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Reaching the Lost in a Postmodern World
Back in the 1960's and 1970's, there was a sticker on cars in America that read, "Question Authority." It was a modernist thought to the core, saying that we must question tradition if we are to discover truth. But in the 1990’s another sticker appeared that read, "Question Reality." That's postmodernism. It says: “There is no true reality, not even your own.”
The Barna Institute: “The first challenge we must rise to meet is the need to awaken the Christian community to America’s spiritual crisis. Incredibly most Christians do not perceive the Church to be in the midst of the most severe struggle it has faced in centuries. Perhaps we have simply become accustomed to hearing gloom and doom preaching, or reading books about the impending decline of civilization. Just as the general public have been anesthetized to the gospel, maybe we have been inoculated against cries alerting us to the present danger.”
David F. Wells, God in the Wasteland, “We have turned to a God that we can use rather than to a God we must obey; we have turned to a God who will fulfill out needs rather than to a God before whom we must surrender our rights to ourselves. He is a God for us, for our satisfaction – not because we have learned to think of him in this way through Christ but because we have learned to think of him this way through the marketplace. “In the marketplace, everything is for us, for our pleasure, for our satisfaction, and we have come to assume that it must be so in the church as well. And so we transform the God of mercy into a God who is at our mercy. We imagine that He is benign, that he will acquiesce as we toy with his reality and to co-opt him in the promotion of our ventures and careers.”
Simply speaking, postmodernism is the philosophy that says that absolute truth cannot be discovered at all, neither through reason nor tradition.
The postmodern worldview is summed up perfectly in an editorial cartoon that appeared in December, 1998 in the Albuquerque Journal. It portrayed a boy sitting on Santa's lap. Santa is saying to him, "and have you been a good boy this year?" The boy replies, "It depends on what good means." In back of him a girl is thinking, "65% of my peers say I'm good." Another girl in the Santa line says, "That's a private matter between me and my family." A boy says, "It's time to move on to the real issues: what I want."
Postmodernism calls into question all traditional ideas about truth, about reality and about foundational beliefs. The truths (and foundation) on which Christians rely have been uprooted.
In past years, modernists and liberals denied the existence of God, the historical Jesus and His divinity, the inspiration of the Scriptures, and the reality of miracles. Today they don’t argue against Christianity: they simply dismiss it as one option among many in a sea of beliefs and ideas.
Truth becomes trivial, irrelevant. Realize that 72% of Americans between the ages of 18-25 now believe that there is no such thing as absolute truth! It shows itself this way:
Getting Started in Postmodern Preaching The preacher's challenge in a postmodern world is to earn the right to be heard and believed. To achieve this, postmodern preaching needs to be authentic, biblical, relevant and holistic.
Authenticity Postmodern people crave authenticity in their leaders. Living in a cynical, media-soaked world, they have seen it all. We can't deceive them. They want the real thing.
How can we be authentic communicators? For centuries it was taught that authentic speech entails three elements: Logos = our words Ethos = our character Pathos = our conviction Authentic communication involves our character and our conviction, not just our words. This is especially true in the postmodern era.
Postmodern people respond best to a preacher/teacher/member who: · is a whole person. They want to know who we are and what we do, not just what we say and believe. They want to know the difference the living God has made in our personal lives. · speaks genuinely from the heart. Merely reading words from a manuscript is not enough. If we show an honest passion about a subject, it helps them to believe in that subject as well. · respects them as people. Postmodern people do not like to be controlled or manipulated. They do not respond to guilt or obligation. They do not want emotionalism for its own sake. · brings them to God. We are disciples, not preaching machines; we teach people to be disciples, not trained listeners. The purpose of the scriptures from which we preach is to change lives.
They crave to encounter the living God through the scriptures. This suggests that the best of postmodern preaching will be expository in nature. Expository preaching explains the scripture and builds from there. The particular form of the sermon does not matter. The important thing is that we allow the listener to be involved in the world of the text before we draw out the implications.
And we have to give time for God’s Word to work. The human heart is complex. We’re hard-wired to the core and it takes time for the Holy Spirit to re-program us.
