THE ADEQUATE GOOD NEWS
Growing up within the Church I was raised to know right from wrong, good from evil, what to do, and what not to do. And while this was engrained pretty early on in life, behind the scenes I was learning something else by example… what parts of my life to exhibit for public view, without laying out all the cards. I wasn’t raised by horrible human beings, or in a house of horrors, as a matter of fact, I was likely raised in an environment similar to that of most people. A dad and mom who worked hard to provide for my siblings and I. A mom who instilled the importance of faith by taking my siblings and I to Church on a weekly basis. And a family who valued the relationship of others, and caring parents who did everything we could to be hospitable and help others. Those are the cards laid out for public view. However, behind the curtain we were a family composed of broken individuals who were selfish, argued, and sinned. Deeper than that were issues that are best left unsaid: from a broken marriage, to broken and rebellious kids who didn’t always get it right… especially me. Sometimes those details came to the surface, but that’s when a family tries to place extra emphasis on the cards on the table. As I have been in leadership within the Church for 10 years now, this is undoubtedly the majority, if not all families living on planet earth today. Broken marriages of couples living as roommates, kids who have done something or gotten in significant trouble that parents have to work extra hard to keep the details suppressed and hidden behind locked doors. Addictions that even the people within your house are unaware of. Arguments on the way to Church that have to be concealed with a facade, only to dread the drive back home. And it doesn’t end when the kids move out of the house… then you have to worry about what is taking place not only in your house, but their house as well. Sound familiar?
Most Christians today, find themselves trying to figure out how to actively address the elephant in their homes that everyone else in the Church has as a pet in their house as well. However, whether in leadership, or not, we have convinced ourselves that others have a baby sloth in comparison to our mammoth sized pet waiting to devour us. The last thing we want to do is talk about our family issues that will jeopardize what we’ve worked so hard to build for others to see. But as impressive as it is, everyone has a house of cards, and everyone has a hidden room, and the most difficult time one will experience is when their house of cards fall down, and the door gets wide open. But here is the good news! The Bible is filled with screwed up family dynamics like mine and yours. From patriarchs who lied their way through life, to prophets and faith leaders with epic failures. Not the pretty failures that we share our testimony about for the Thanksgiving Eve service… like confessing about hitting the casino occasionally, or having a potty mouth. We are talking about a guy who the Bible describes as the only righteous man left in the city of Sodom who became the Grandpa to his kids (Genesis 19). Or the King, also called a prophet (Acts 2:29-30), who ends up taking someones rubber ducky to take a bath with (Veggietales version) and disposes of the husband of the ducky (you get the drift). Technically speaking, you have the commander and chief, and your pastor fail. And it’s a failure of epic proportions. Not to mention Peter, who was to be the rock in which the Church would be built upon, deny GOD incarnate… not once, or twice, but three times! Technically that is considered a strike out and an out. Especially when you consider JESUS’ words: “But everyone who denies me here on earth, I will also deny before my Father in heaven.” -Matthew 10:33. Technically, JESUS said this before Peter failed the task, and by today’s Church grace meter, Peter disqualified himself. That’s individuals! The Bible also records the life of twelve brothers with some pretty messed up family dynamics, and the son of a king by the name of Absolom who rebels and does some pretty messed up things to become king. Not necessarily Sunday school curriculum material.
The good news is that the “Good News” is not for people that nail it 100% of the time, but for those who understand the gospel. Repentance is NOT A one-time event, the internalizing of the gospel is. The gospel radically changes how we view the choices presented before us, but far beyond that, it radically changes how we will respond in our moments of failures. King David fails after being chosen and appointed as King, but even amidst his bad choices, he is known as the “man after GOD’S own Heart” because of his response in his failures. Peter fails in a moment of fear in a way that should’ve disqualified him from being granted entrance to Heaven, but regardless of his failures, CHRIST builds HIS Church upon that rock. And while Lot was sleeping throughout the embarrassing nights that resulted in the greatest family secret ever disclosed to billions, he got drunk in the process and was not the poster child of perfection and righteousness. The bad news is that the Bible is not recording abnormal behaviors to the human race. It is actually recording the reality of broken people and messed up family dynamics. And just because the Bible records epic failures it doesn’t mean that we should normalize them, but it also doesn’t mean you’re alone. The guy, or girl, sitting next to you at Church may have more in common with you than you can ever imagine, but similar to you and me, we just don’t want to talk about it. That’s the bad news, but here is the good news; GOD isn’t looking for individuals or families that can lay out pleasing Christian aesthetics and vibes. The ‘Good News’ is that GOD wants to meet you behind the door of shame, hurt, and guilt to change your life from there. There is grace that meets you were you are at, not where you should be. We often present the gospel not only as a message you can receive, but as a gift you can lose. If it wasn’t a message you could acquire by works, then by GOD’S grace, it is not a gift you can lose because it was HIS to give to begin with (Ephesians 2:8-9). The fact that we preach a message of grace, but convey a gospel of works, shows how little Christians actually understand the overarching/focal message of the Bible. While the Bible is a weapon (Ephesians 6:17), and a book of guidance (2 Timothy 3:16-17), the Bible is primarily a revelation. And it is not revealing how we can get it right, but how we will always get it wrong in our own effort. While most people may point to a verse or passage, JESUS reminds us of this: ““You search the Scriptures because you think they give you eternal life. But the Scriptures point to me!” -John 5:39 NLT
The Bible is revealing the story of JESUS to broken people who have existed for generation in the past, and in the future. And eternal life can’t be acquired until you get to JESUS who meets broken families and broken individuals in the midst of their difficulty, and in the midst of their failures. You are not too far gone from grace!
