Remember 9/11—the Twin Towers? Likely no one 30 and older will ever forget the horrific images livestreamed to our devices. I was just leaving home, glancing at the news on television. I called the Church Doctor Ministries office and said, “Get the whole team together, stop work, and turn on the television.” It was after the reports of so many who lost their lives, including first responders that day, that I made a decision: Every time I saw a police officer, I would say, “Thank you for your service,” or, “Thank you for keeping us safe.”
It may seem “cheesy” to you, and that’s OK. But, for me, it was a life shift. Most officers actually say, “Thanks!” Others may consider me to be a zealous intruder. My purpose is to invest appreciation and respect.
A year or two later, I was driving home from the airport after consulting a church in the western United States. I had the speed control set on my car as I drove north on the interstate. When I turned off the interstate onto a U.S. highway, I forgot to recalculate the speed control. As I passed the Church Doctor Ministries office, a police officer pulled me over and said, “You were clocked at 70 miles per hour, and the speed limit is 55.” I responded, “I have no excuse. I was thinking about the church I just consulted.” At that time, my car belonged to Church Doctor Ministries—a gift from one of our donors. The officer had checked the ownership on his computer. The officer looked at me and said, “Focus on your driving. Have a nice day!”
What was that? It was disrespect for life on my part. On the officer’s part? Grace! I have paid a lot closer attention to driving ever since. Now, when I pass the fire station—which is a block west of the Church Doctor building—there is often a police officer parked nearby monitoring the reduced speed zone, entering the small town. Every time I pass the police car, I think I should stop and just tell the officer, “Thanks for your service and for keeping us safe.” However, I don’t. I just thank God for those who serve. It is a discipline of respect.
Civilized Christ-Followers
In Romans 13:5, Paul wrote to the believers about respect for authorities. In the Revised Standard Version of Scripture, Paul says that we should respect the laws and the leaders who make them. He writes, “Pay all of them their dues, taxes to whom taxes are due, revenue to whom revenue is due, respect to whom respect is due, honor to whom honor is due.”
Christians have a unique opportunity to reflect respect to a world in which disrespect is rampant. So much of what we see and experience is disrespectful. Think about it: wars, the nightly news, movies, and perhaps some of those in our families, our neighbors, and even our churches.
You might reflect about how toxic a disrespectful environment can become. You see it all the time in the media. You may experience it with some of your family. And, yes, it occurs in local churches—and in whole denominations.
Christian faith has many benefits. Eternal life is one of them, of course. Yet, there is more. The more we know about Scripture and act like Jesus, the more we become ambassadors of respect. Most Christians respect life. It’s more difficult to respect those who have little or no relationship with the Lord. We could look at “those” people as “losers.” Or we could pray and work toward loving them into the Kingdom of Jesus.
The Engines of Disrespect
Christ-followers are not exempt from being disrespected. Ironically, the more you work toward promoting your faith, the more vulnerable you are to be rejected. After all, for Jesus, it led to crucifixion. The Apostle Paul was jailed. Several disciples were run out of town. If you are not being persecuted, it might be because your level of witness to the Savior is low. Nobody said it was easy being a believer!
Jesus healed a man on the Sabbath, and the “Jews persecuted him” (John 5:13-16). The call to be an effective Christian—or an effective church, or an effective denomination or movement—is an invitation to persecution. Jesus gave His followers a heads up about following Him. In Matthew 5:11, Jesus declared what ought to be a lifelong wake-up call for those who are serious followers. He said, “Blessed (happy) are you when men revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.” Yeah, that’s easier said than done!
Are you saying, with honesty, “Thank you, Jesus?”
Jesus’ next words in Matthew 5:12 are: “Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be in heaven….” So, how does that impact you as you sit in your comfortable pew—or chair—in worship? How do you connect the dots of your faith and comfort?
Who Said Anything About Change?
Change is a big deal for Christ-followers. You were a sinner; now you’re forgiven. You had no hope; now you have eternity. You struggled with illness; now you pray for healing. You were disgusted with the way the world is screwed up; now you rejoice in the power of the King of the universe. You had no spiritual confidence; now you echo the words of the Apostle Paul, who said, “…I know how to abound; in any and all circumstances I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and want. I can do all things in Him who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13).