Good expository preaching resembles what happens in a cooking show. The chef does not just say, “behold — my finished meal!” Instead, the chef draws us in by explaining things to us and helping us feel like we are creating the product. But the chef never elevates the explanation above the entreé. The goal is always the meal.
In preaching, our true purpose is not merely to inform; it is to transform. We explain, so we can apply. We make things clear, to clear the way for God to work. This is why, in the postmodern era, the more effective sermons will be expository in nature but also extremely relevant, focusing perhaps half the sermon or more on encouragement and life application.
Said another way: what does it say, what does it mean, what does it mean to me!
Holistic Preaching In the modern era, people often tried to understand things by breaking them down into their component parts. Postmodern people are different. They like to understand something in terms of its whole. This means that our preaching needs to be holistic as well.
Postmodern people believe in a holistic discipleship Postmodernists see no dichotomy between social action and spirituality. For them, both are just different aspects of loving God and loving our neighbor as ourselves. Our preaching should recognize this. It should encourage people to draw closer to God in their hearts and to serve God in the thick of the world.
Postmodern people want to be a part of a community While modernists respond to preaching that addresses them as individuals, postmodern people respond to preaching that builds them into a Christian community. Coming from broken lives, many of them need to learn how to live together as Christians. Our preaching can help shape them into God's people by confronting them with the need to know and be known, to forgive and be forgiven, and to love and be loved.
“A place to believe, belong, and become!” It’s not just a catchy slogan…it’s a mandate! It’s a dedication to an environment for knowing, growing, and healing.
On another level, postmodern people, many of whom are secular, need to have their lives linked with God’s story. They need to know how they are part of God’s great movement through time and space. It is our role to contrast for them the empty promises of this run-down world with the Gospel, so they will be grateful to know Christ. As we preach like this, we will help form them into the people of God.
In the postmodern era, many of us are now saying that the greatest argument for the truth of Christianity will be the Christian community. The apologetic preaching will depend, not just on lofty arguments to win people over, but on a community where it makes sense to believe in God. Christianity can best be explained by living it out.
Churches today are less and less likely to ask “What does the Bible say?” and more likely to ask, “What does the community want?” We need to be reminded that the church belongs to the Lord, not the community. The church is uniquely His and was designed to be His servant to take His gospel to a lost and dying world.
The community may help us understand what our tasks are, but we must never forget who our Master is or that our primary task is evangelism and benevolence and edification.
A satisfied community that never hears the gospel is not a saved community. What does it profit a church if it gains the whole community but loses its own soul?
And we must never, ever presume to judge anyone! We must become more tolerant of the religious diversity of our time…which means nothing is right or wrong.: · Don’t talk about sin or hell · Don’t talk about repentance · Don’t talk about only one Savior and one church
Without God, all things are permissible. Without the foundation of Christian morality, there is only amorality. The removal of foundations means a loss of any law and any boundaries. (Judges 21:25) "In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as he saw fit."
(Ephesians 4:14) "Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming."
(Hebrews 5:14) "But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil."
This mood of uncertainty contrasts starkly with the boldness of the apostles and the courage and sacrifice of early Christians who would not bow down to Caesar. They were willing to rest all their hope in Jesus and to die for Him.
Phil Sanders: “What makes Christians act as if they never knew God? What turns values upside down as if God had never spoken about right and wrong? What makes it wrong to speak against sin? Why do people think they can make up their own religion? Why is it regardless of what people say, everybody thinks it is right? How can everybody be right?
“These questions are easier to ask than they are to answer. The winds of change seem to be blowing us away from our moorings. It seems the things of God, which are so familiar, are vaguely disappearing behind us. Many of our friends and family in the church are moving into unchartered waters that confuse, surprise, and alarm us.
“It should not surprise us that the mindset of the world does not match the mindset of God as it is presented in the Scriptures. After all, the world is worldly, and God is not!”
Listen to what Isaiah said long ago: (Isaiah 55:8-9) ""For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the LORD. {9} "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts."
