Message Recap
We are addressing some more complex issues as we continue in our Love Like Jesus series. Today was politics.
Pastor Andy Stanley reflected on the political divisions of 2020 and the disturbing contributions that some well-known Christians -- pastors, leaders, podcasters, etc. -- made to the divisiveness. It seemed as if prominent Christians took their cues from culture.
But Pastor Andy challenged us, "You get to decide whether or not you want to follow Jesus. But once you decide to follow Jesus, you do not get to decide what it (your response to politics) looks like, acts like, and most importantly, we don't get to decide what it reacts like because Jesus prescribed that for us."
When people politicize the church and choose one political side, they are telling the church and half the community they are not welcome. We are bound to run into disagreements because we are a large church, and we are not all the same. And this, Pastor Andy said, is to our advantage.
Pastor Andy went on to share a few major points:
- Disagreement is unavoidable. Division is a choice. The enemy of the church is not a political party, it is division. Unity is the one thing Jesus prayed for the church.
- Political disagreement is usually fueled by divergent life experiences. Not low IQ or lack of character. Instead of sizing people up, we need to be mature and curious. We must choose to love one another instead.
- We can disagree politically and love one another unconditionally. Jesus was the perfect model of this, and He invites us to follow His lead.
- God loves us in spite of our misinformed, experienced-based, ever-evolving views. And requires us to do it for others. Not because it is nice but because it is mission-critical for the church.
- The more we disagree, the more notable, noticeable, and noteworthy our lives and love become as we love one another.
- When we choose to carry someone's burden, what divides us diminishes. What unites us surfaces. Galatians 6:2 tells us to carry on another's burdens. When we do this, we move toward one another and can love one another.
Finally, Pastor Andy ended his teaching by talking about the first-century church. The church was made up of classes of people whose circles rarely overlapped. Yet they came together voluntarily to worship their resurrected savior. The culturally disruptive unity of the first-century church shocked the world. The message of the church and their unity ultimately changed it.
"Let’s follow the early church’s model," challenged Pastor Andy.
Jesus didn’t command us to agree with one another. He commanded us to love one another.