Been listening to Francis Chan lately. I really like this guy’s heart. He’s a real person without a doubt. Here are some quotes from his Crazy Love book we’re reading with some others right now. Something to think about:

It is not scientific doubt, not atheism, not pantheism, not agnosticism that in our day and in this land is likely to quench the light of the gospel. It is a proud, sensuous, selfish, luxurious, church-going, hollow-hearted prosperity.

In the United States, “numbers” impress us. We gauge the success of an event by how many people “attend” or “come forward.” We measure “churches” by how many “members” they boast. We are “wowed” by big crowds. Jesus questioned the authenticity of this kind of record keeping. According to the account in Luke 8, when a crowd started following Him, Jesus began speaking in parables so that those who WEREN’T genuinely listening, WOULDN’T “get it.” When crowds gather today, speakers are extra conscious of communicating in a way that is accessible to everyone. Speakers [today] don’t use Jesus’ [truth and righteousness and wisdom] to eliminate people who are not sincere seekers.

The fact is… He just wasn’t interested in those who fake it.

The American church is a difficult place to fit in if you want to live out New Testament Christianity. The goals of American Christianity are often a “nice marriage,” children who “don’t swear,” and good church attendance. Taking the words of Christ literally and seriously is RARELY considered. That’s for the “radicals” who are “unbalanced” and who “go overboard.” Most of us want a balanced life that WE control, that is “safe,” and does not involve suffering.

(all emphasis mine)

That approach and Wisdom is not something we see exhibited around us, is it? How is it that Jesus is the most loving person who ever lived, and we think we have a “better way” than Him? That we actually “love people” more than Him by our accommodation and compromise of the true gospel — and therefore our MISrepresentation of who He really is, and also therefore, in effect, our altering of the gospel? Jesus purposefully told people, “Shhh! Don’t tell anyone I told you this!” He purposefully spoke in parables to keep the pretenders and the people who wanted Jesus only for His perceived “benefits” (to themselves) from truly understanding Him. Can you imagine? He purposefully told people when He did miracles on a number of occasions, “Don’t tell anyone I did this,” “Don’t tell anyone what you just saw here.” Can you imagine?

Do you think by some chance, the most loving person who ever walked the face of the earth had some wisdom to go along with it as well? That His Wisdom and His Love are inseparable and comparable? Has anyone noticed that the American “church” in particular has apostatized itself by watering down the gospel (thus making it no gospel at all), catering to people and culture (eg. “we just need to reach people where they are” rather than calling people up to where God has graciously lifted us as well — if we do it and see it that way, it’s not conceit but rather sharing “as one beggar to another”), and mistakenly believing that if we can just get people to “hang around” long enough, they’ll finally “get it?” Jesus didn’t do that. And when we alter the gospel so radically by demonstrating humanistic love and fear of men, neither of which characterize(d) Jesus (so no wonder most people can’t find Him in those types of environments!), history has shown that it produces the wrong results most of the time. How can it not?

It’s good to hear Francis Chan and a few other people pointing that out. We can’t keep supposing we “love” people more than Jesus by our accommodation and watering down of the gospel. Jesus wasn’t “mean” to anyone. But He didn’t cater to pretenders and people who wanted Him only for His perceived benefits. He didn’t cater to people who are merely sorry for the consequences of their sins only (as Chan also talks about in his book) and don’t want to go to hell (still selfish!) rather than being genuinely sorry for their sins.

There is a way. We can walk like Jesus. We can be as Loving as He was. It will definitely result in our being persecuted. If we aren’t being persecuted, it’s a pretty good sign we aren’t being as Loving and yet as Uncompromising as He was. Jesus… The most loving person who ever lived was slaughtered like some farm animal in less than 3 years time by religious people who only knew and exhibited humanistic love. They couldn’t stand JESUS’ kind of Love — which is the only Real Love. There’s some irony there, wouldn’t you say?! We “love” in an accommodating, SAFE way and we’re fine — everyone loves us. Jesus loved in His Way and was crucified for it. Wouldn’t it follow that if we loved as He did, people would at least be wanting to lead us outside the city gates?! :-)

Let’s just repent in humility, admit we’ve gone about things totally the wrong way, and do it Jesus’ Way.

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