The Provoked Church
Acts 17:15-20
You
often hear people within the Christian Church expressing an interest in seeing
their particular congregation grow. This conversation often leads to speaking
about local demographics and particular outreach strategies. Certainly, there
is no shortage of books available under the heading, “Church Growth”.
Does
it surprise you to hear me say that I am not convinced that these conversations
about church growth are entirely helpful? I hope you won’t misunderstand me—I
am eager to see numerical growth in the number of folks attending services at
St. Giles Kingsway—it’s just that I do not think that the formulas being
presented by the so-called church growth experts is where our emphasis should
be placed.
What
then, should our emphasis be? Now, I can hardly call myself an expert in
biology, but it seems to me that healthy things grow. If, over the next six months, my young
daughter failed to grow a centimeter in stature, I would bring her to our
doctor believing that something is wrong in terms of her health. I would do
this because we have come to expect growth to be the indicator of good health.
Bearing
in mind that principle, I submit to you that the emphasis of a Christian congregation
should be on buttressing our spiritual health. Again, the conviction here
is that if we are healthy, we will make wise decisions; if we are healthy, we
will engage in the right activities; if we are healthy, we will grow.
Admittedly,
the things that contribute to our spiritual health are myriad and varied. This
sermon series will present but a sampling of the things that mark a healthy
church.
If
this morning’s sermon title appears to be a curious beginning to this pursuit,
may I offer an explanation for this by way of some analogies.
It
has been my experience that positive steps are often born from negative
experiences. The search for satisfaction always emerges from the sea of
dissatisfaction. I’m thinking of every weight loss program that I’ve ever
engaged in. I don’t go on a diet when my clothes fit comfortably; I don’t diet
if I am completely satisfied with my appearance. No, I diet when I can scarcely
button my pants together. I diet when a particular glance in a mirror provokes
in me a high level of dissatisfaction.
Another
example of this principle comes to mind as I think back to some holidays spent
at my family cottage. I’m the kind of person who enjoys sitting on the back
deck—either to read a book or simply to relax with a cold drink. I never liked
the deck at the family cottage—it was painted in a tone of red that was
displeasing to the eye; some of the boards were splintered, and some even had
rusty nails protruding from them.
Now,
even though there were things about this deck that I did not like, I did not do
anything about it. I was not sufficiently provoked to change anything . . .
until one particular summer day when I fell through the deck. It was not a long
fall, but I remember vividly as I stood there wearing the deck around my waist,
thinking, ‘That’s enough. I’m going to build a new deck.’ That same summer I
built a replacement deck for my cottage.
The
point is that being dissatisfied can be a good thing if our dissatisfaction
sparks an earnest pursuit of that which will satisfy. Being provoked by
something that displeases us is a good thing when it causes us to respond in a
positive and productive way.
Please
pardon my overuse of hockey analogies, but another example that comes to mind
is the play of Wendel Clark for the Toronto Maple Leafs in the late 80’s and
early 90’s. I was always excited when Wendel Clark was knocked down by an
opposition body-check. Why did I enjoy this? Because Wendel was the kind of
player who performed best when he was provoked. Once provoked, Wendel would
seem to come to life—he would skate faster, check more often, and gain more
scoring chances.
I
used to feel guilty when I recognized how certain aspects of church ministry
provoked me. I felt badly if something that we were doing, or not doing as a
congregation, bothered me. That is, until I returned to the apostle Paul’s
example in Acts, chapter 17.
Paul
is in the city of Athens. Once the intellectual center of the ancient world,
Athens boasted a rich philosophical tradition inherited from Socrates, Plato,
and Aristotle. Athens was world-renowned for its literature, art, and its
notable achievements in the cause of human liberty (Stott, The Message of
Acts, 276). You could have hardly blamed Paul if he was spellbound by the
splendour of the city’s architecture and the mystique of the intellectual
heritage. Yet, Paul was not spellbound by that which was distinguished, but
rather, he was provoked by that which was distasteful to his Christian
conscience.
Luke
explains that “while Paul was waiting for (his colleagues) at Athens, his
spirit was being provoked within him as he was beholding the city full of idols”
(17:16).
