Bulletins - Sunnyside Church of the Nazarene

Living Hope
This Is Amazing Grace
Build My Life
Mighty To Save
17 July 22
The Most Important Thing

This morning’s message is a raw, unpolished, and more about my questions than actual exegesis of a biblical text.

What would you say is the most important thing in the world? Human life? Love?

Listen to what Jesus said in
Mark 8:36–37 ESV
For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul? For what can a man give in return for his soul?

Think of the comparison. You can own everything in this world – power, money, every nation, continent …, and none of it compares to the human soul in value and importance. So we could argue that that the human soul is the most important thing in the world.
Paul said in
2 Corinthians 12:15 ESV
I will most gladly spend and be spent for your souls. If I love you more, am I to be loved less?

Paul is saying what? I do what I do, I go where I go … for what? Souls. Our Nazarene Manual recognizes this -
“The Church of the Nazarene believes this new and holy way of life [the Christian life] involves practices to be avoided and redemptive acts of love to be accomplished for the souls, minds, and bodies of our neighbors.” 28.3.
The Founders of the Nazarene church - “They believed that their time and money should be given to Christlike ministries for the salvation of souls and the relief of the needy.”

What’s the most important thing in the world? Souls. So, what does it profit a person to gain everything they want and forfeit their soul?

Let me reframe Mark 8:36.
1 Wintringham 10:21
What does it profit the Church to gain the world and yet forfeit souls? What does a profit the Church to gain everything it wants and forfeit souls?
What do I mean by that? Let's say the church wins every legal battle, we influence the government to pass every law that reflects our faith and Biblical standards of morality and everything goes our way and we get everything we want. We ban pornography, drugs, drinking, same-sex marriage …. What have we gained? Life is comfortable for us, but at what expense? I’m just asking questions. Not saying we shouldn’t fight for Biblical truths ….
Let’s consider the hot topic of abortion and specifically the overturning of Roe v. Wade. I’m pro-life, the Church is pro-life because we believe all humans are made in God’s image – born – unborn. Humans have souls, and the soul is the most important thing in the world.
Personally, I’m glad the abortion issue has been handed over to the states …. However, I was thinking about this – how many pro-abortionists are going to say, “R v W has been overturned, I guess Christians were right, I need to accept Jesus now?”
What I think is happening is that the Church believes that if we can win the culture war then we have done a good job and our job is done. What do I mean by culture war? If the Church can impose on culture our values and make people behave, and dress, and talk, and live the way we want, our job is done. What good is it to win the culture war and forfeit souls?
Little history lesson -

The culture has been in shambles ever since sin entered the world. And God’s people have been fighting culture ever since. Who’s winning?
The Church often gets caught up in fighting culture (people) rather than fighting what? Sin. “Wrestle not against people …,” but we sure do that a lot don’t we.
How does the Church fight culture that doesn’t want truth, that doesn’t want Jesus? I don’t think Jesus said, “Go and fight culture.” What did He say? Make disciples, love your enemies. Bless. Forgive. Show compassion. Be salt and light.
What changes culture? What would change someone's mind on abortion or sexuality or morality or whatever? Arguing about it doesn't work. Going back and forth on social media does not work. So what works?
I had a recent conversation with a friend who is pro-abortion. It started friendly, but quickly turned into a tennis match - back and forth with “what about this and what about that and what if this …” and it went nowhere. Our temperatures began to rise. And then we said hey let's call it quits because we value our friendship over this argument. We stopped.
Later I was processing the conversation and I realized something - we were approaching this issue from radically two different worldviews. Me – from a Biblical worldview. Him – humanistic, relativism. I was trying to change his worldview when I should have been more concerned about his soul. Because we called it quits, we never got to talk about Jesus. Think about it - what if I had won the argument and he became a pro-life advocate for the rest of his life - but I never introduced him to Jesus? I could have won the culture war but still lost his soul.
It’s not our job to change the worldviews of others. It’s our job to introduce people to Jesus and He changes their worldview. Jesus said, “Go into all the nations and make disciples ….”
When Jesus walked this earth, He could have fought for social reform, conquered the Roman Empire …. But what did He do?
Mark 1:15 ESV
and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”

When missionaries around the world and go into cities, towns … what is their priority? Rebel against the government? Social reform? Change the local culture to reflect Christianity? No. The priorities are relationships and earning the right to tell people about Jesus.

Is it possible that to win the culture war, to prove we’re right, we’re putting the cart before the horse and thus trying to gain the world while losing souls?

1 Corinthians 2:1–5 NIV
And so it was with me, brothers and sisters. When I came to you, I did not come with eloquence or human wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. I came to you in weakness with great fear and trembling. My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith might not rest on human wisdom, but on God’s power.

I’m not saying we shouldn’t be involved in legal issues, culture wars – we are to defend the orphan, widow, poor …. Praise God for people like William Wilberforce …. But freeing all the slaves in the world without freeing the soul does what?

So, what’s my point?

If your priority is to win the argument on abortion, sexuality, gun rights, whatever it might be, without concern for the human soul –

This Kingdom of God is the priority, not our kingdoms. Are we fighting for Kingdom issues? Are we concerned about people entering the Kingdom of God?

Do we need to repent?
- - Mark 8:36–37NIV2011
- - 2 Corinthians 12:15NIV2011
- - Mark 1:15NIV2011
- - 1 Corinthians 2:1–5NIV2011
The Stand

Mark 8:36–37NIV2011

2 Corinthians 12:15NIV2011

Mark 1:15NIV2011

1 Corinthians 2:1–5NIV2011