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Christianity Today, October, 2007 |

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When the Lights Go Out

Assuming that things go wrong, even in the church.

Mark Galli | posted 10/05/2007 08:42AM

Recently a storm blew through the Chicagoland area, and our home lost electricity for a few hours. Fortunately, this happens infrequently—which is why we're never prepared when it does. My wife and ...

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Raymond Takashi Swenson

Posted: October 08, 2007 12:50 PM

I was intrigued by your statement that many Christians "assume that once we're in the church, the lights shouldn't go out anymore." Indeed, I have been told that by various Evangelicals, who explained to me that they believed they were now saved despite anything they did from that point forward. For them, repentance from sin committed after finding faith in Christ might be a good idea, but it makes no difference to their salvation or that of their family or neighbors. Yet the impassioned exhortations of Paul's epistles are to people who are already Christians, people he baptized and gave the gift of the Holy Ghost. Some of them are rebelling, falling back into their former lives of unrighteousness, and Paul is calling on all of the saints in Corinth, Galatia, and Ephesus to hold fast to their faith in Christ and gain the confidence that they can run the endurance race as Paul has, and "put on the whole armor of God" to actively fight evil, with help from Christ and the Holy Spirit.

Anthony Venn-Brown

Posted: October 07, 2007 10:25 PM

if there is one thing I've learnt in my 56 years of life and half of that is a Christian. ....my morality is a choice, my sexual orientation however isn't. I think lots of people get their sexuality mixed up with things like sexual addiction and sexual abuse. i know I did. i'm glad the lights went out for me......because it was in that darkness I found something very precious. if people want to talk to others about the percieved conflict between their sexual orientation and thier faith they might find our forum helpful. http://www.freedom2b.org/join.html

To Mr Pastor

Posted: October 07, 2007 1:50 AM

It's indeed a candle you must light to sinners so they find themselves a path into the safe light. But that candle being light in the world includes a mix of grace and righteousness. Why do the lights go out in the church? It's because those who fall into sin are not holding onto the Rock with hands, feet and teeth when temptation comes. Sure, us others will be "tempted" to be heartless and point fingers. And so our lack of grace will mean the lights go out once again. Why is it that we do not know the majesty and the grace of Jesus whom we serve so that we do not slip right into darkness? It is surely because those appointed to teach us have weak faith, weak morals and weak love and do not point us securely to the firm foundation of a saving faith. They rather spoil us with tasty morsels of favour when we sin: when we sin either by becoming lawless, immoral, unloving or faithless. How do you balance us Pastor? it's your duty to know and if you fail you will face double the judgement!

Jackie

Posted: October 06, 2007 8:52 AM

Great article! Well-written and well thought out. I've saved it to my favorites and look forward to reading other things from you. When we become legalistic and self-righteous towards others are we any better than the Pharisees? And when we feel "above" those people whose "lights go out", could we possibly be acting out of Pride? That is a danger. Yes, love and mercy are a much better way. God will sort it out when we, as Christians, get to heaven - only He truly knows our hearts.

Kay	Posted: October 05, 2007 5:39 PM

Like most of the gospel, there is an on-going tension...already but not yet. Often the reason we are so condemning (or come off as condemning) is that we fear our own propensity to sin. We fear facing our own frailty and fail to realize that God comes against the proud but loves and helps the weak. As Paul said...this is no excuse for failure...it is no license to sin; rather, it is an invitation to the loving, saving, healing arms of Jesus whose desire for us is wholeness. But until we attain that wholeness, He is always ready to forgive and strengthen us. Oh, that we as Christians would follow His example.

Ted Voth Jr

Posted: October 05, 2007 3:43 PM


I'm liking most of what you're writing recently. You're writing from more of Jesus' point of view than that of the self-righteous fundamentalist "Dysangelical" voices we've heard so much lately, from those who want to conquer and "desecularize" the world.

grace and majesty and "righteousness" saves

Posted: October 05, 2007 2:00 PM

Grace and God-with-sinners is lavish and free but there is a payback! A sinner is not a son-of-Abraham until he has come to his senses and repented, paying back every penny he has stolen and coughed up every painful bit of gall that he has in his diseased chest becaue of his sin. Zacheus is a prodigal child that was visited by Jesus and who enjoyed the gracious company of His majesty in person but still, though Jesus was with him all the time Zacheus was not pronounced as "free" and really "welcome" until he realized his guilt and pledged to pay back his stolen money and to be generous. Zacheus was visited by grace to free him of corruption. We, as majestic church of grace must visit the criminals, bringing them righteousness-in-person, because righteousness, more than grace, is our service weapon. With righteousness on our side, as righteous people, we are able to pray people direct into heaven; which we cannot do just by being nice-and-popular with people who want excuses to sin.

Peter

Posted: October 05, 2007 11:27 AM

Mark, you probably weren't talking about me, but these words: "... a young Bible study leader struggles with homosexual urges long after his conversion" just about sums up for my current situation. Thank you for writing this sentence (and thank God for inspiring you to write it!) -- it hit me as if God was speaking to me -- just to remind me of how God is so patient with myself, and how amazing (and unimaginable) His love is. Praise be to Him!

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