The world will not accept the thinking or judgments of God. The world serves the god of this world who is hostile in mind to God and Christ.
(John 3:19-21) "This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. {20} Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. {21} But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God.""
The postmodern mindset at the beginning of this third millennium sets an individual adrift on a sea of uncertainty, not having a north star to guide him, a rudder to steer him, or an anchor to secure him.
He has set himself adrift on a sea without the eternal foundation of God.
We fool ourselves if we think these struggles are not real in our time. The Bible tells us there is only one struggle: between two masters.
(Matthew 7:13-14) ""Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. {14} But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it."
(Romans 12:1-2) "Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God--this is your spiritual act of worship. {2} Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will."
(James 4:4) "You adulterous people, don't you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God."
It is this exclusiveness that is so objectionable to the postmodern mindset; yet God has called us to a mind transformed from such worldliness to His good, acceptable and perfect will.
Changes in Moral Standards • Biblical Morality (1800s-early 1900s) “Certain things are right and wrong, and I know why.” • Abiblical Morality (1900-1950s) “Certain things are right and wrong, but I don’t know why.” • Immorality (1960-early 1970s) “Certain things are right and wrong, but I don’t care.” • Amorality (late 1900s) “There’s no such thing as right and wrong!” -- (Fran Sciacca, Generation at Risk, 117.)
Postmodern Lies • Sin isn’t such a big deal • Get what you want now • Forms don’t matter; feelings do • Alternatives (to obedience) will work • Mediocrity will do • Never offend anyone (except God) • Never make judgments
Four Trends of our Time: • Secularization: Throw God out! (Rom. 1:18-23) • Privatization: Make yourself God! (Judges 21:25; chap. 17) • Pluralization: Everybody’s Right! (2 Kings 17:24-34) • Relativization: There are no Absolutes! (1 Kings 20:22-28)
The New Tolerance “Because the new tolerance declares all beliefs equally valid, Christians will face increasing pressure to be silent about their convictions…because to speak out will be seen as an intolerant judgment of others’ beliefs and lifestyles” -- Josh McDowell, Battle Cry, May/June 2001, p. 2.
Street-Level Theology • It doesn’t matter what religious faith you follow because they all teach the same lessons (38%). • ACU study revealed more than half our teens and 65% youth ministers say “It really doesn’t matter what particular church someone belongs to as long as he/she loves Jesus.” • All people will experience the same outcome after death, regardless of their religious beliefs (44%). • People are blessed by God so they can enjoy life as much as possible. (72%) • The primary purpose of life is enjoyment and fulfillment. (58%) • The Bible is not totally accurate in all that it teaches. (34%) • Satan is not a living being, but just a symbol of evil. (60%) • If a person is good or does enough good things for others during his life, he will earn a place in heaven. (55%) • When He lived on earth, Jesus Christ committed sins. (44%) • The Holy Spirit is not a living entity but just a symbol of God’s power or presence. (61%) • After He was crucified, Jesus Christ did not return to life physically. (40%) • Whatever works in your life is the only truth you can know. (32%) • 1/5 say sin is an “outdated” word • 4% believe everyone is God • 3% believe there are many gods • 55% disagree that people who do not consciously accept Jesus Christ will be condemned to hell. • 1/5 say the Bible is simply a religious book by human beings. • Only 22% are convinced there is absolute moral truth. (November, 2001, Barna) • Only 15% cite the Bible as the dominant influence on their thinking about truth
(2 Chronicles 7:14) "if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land."
Why Are We Crazy? • We have dismissed God • we have dismissed the Bible • we have tolerated sin
The way home: • Come back to God • Believe and obey the Bible • Repent and hate sin • Live Christian lives
David understand he did not have God’s permission to do whatever he wanted to do (Psalms 19:13) "Keep your servant also from willful sins; may they not rule over me. Then will I be blameless, innocent of great transgression."
God does not accept what he does not instruct (Leviticus 10:1-2) "Aaron's sons Nadab and Abihu took their censers, put fire in them and added incense; and they offered unauthorized fire before the LORD, contrary to his command. {2} So fire came out from the presence of the LORD and consumed them, and they died before the LORD."
