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From The First Baptist Church in America pulpit

Providence, Rhode Island – June 28, 2009

“When Faith Cost Something” (Luke 14:25-33)

Dr. Dan Ivins, preaching

Not long ago it struck me how the best preachers in New Testament days would make lousy pastors today. Paul was always in jail. John the Baptist was a hippie. Stephen got stoned. No church today would call any of them. Least of all Jesus. Don’t ya’ll find that unusual? No search committee exists that would logically think a guy like Jesus could be “the One.” He’d get in your face and didn’t beat around the bush. Consequently “he made of himself no reputation,” because he was truthful rather than tactful. He almost got killed the first time he preached in his hometown. He had nothing going for him. No impressive resume. No nice building to preach in. No parking lot for chariots. Only twelve disciples. “Two or three gathered in worship” was fine with him. He didn’t care whose toes he stepped on. Loyal to God not people.

And that brings me to the #1 question we get here every day from tourists: “How many members do you have?” I just hate it because numbers are a poor way to measure a church. But this is America, a Burger-King society, where the “bigger the burger is the better burger.” We carry that over into churches. OK I’ll give ‘em the benefit of the doubt. Maybe they really want to know. But when the next thing they say is “My church in Texas has 5000 members,” that tells me it’s not curiosity-driven, but one-upmanship. Along with the accompanying assumption that a small church can’t be a good church.

But if Jesus was as successful as the “purpose-driven” crowd, there wouldn’t be a church. By this society’s standards of measuring religious institutions, Jesus was a failure and would’ve made a lousy pastor. Which is why the unwritten job description of every church I’ve been a part of across this country is “do whatever it takes to get new members in the church.” It’s the same no matter where you go: North, South, East, or West; whether inner city or wealthy suburb, the hopes of church members for all pastors is to “grow the church numerically.” That’s the one thing that makes everybody happy. Now common sense, which is in short supply these days … dictates that to reel ‘em in, we must water-down church membership requirements. Don’t set up too many hoops to jump through. That means the major role for modern pastors is to make it EASY not HARD to entice people to join the church. And then easier still if you can get ‘em to STAY in the church.

Without taking into account the local context -- that really determines the size of a church, there are many factors that make for church growth or decline besides the pastor. Not the least being whether the congregation is friendly and open, or stuffy and narrow. But the pressure of unrealistic expectations can be overwhelming. But I got over that one a long time ago. Which is why I’m in Rhode Island and not in Texas! So you have to always remind yourself, “I’m here to please God not men.” And that can get you in real trouble! Because if you don’t please your people at least every now and then, you won’t BE anywhere long!But that’s not what really counts. We want them “bodies and bucks” as a sign of a successful pastorate. And any preacher who can pull that off consistently, or lands in a nice thriving neighborhood, can pick his place. And it’s always, a bigger place. So every church growth expert I’ve heard has taught that for numerical growth to occur, there must be homogeneity, cool music, and lots of programs in order to reach those attractive young couples with kids and steady jobs. I call it “church marketing.” How do you market a church that takes as its central symbol, a cross? Sacrifice doesn’t sell any place I’ve ever lived. Service to others? In this day and time of “do it for me?”

Experts tell us we’ve got to find out what people are looking for in a church and give it to them. So they’ll stay put at our place and not go shopping around for some other church down the street, that offers them what they’re looking for better than we do. It sets up a competitive kingdom concept of doing church rather than service and boils down to doing church by being nice. But the thing is, it doesn’t stop once somebody joins the church. To make a church hum is the same thing that makes a home hum: regular meals, pleasant surroundings, with folks who generally mind their manners. Generally. But there’s always some cockleburs around! Like that Norman Rockwell painting from yesteryear of the ideal American family gathered around the Thanksgiving table: heads bowed in prayer, with the father’s carving knife in hand and Mom’s slotted spoon in hers. Everybody eagerly waiting ... to be served.

There’s not a thing wrong with that picture. Except according to Jesus, we can’t be his disciples unless we “hate our families, carry our crosses and give up our possessions.” Sometimes, often more and more, the only way to save your life is to lose your family! How can anybody preach stuff like that and even hope to be successful in this kind of world? I know what it takes to “grow a church.” But if I did, you wouldn’t like it! Doesn’t it make more sense for a church to know what it’s good at and do that well? Who’s calling for stronger churches rather than bigger ones? I did in my Southern Baptist days. They seem to always be promoting these “church growth conferences.” They’d bring in some religious peddler, who’s never spent a minute leading a local church, to “tell you how to do it.” But they didn’t say a whole lot about Jesus. I got so tired of those useless things, I approached the hapless denominational leaders, who also carry the pressure of growing churches, and volunteer to do a “Church Shrinking Conference.” I kid you not! They looked at me like I’m crazy. I even promised to do it for $1000 dollars too, knowing the paid tens of thousands to the professionals. But I got no takers and that’s why I’m up here today! People ask me that a lot too.

