—it is a gamble. I would love to see a research project done on the people who used to dump their paychecks into poker machines & now simply take their paychecks and dump it into the lottery. I guess that isn’t such a huge issue since the state is making money though—it’s just when it is “illegal” that is seems to ruffle feathers.

Please do not misunderstand me in this post. I am in no way encouraging civil disobedience. I am in no way encouraging people NOT to report illegal activities. In fact I told the reporter that if I personally saw an illegal machine that I would probably report it because I do think it is wrong AND I have several friends in law enforcement.

But what I will not do is take time on a Sunday when I can be presenting the life changing message of Jesus Christ to people who desperately need Him to present yet another social issue that the Southern Baptist Convention has decided to immerse itself in.

Jesus Christ, crucified, buried, risen, and alive today—that is what will make a difference—and that is where I think our focus should be!