Are you kidding me, Paul? Are you messing with me, Jesus? I like the way we have always done it. I like to sit in my favorite pew. I like this style of worship. Why should I have to change the way I’ve always done it?
I’m reminded of the old joke about the platoon of men who were in battle on the front lines of war for three weeks. The sergeant said to the soldiers, “I’ve got good news and bad news, men.”
“What’s the good news?” one of the men responded.
“Today, finally, you are going to be able to change your underwear,” the sergeant said.
The soldiers cheered. “What’s the bad news?” a soldier asked.
The sergeant replied, “Joe, you are changing with Jon. Bob, you are changing underwear with Fred….”
Are you—is your church—stuck in routines so comfortable, but ineffective, that you are so heavenly minded that you are of no earthly good for the growth of God’s Kingdom? If that’s the case, you are stuck in comfort and have fallen in effectiveness. You have become so heavenly minded that you are of no earthly good: to the future of your church, to the movement of the faith, and to the effectiveness of the Gospel. You are—and perhaps your church is—stuck in the rut of the Jews at the time of Jesus. You are religious, but missionally unfaithful.
In All Sincere Respect, You Are Disrespectful
Jesus came to seek and save the lost. Most Christians get that. Yet, many are stuck in the routine of “doing church” that feels good, but is significantly useless for the mission given to you by the King of the universe.
In content (meaning), the Good News about Jesus never changes—and never should. In delivery, it must be provided within the context of those you are trying to reach.
When the trappings of yesterday are out-of-date, it sends the signal that Jesus is irrelevant. No Christ-follower would do that on purpose. Yet, if you are mission-driven for Jesus, you would never want to make it difficult for people who are far from God to miss the “main event” of faith. God sent Jesus in the flesh for a reason. He spoke the language of the people, ate their food, and died like the rest of us. Yet, He rose again.
If you respect Jesus as your Savior, if you respect the incarnation—which is God’s demonstration about reaching people—then you will, you must, respect the mission. Jesus is our gift. We can’t let the containers that present Him to others become roadblocks to the process. Jesus came in the flesh. He spoke the language. He fit the religious customs of the day.
It’s called the incarnation. Technically, it means that Jesus became meat—flesh and blood. He fit into the culture. He demonstrated this truth: You can’t let the worn-out delivery systems become sacred. You must deliver the Good News about Jesus in the heart language of the people you are trying to reach. To do so is to respect the approach of Jesus.
God has such respect for every person. The Gospel of John begins like this: “In the beginning was the Word…. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us…” (John 1:1, 14). It was a big deal that God sent His Son in the flesh. Why did He use that strategy? He loves us so much that He wanted to make sure we would get it. It’s called the incarnation. Jesus became meat.
To be effective in reaching people for Jesus, God came to fit into our lives. Jesus spoke the language of the people. He sang their songs. He dressed like them. He ate their food. He removed all barriers, but did not sin.
If you want to reach people for Jesus—if you want your church to be effective—you must become “meat” like Jesus. You must dress like the people you are reaching. You must use the buildings that look like the buildings of your culture. You must sit in seats like people sit in in your era. You must speak in words that people use. You must incarnate Jesus. It’s not necessarily the packaging you grew up in. It must be the packaging of those you are trying to reach. If you don’t, you disrespect the method Jesus used, His Father used, and the apostles used. It is called being indigenous. It is loving people so much that you are willing to give up what makes you comfortable in order to effectively reach people for Jesus. To hang onto that which is no longer useful is spiritually disrespectful.
Dr. Kent Hunter is the founder of Church Doctor Ministries, now led by Dr. Tracee Swank. He is a church consultant and the author of 35 books, including the recent publication A Nation Reclaims Respect: One Person at a Time. The theme of the book is: Respect can be good for your health. Kent says that great nation-states like the Roman Empire have fallen, not through battles with foreign invaders, but through internal disrespect. “Respect” is described as “civility.” When you are not respectful, you are “uncivilized.” You can join the movement and rise above through seven practical lessons. The future of civilization depends on it!