I have a frustrated teenage daughter in my home.
She's frustrated because she loves tennis, and the high school tennis season started last week. Here in Kentucky, the weather has been cold and rainy, and therefore, no practice.
However, something hit me yesterday. It wasn't a nice day- 36 degrees- but it wasn't rainy. She was told that practice was cancelled. She was upset. I said, "Since when do tennis players need permission to play tennis?"
She looked at me funny.
I said again, "Since when do you need an adult's permission to go play a sport you love? Just because your coach cancelled practice doesn't mean that you can't go play. Get some of your teammates out there and play the sport you love. You don't need a coach's permission to do something you love."
Wasn't that the way it was when we were kids? We didn't wait for an adult to tell us we could play sports. We just went out and played. However, I see an alarming trend in our young people- it's like they can't take the initiative to do it themselves. They literally sit around and wait for an adult-organized event so they can play a sport. Unless an adult tells them "we have practice today," or "we have a game today," they aren't playing.
Then I realized this was bigger than just kids and sports.
I read an article today how universities are banning Christian groups from campus because the groups don't meet the universities' "non-discrimination policies." Basically, the universities are telling Christian groups that they have to allow non-Christian students to lead the Christian groups to be recognized as legitimate campus groups. The Christian groups obviously can't have non-believers in leadership positions, so they naturally are upset. Because they won't comply with the policy, they are no longer eligible to be recognized or received university funding.
Yawn.
Why does this even bother Christians? I mean, yes, I understand that people are upset about the marginalization of the Christian groups and their slow removal from society. I get that.
The early church in the book of Acts had it much rougher, and they did just fine. Better than fine, actually. Acts 2:47 said that people were coming to Christ every day. News flash- they weren't allowed to meet either.
Since when do Christians need university approval to meet? We aren't some club or organization. We're the church. If the government or other authority tells us we can't meet, we meet anyway. If the government or university tells us to be quiet, we preach anyway. When did Christians start thinking that we need to be recognized by some state entity in order to do the work we have been called to do?
Christians should stop asking permission, as if we needed anything other than the Word of God.
So what if the university doesn't allow them to meet? Meet anyway. That's what the guys in the Bible did. That's what millions of persecuted believers around the world do anyway.
So what if the university doesn't provide funding? Does the church need secular funding to love people, study the Word, preach the gospel, worship, etc? Absolutely not. The church is the church.
I just wonder when Christians started thinking we need permission from the authorities to be the church.
Just like my daughter thought she had to wait until the coach scheduled a practice for her to play tennis, the Christian organizations think we have to be approved by the authorities in order to meet.
Christians should stop asking permission. Go be the church. Meet in a dorm room. Meet in the cafeteria. Meet in a classroom. Meet in a church nearby campus. Meet in the home of an adult Christian in the community who goes to the church you attend. That's the way it was in the beginning. That's the way it is around the world. Don't wait for the permission from a non-Christian source.
Go be the church.
She's frustrated because she loves tennis, and the high school tennis season started last week. Here in Kentucky, the weather has been cold and rainy, and therefore, no practice.
However, something hit me yesterday. It wasn't a nice day- 36 degrees- but it wasn't rainy. She was told that practice was cancelled. She was upset. I said, "Since when do tennis players need permission to play tennis?"
She looked at me funny.
I said again, "Since when do you need an adult's permission to go play a sport you love? Just because your coach cancelled practice doesn't mean that you can't go play. Get some of your teammates out there and play the sport you love. You don't need a coach's permission to do something you love."
Wasn't that the way it was when we were kids? We didn't wait for an adult to tell us we could play sports. We just went out and played. However, I see an alarming trend in our young people- it's like they can't take the initiative to do it themselves. They literally sit around and wait for an adult-organized event so they can play a sport. Unless an adult tells them "we have practice today," or "we have a game today," they aren't playing.
Then I realized this was bigger than just kids and sports.
I read an article today how universities are banning Christian groups from campus because the groups don't meet the universities' "non-discrimination policies." Basically, the universities are telling Christian groups that they have to allow non-Christian students to lead the Christian groups to be recognized as legitimate campus groups. The Christian groups obviously can't have non-believers in leadership positions, so they naturally are upset. Because they won't comply with the policy, they are no longer eligible to be recognized or received university funding.
Yawn.
Why does this even bother Christians? I mean, yes, I understand that people are upset about the marginalization of the Christian groups and their slow removal from society. I get that.
The early church in the book of Acts had it much rougher, and they did just fine. Better than fine, actually. Acts 2:47 said that people were coming to Christ every day. News flash- they weren't allowed to meet either.
Since when do Christians need university approval to meet? We aren't some club or organization. We're the church. If the government or other authority tells us we can't meet, we meet anyway. If the government or university tells us to be quiet, we preach anyway. When did Christians start thinking that we need to be recognized by some state entity in order to do the work we have been called to do?
Christians should stop asking permission, as if we needed anything other than the Word of God.
So what if the university doesn't allow them to meet? Meet anyway. That's what the guys in the Bible did. That's what millions of persecuted believers around the world do anyway.
So what if the university doesn't provide funding? Does the church need secular funding to love people, study the Word, preach the gospel, worship, etc? Absolutely not. The church is the church.
I just wonder when Christians started thinking we need permission from the authorities to be the church.
Just like my daughter thought she had to wait until the coach scheduled a practice for her to play tennis, the Christian organizations think we have to be approved by the authorities in order to meet.
Christians should stop asking permission. Go be the church. Meet in a dorm room. Meet in the cafeteria. Meet in a classroom. Meet in a church nearby campus. Meet in the home of an adult Christian in the community who goes to the church you attend. That's the way it was in the beginning. That's the way it is around the world. Don't wait for the permission from a non-Christian source.
Go be the church.
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