The Trouble With Apathy
The definition of “apathy” from Merriam-Webster’s is illustrated as a condition of lacking interest or concern. The word comes from the Greek word “apatheia” which means lacking feeling or emotion. All of the flavors that describe this word can be found in the Church when we begin to allow ourselves to become disengaged from the mission bestowed upon us from the Word of God. While there are several things we as believers are called to engage in, the mission given to the Body of Christ is articulated quite clearly in Mark 16:15-16a, “Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe, will be condemned.”
When this simple mandate to bring the Gospel to the world goes unheeded, the Church begins down a slide that ends up with an apathetic and lackluster faith that will struggle to draw those who are truly looking for answers in their quest for meaning and truth. We also fail to truly love others when we hold back the way of salvation because we fear the consequences of confronting a world that excels in promoting the notion of “whatever you believe is ok, just as long as you’re sincere.”
Now, grasping and fulfilling this mandate will not be easy. The world, in general, is resistant to the Gospel because it requires belief in what God says in His Word, and as we see in the scripture above, describes a penalty for those who do not. It is easy to be a Christian if you can believe whatever you want. But when the Gospel challenges a previously held position that is contrary to the truth of the Word, the sinful nature will resist it. If we maintain our faith and integrity in the mist of bringing the Gospel to the world, we will be persecuted. And if we fail to take the Good News to the lost, that Christ has risen to pay for the sins of all who dare believe [who adheres to and trusts in and relies on the Gospel and Him Whom it sets forth…AMPLIFIED], we risk becoming mired in an apathetic form of religion, and miss out on the power the Spirit provides those who truly engage in Christ’s mission.
Be blessed,
Pastor Chris Hayden
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I’d Rather See A Sermon
It’s Monday morning, 7:30am, and we have just sat down for breakfast at the IU Health Center in Noblesville. Moments before we prayed for Maggie as she was being taken into surgery for what we hope will be her last hip replacement. Every person at the hospital, from the receptionist, to administrative workers, to nurses, to the anesthesiologist, to the surgeon himself were beyond kind; warmth and compassion for the patient, family and friends permeated every aspect of the operation. Everyone felt very cared for.
Talking with Doc as we observed the kindness of the staff, he was reminded of the saying, “I’d rather see a sermon than hear one.” I’m not sure if he was complaining about my last sermon or not, J but his point is well taken! It is extremely important that we tell people about the love of Christ, but unless we show the love of Christ and act like a child of God, our words will fall on deaf ears.
In the book of James the second chapter, the James, the half brother of Jesus tells us that faith without the corresponding works to back it up is dead. The 18th verse says this, “But someone may well say, “You have faith and I have works; show me your faith without the works, and I will show you my faith by my works.” James is telling us that we need to let others know that we are a disciple of Christ by how we treat one another rather than trying to be self righteousness with our words but uncaring by our actions.
In 1 John 3:7, the scripture says, “Dear children, do not let anyone lead you astray. He who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous.” Let us do what is right in the sight of God, thereby showing the world that we truly have faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.
Be blessed.
Pastor Chris Hayden
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Give, It Will Be Given
There are many important principles to learn in life and from the Word, another one is that of sowing and reaping. This is explained in detail in 2 Corinthians 9:6-11.
Let me break it down for you:
If you sow little – you’ll reap little
If you sow generously – you’ll reap generously
God loves cheerful givers
God provides the seed you need
You are blessed to be a blessing
In the book of Luke the 6th chapter and 38th verse (NLT) we read, “Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full–pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back.” While we do not give to get, the principle is still the same that we sow what we reap whether it be good things or things not so good. If we are generous towards the work of the Lord, we will receive generosity in return.
In a few days the leadership of Central Christian will be sending out pledge cards for members and attenders to participate in this years stewardship campaign. During this time of examining the finances and stewardship of this ministry here in Huntington and surrounding areas, I would ask that we examine our own hearts as to what God would ask of us individually in response to the call to stewardship surrounding our participation in the work of the Lord.
The past two Sundays we launched a stewardship campaign (Back in Black) and we talked about giving principles. The last thing we need to do is become legalistic about our obligations to the ministry of God, however let me sum up this past weeks message. God wants us to give to honor him and to provide for the ministry (Proverbs 3:9-10, Malachi 3:10). However, just as important is that do so cheerfully, sacrificially, and regularly.
Be blessed,
Pastor Chris
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