Shut It

Ah a line made famous by Doug on "The King of Queens". It is like the more politically correct way of saying Shut Up. And it always makes me chuckle when I hear it.

So I was just reading about the early church & the Apostles get to the point where the Pharisee's tell them to essentially Shut it. Stop talking about this Jesus - go live in peace - be great neighbor's - mow your lawn...or sweep your dirt in the case of Israel. But stop talking about him. It is not right, it is not politically correct. Just Shut It when it comes to this Jesus.

Yeah they didn't listen so the boys get arrested - thrown in jail. God breaks them free from jail...where do they go from there...back to the Temple...why...to preach about Jesus. Man this must have drove the Pharisee's crazy because the church started to explode. They didn't have all the cool stuff. They didn't even have their own building - they were using the Temple...ouch.

Our generation has been silenced in the name of being politically correct. The "people" have told us not to talk about Him. Religion shouldn't be essential to life, it is just another stoke in your wheel of life. As my friend Matt says, it is not a stoke in my wheel - it is the hinge that holds my wheel together. Christ is my center...not just a point in my life.

Now, I am not saying that we become obnoxious and start picketing and pushing our faith down the throats of everyone. What I am saying is that we must be willing to share who Jesus is. We must be willing to risk! Share Jesus' compassion, love, and mercy. We must live genuinely before God and before others. In a world that views Jesus as judgmental, boring, and empty - we must show them who he is!

Howard Hendricks said, "In the midst of a generation screaming for answers, Christians are stuttering."

The Great Commission mandates that we take this incredible news that we are forgiven for our past - we have been given mercy - we have been given purpose - and Almighty God knows our name. That we are more important than the money we make and the car we drive. When we are empty he is there to give us strength. He is there to guide us and his plan is laid out in this wonderful ancient book of life - the Bible. Not so that we can build a big church or big religion - not for power or fame. But because when it comes down to it people need something real and meaningful.

I love the Worship movement! I love the fact that it re-aligns things when I remember that he has everything under control. When I sing those words it enables me to express my heart & teaches me, or reminds me of who God is in a messy world. However, I must say that worship is not limited to singing songs - it is about obedience. That Great Commission must lead us to share with a lost people the fantastic news of Jesus Christ. Not a religion, but a Father who is waiting to pour out life into his children.

Or, we can just shut it and make the Pharisee's quite proud. But at the end of the day we can always say we didn't make anyone upset. Not really the title I was looking for on my headstone.