Paul
was a church-planter. As Paul went from community to community, faithfully
communicating the Gospel of Jesus Christ, local congregations were established. And Paul understood that if healthy
congregations were to be established he would need to confront those elements
that opposed the corporate health of the community.
In
other words, the fact that Paul was provoked by a city submerged in idolatry,
should be regarded as a good thing. Moreover, the manner in which Paul responds
to his own agitation provides us with an example worthy of emulation.
Being
provoked, being agitated, as you likely know, does not always lead to an
appropriate response. Take, for instance, the simple example of seeing a piece
of trash on the ground. Noticing garbage that has been left behind never fails
to provoke my spirit. But do you know what? I have to be honest—I do not always
pick up the litter. Sometimes I see the litter and am sufficiently stirred to
go pick it up. On other occasions, however, I see the litter, and am provoked
by it, but I do nothing in response to my agitation.
One
response to being provoked then, is indifference. Because you and I so
often see litter on the ground, we run the risk of being accustomed to this
sight. We’ve picked up litter so many times, but it doesn’t seem to eliminate
the problem. This can happen within the local church. There was a time when we
confronted gossip; there was a time when we confronted uncooperative spirits;
there was a time when we were willing to confront spiritual lethargy, but as
the shortcomings persisted we grew indifferent.
No
doubt the apostle Paul had seen his share of pagan worship and idolatry in his
day. And yet, there is no sense that Paul would shrug it off and say, ‘You
can’t change the way these people think and act. It’s not worth my time.’ No
matter how familiar the dysfunctions of society were to Paul, he never ceased
in his efforts to bring the person and work of Jesus Christ to bear on the
situation. When Paul was provoked, he did not respond with indifference.
A
second possible response to being provoked is hostility. The examples of
this response are many. A driver is
provoked by being cut off by another driver and responds by rolling down his
window and shouting harsh words while making impolite hand gestures. A husband
provokes a wife with a single comment about how the vegetables were prepared
and an all-out argument ensues.
Could it ever be said of a local
congregation, that certain members respond to being provoked with hostility?
A decision is rendered that you disagree
with. A hymn is chosen that you dislike. The sermon that is preached is too
long. The décor of the church building is not to your liking. There is
insufficient outreach taking place. The children’s programming lacks
volunteers. How do you respond?
Some lash out with hostility—spreading
criticism to all who will listen. Others respond by shrugging with indifference—convinced
that there is no hope for effecting change. And still others respond like the
apostle Paul.
Paul was provoked to the core at the
sight of the idols in Athens. He was immensely bothered by what he witnessed there.
And yet, if you read the entire chapter you see that there is not even a hint
of hostility in his response to the people of Athens. Paul is deeply offended
by the presence of idols, but he refuses to lash out.
Nor does Paul retreat with indifference. He
doesn’t say to himself, ‘I’m going to keep a low profile and when Silas and
Timothy arrive, we’ll move on to a more Christian-friendly city.’
No, Paul responds to the being provoked
by immersing himself in Christian service. Refusing indifference, and
avoiding hostility, Paul enters the synagogue to reason with the Jews and the
God-fearing gentiles concerning Jesus Christ, risen from the dead (17:17). Not
only in the synagogue, but Paul also went daily to the market place to
speak with any who were there.
Indeed, it was good that Paul was
provoked by that which was not God-honouring. And it was good that Paul
responded so positively to the agitation of his spirit.
As I mentioned before, I know what it is
like to be provoked with regard to the state of ministry within a local
congregation. But thanks to Paul, I now realize that is not a bad thing—I
realize that being provoked can actually begin a process of that leads to
improving the health of a congregation.
The critical issue I see here is how you
and I, as members of St. Giles Kingsway, respond to things that are not quite
as they ought to be.
If there are occasions when you feel
agitated by the state of affairs here, please do not feel badly.
The challenge for you, and for me, is to allow
our agitation to carry us into productive Christian service. We must not
yield to the temptation to lash out in a hostile manner, and we must not yield
to the temptation to merely shrug with indifference.
We can make a difference. And being provoked in our spirit may be the
spark that motivates us to contribute to St. Giles Kingsway in a way that
promotes her health and vibrancy.
So, be provoked, and let us raise
the bar as we join together in serving Christ and His Church. Amen.