Friendly Fire

Ok, the nerd in me can't resist. After watching The Avengers twice (don't judge), I can't help but make a spiritual parallel with one of my favorite scenes. (This is a spoiler-free parallel). There is a scenario at the beginning of the film where three of our heroes are not fully aware that they are all fighting for the same cause. Therefore, the geeks watching (me included) smile with uncontrolled joy when Thor, Iron Man and Captain America square off deep in the forests of Western Europe. 

Although this is an epically engaging battle to watch, the characters slowly realize that they all have the same objective in mind: to stop the plans of evil ones. Yet, they discern that all of the fighting over "how's" and "why's" prevent them from accomplishing the ultimate "what." Ok, so let's make the jump from the Marvel universe to the "real" world.

Unfortunately, we do this rather consistently in the church today. We stake our sacred ground and make it bloody by fighting battles over the "gray" areas of Scripture, church culture or personal preferences. By "gray" areas I'm referring to those things that are not directly prescribed in God's Word, yet we mount an attack to defend them. Are some of these "gray" areas important or worth discussing within our communities of faith? Absolutely. But not unlike our avenging heroes, we must ask: Are the "how's" and "why's" keeping us, as the church, from the ultimate "what?"

Of course our ultimate "what" is to find satisfaction in Jesus and proclaim His goodness and gospel to the ends of the earth. But what roadblocks do we inadvertently build that keep others from seeing this concluding truth?

One of my favorite authors, John Eldredge, paints a picture in his newest book (Beautiful Outlaw) concerning our drift towards pharisaical morality rather than a deep love of Jesus and His mission. Eldredge writes, "Loving the culture of church is not anywhere close to the same thing as loving Jesus. The Pharisees loved their religious culture - the long prayers, the solemn garments, the honor bestowed upon them for being members of the clergy. But they hated Jesus." (p. 139)

In other words, do we…do I…attack brothers and sisters in Christ with "friendly fire?" Do we unintentionally keep others from experiencing the warmth of grace by placing unnecessary requirements on their yoke? Weighing others down with "gray" areas comes more naturally than we think. Just ask the Early Church's Jerusalem Council. They had to investigate this when they saw Jews blocking Gentiles from experiencing satisfaction in Christ. What "gray" area did they take to the mat? Circumcision. What a painful (pun intended) realization. Rules and requirements lifted higher than Jesus. Political and cultural affiliations lifted higher than Jesus. Sound familiar?

Therefore…we must be very careful. I must be very careful. Are the hills that I think are worth dying on, simply keeping someone else from understanding grace and mercy? Do my "gray" areas come before me and others truly experiencing Christ?

Once again, Eldredge painfully reminds us that, "smoking or swearing would draw much more concern than ignoring God in most Christian circles." What banner do we raise higher than all others? What hurdles have we placed on the path to embracing grace and confessing Christ? 

The world around us will have a difficult time seeing Jesus when we spend our time drawing blood from others. When society notices our bruises inflicted from "gray" areas…they will walk away. They already see that every day. Yet when they see Christ lifted high…in the midst of our differences…in the midst of our gray areas…they will see something worth uniting around. 

Today I'm challenged to put down my weapons…and raise high the banner of Christ and His goodness.