You have to spiritualize the Beatitudes to be a successful pastor in our materialistic society. “Renounce your possessions? Turn the other cheek, go the second mile, love your enemies” just won’t get ‘er done. So the frantic ones come up with lots of gimmicks, creative, but still gimmicks, like: preaching from the rooftop, riding a donkey down the aisles, getting a midget to come in who can yo-yo while quoting scripture! That’s why I’m up here! Put Jesus in charge of a congregation? How many would be left next Sunday? Talk about church shrinking! He’d be shakin’ ‘em out the door like: “Count the cost before you come back. It’s gonna take everything you’ve got. If you can’t make Church the #1 priority in your life, maybe you better go someplace else!” “If you do join this church, it’ll probably get you killed. Maybe you better think this over some more. Or try out the Unitarians up the street. I’d hate for ya’ll to get in over your head!” Countless others have launched out before they counted the cost, and as you can see, it didn’t take. That’s because Jesus is the polar opposite of today’s successful pastor. Far from trying to make it “easier” for people to follow him, Jesus goes overboard, making it harder than hard. Of course times change and we must keep up with the times. What about keeping up with Jesus?

So today’s text is from the 14^th Chapter of Luke’s Gospel, where Jesus is talking to a big crowd, that’s been tailing him from town to town. But he shrunk the crowd! They’re not people he has called to follow him. They just showed up, enthusiastic about him, like any normal preacher would appreciate. Who doesn’t like to have their admirers? But not Jesus. He’s less than welcoming toward them. In a resentful tone he told them “Don’t get your hopes up, or bite off more than you can chew.” Count the cost first. Then go home and think about it before you decide, so that you can stick with it no matter what.

I expect it mystified them. They wanted to be where the action is; to be the first to hear what he says next about changing the world. And they don’t have the slightest clue what it takes. It falls to the preacher to make that clear. Because Jesus tried to tell them. The last thing he wants to do is mislead anybody. Or let them think they’re joining the circus, when they’re headed into battle unarmed. Why say all that stuff about hating their parents, their kids, their lives? It’s a figure of speech that we don’t use anymore. It’s just a way of prioritizing what’s really important. Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem and he knows what a hard road lies ahead. It’s not going to be a “bed of roses.”

Luke knows even more, ‘cause he’s looking back. In his day Christians were being persecuted for following Jesus. Those were the days it was dangerous to your health to have a Christian in the family. The Romans were thorough. If they found one believer, they arrested them all. In that period, turning to Jesus often meant turning away from your family. Once you made following Jesus a priority, all else fell by the wayside; not because God took it away, but because that’s how the world works. I don’t think Jesus is threatening us. He’s just being up front with us; refusing to water it down or lie to us. Make us think we’re getting something we’re not. Don’t we admire integrity in people? How long has it been since we were able to depend on somebody to just tell the truth? It’s important for us to know the cost, so we can count the cost. So that nobody follows Jesus under false pretenses. He doesn’t want us to get halfway thru building a tall tower, then give it up before it’s completed. Or charging into battle without the troops or supplies needed to see it through.

I’ll be honest. I’d like to keep every person who comes through these doors. That’s why we have the “Inquirer’s Room,” so we can at least provide a concrete way of entry for those who want to join with us. But Jesus? He makes it hard. Real hard. Darn nigh impossible. He’d be such a lousy pastor. But one helluva Savior.

Providence Prayers: (6/28/09)

Gracious God, our Father, beneath whose eye and within whose patience the story of our years is told ... compose us in this worship, and help us to pray more nearly as we ought. We thank Thee for this church, full of folks who care what we think and how we feel; surrounded by invisible but real forces -- like memory and hope, encouragement and grace. And all the things that enhance the gift of life and stretch us to greater effort to pay some of it back.

We are grateful for the gift of faith that prompts our prayers in worship, for those who conveyed it to us, for life’s experiences that tested and confirmed it, for the Christ who makes it worthwhile. Forgive us, that much of the time we don’t have a clue what to do with Jesus. Crowds still gather because he had God at his beck and call, only to meet his fierce demand to “hate our closest relationships.” But to others he taught us to “love our neighbors.” Just never more than God. Instead of attracting disciples, it feels more like repelling them. It’s more of a shock than an inspiration. Jesus cautions his disciples as much as he calls them; warning us that being his followers isn’t going to be easy. We won’t be carrying around a literal cross but we will shoulder real suffering. Grant us the wisdom to prepare for it. For without it, we can’t be his disciples.

We live in a world where the death of celebrities seems to mean more than common folks. But the things we love more than anything else, our belongings, receive the severest rebuke of all.

May this hour enable us to accept ourselves and be delivered from the need of self-promotion; to commit ourselves and shake the need to be distracted; and to deny ourselves, that we may neither overestimate nor underestimate Thy giftedness to us. May Thy unfailing love so permeate the goings-on around this place, that each may count the other precious, and all of us erect within these hallowed walls and beyond, a testimony to the truth that sets men free. Our praise, spoken and unspoken, we offer gladly unto Thee, through Jesus Christ our Lord. AMAN