David learned that self-designed obedience is irreverence to God (2 Samuel 6:7) "The Lord's anger burned against Uzzah because of his irreverent act; therefore God struck him down and he died there beside the ark of God."
Why we will not vanish! • God still reigns in heaven • Sin and guilt are still relevant • Since the war, people long for security • Postmodern thinking cannot last • Signs of life among the churches
Why exclusivism is being rejected: • Many became uncomfortable with a judgmental spirit • Scripture (?) called some of our beliefs into question • Increased contact with people in other groups forced us to re-evaluate our relationship with them.
Jesus was exclusive! (John 14:6) "Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."
(John 18:36) "Jesus said, "My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jews. But now my kingdom is from another place.""
• unless one is born of water and the Spirit (John 3:5) (John 3:5) "Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit."
• unless you repent (Luke 13:3) (Luke 13:3) "I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish."
• unless you believe that I am He (John 8:24) (John 8:24) "I told you that you would die in your sins; if you do not believe that I am the one I claim to be, you will indeed die in your sins.""
• One Gospel (Gal. 1:6-9) (Galatians 1:6-9) "I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel-- {7} which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ. {8} But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned! {9} As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let him be eternally condemned!"
• one body, one Spirit, one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father (Eph. 4:4-6) (Ephesians 4:4-6) "There is one body and one Spirit-- just as you were called to one hope when you were called-- {5} one Lord, one faith, one baptism; {6} one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all."
The actions of early Christians When the truth was preached in Ephesus, they burned their magic books (Acts 19:18-20) "Many of those who believed now came and openly confessed their evil deeds. {19} A number who had practiced sorcery brought their scrolls together and burned them publicly. When they calculated the value of the scrolls, the total came to fifty thousand drachmas. {20} In this way the word of the Lord spread widely and grew in power."
David felt God’s Word was settled in heaven (Psalms 119:89) "Your word, O LORD, is eternal; it stands firm in the heavens."
The first Christians were taught a certain understanding about God’s Word: (John 12:48) "There is a judge for the one who rejects me and does not accept my words; that very word which I spoke will condemn him at the last day."
Absolute Truth and The Bible as the Word of God Absolute truth rises above any one culture; it is true for all cultures. For any truth to be absolute, it must come from a supernatural source transcending the local scene.
To challenge the existence of any absolute truth is not really a challenge to truth but a challenge to the character of God.
The Bible claims to be inspired by God (2 Timothy 3:16, 17). The Greek phrase translated “inspired by God” literally means “God-breathed.”
Peter, an apostle and author of several New Testament books, wrote that biblical prophecies were not the result of “an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God” (2 Peter 1:21).
The gospel is universal: (Matthew 28:19-20) "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, {20} and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.""
The gospel is final (Matthew 24:35) "Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away."
The gospel is unchangeable (Proverbs 30:5-6) ""Every word of God is flawless; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him. {6} Do not add to his words, or he will rebuke you and prove you a liar."
(John 8:31-32) "To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. {32} Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.""
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Real Love Real love doesn’t leave another person in error. Real love takes the time to show them the error of their way:
(Galatians 6:1) "Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted."
(2 Timothy 2:24-26) "And the Lord's servant must not quarrel; instead, he must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful. {25} Those who oppose him he must gently instruct, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, {26} and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will."
The gospel derives its power from the story of the cross. To water down the gospel story mocks the great lengths to which God went to save mankind. To downplay or dismiss sin scorns the blood which Jesus so freely shed for our sake. To obscure obedience ignores the cross Jesus demands that each of us carry.
We Must Reclaim our Identity
We must not be ashamed: · Of the name of Christ (Colossians 3:17) "And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him." • Of the teaching of Jesus Christ (Luke 9:26) "If anyone is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels." • Of confronting sin (1 Timothy 5:20) "Those who sin are to be rebuked publicly, so that the others may take warning."
We must take up our cross • Our greatest need is a good, long look at the cross • We must stop focusing on ourselves • “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me, and delivered himself up for me” (Gal. 2:20).
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