Relevance 2

Luke 11:46

In the movie “Erik, the Viking,” there is a priest who travels with the band of warriors and tries throughout the film to convert them to Christianity. Near the end their boat is sinking and the Vikings are certain they will die. They finally turn to the priest in a last ditch effort for hope. They ask what they must do to be saved. He tells them they must be baptized and, as the water is rising up past their knees, he explains how to do that.

In his list of six woes Jesus turns to the experts in the law with a comment. What problem does he name?

The movie is a comedy but the scene described has always been poignant to me. The Vikings, of course, reject conversion as soon as they learn what the process of baptism involves. The last thing a drowning man wants is to be dunked in water. The priest was so caught up in ritual he could not see how to deal with the needs of the men around him.

We, as Christians and as an organized church, can fall into that trap as well. We can sometimes be like the experts in the law. Instead of helping a hurting world, they burdened people who were already struggling with more religious rules and expectations.

We may desire to save souls, but we often overlook that what “the lost” need first is acceptance. Sometimes we expect non-Christians to reject their lifestyles, repent of their sins, and become new people before they even walk into the church. What they need first is help with their problems, support, comfort, and encouragement.

Just as the last thing a drowning man wants is to be dunked in water, the last thing a person feeling hopeless needs is more judgment and unrealistic expectations. If the church today will be relevant, we must be ready to accept non-Christians where they are, show them the love of Christ, and THEN teach them how to change.

DAILY CHALLENGE: Is your attitude toward the non-Christian where it needs to be?