I read a brilliant tweet from Frank Viola (@FrankViola) this evening which was a quote from Ronald Reagan that said the following.
“Status Quo is Latin for the mess we’re in!”
Of course my small political comment would be that administrations such as his, Carter’s, Bush’s, Clinton’s and now Obama’s for all their nice words and strong sentiments don’t do much to change the status quo. It was more a case of rearranging furniture on the Titanic. As another quick political aside, I think human history has been about doing that more often than not and my hope is not in the political process to change that.
The quote itself, though, is a good description of the meaning of status quo and the most annoying thing about church life is that some people who get into Christ seem to divorce the transformation He makes in their lives from the life of their closest relationships with brothers and sisters in His Body. So I’m happy that He gives me peace, even if the life of the church doesn’t see a lot of peace. That disconnect is a tad disturbing.
Worse still is that some people shrug their shoulders and resign themselves to the lot of the status quo. Things won’t change whatever you want to do and whatever you say. Those in leadership appear to be keen to hold onto their vestiges of power and know what to do to keep that going. So what we’re told to do is just accept it and keep plodding on. Keep maintaining appearances. Keep the cycle of activities going because we don’t want to appear defeated by small matters. The church must go on.
Funnily enough this is not the talk of a dynamic growing body of believers. This is the same talk you hear from people in their political institutions or their employment institutions or their economic institutions. It is the world-weary talk of people whose idea of control and power is about letting the bigger and stronger have the bigger say and just going with the flow. So when the church mirrors that pattern it doesn’t mark itself out for how the Body of Christ is supposed to operate in the world.
There is a rich vein of irritation especially in the Old Testament where it appears as though the job of the prophets is to annoy and agitate those in charge to ensure that they align themselves to the standard that God has proclaimed. Even at the risk of becoming social outcasts and political pariahs, these prophets from everyday backgrounds speak as God instructs and talk of hope and restoration by God as well as the necessary correctives that need to be addressed by His people to be in line with what He says or He Himself will take corrective measures.
Some of the behaviour of those in church is out of order and nothing is done about. Some of the attitudes and mentality that keeps church ticking over is so abhorrent to God that if the truth was to be revealed drastic action would need to be taken to wake up and realise how seriously God takes His church. I know there are individuals who have been told that being a Christian is about being placid and a bit of a doormat so that you just have to hold your peace and don’t be contrary. Yet, sometimes holding the peace just makes matters worse and for those who would look to be a part of the family, seeing that level of corporate inaction, apathy and denial would quite rightly scare some people from being a part of it.
Jesus comes to us in our mess. Life is a mess. I’m not looking at acknowledging anything different. The language that pervades His mission though, speaks of cleaning the mess. Speaks of the process of being made right in God’s sight. Working towards the character of Christ becoming deeply embedded and expressed in the open that sees progress from out of the mess into the purity of being clothed in rightousness.
Do not confuse speaking the truth in love with fudging the issue because we don’t want to upset anyone. If that’s the definition of love then Jesus would have been a hugely unloving person. Consider the way He continues to challenge you not to accept the status quo of the life you’ve always lived. Consider the experiences God has deliberately orchestrated to allow you to know fullness of life is not about behaving, thinking and speaking as you’re comfortable with and as others have suggested. Consider all these ongoing challenges to change and then apply that to the community – why does He want us to carry on singing songs, hearing half-baked sermons, going through the motions when critical issues of depth and real life both in fellowship and in mission are seriously affected, hindered, hampered and frustrated as a result. Our silence marks our complicity to it. Our refusal to rock the boat only allows all the passengers to continue to flail as it continues to sink listlessly.
Speaking out isn’t about being a loud-mouth or an unruly, disobedient rebel. Living out is not about being aloof or giving the impression of piety and superiority. Not at all. Indeed it is about serving all the more and living sacrificially further. In the meantime, however, just as we have a holy contentment in our holy discontent is something that should drive us to peacefully and lovingly reflect the glory of God that leads to greater glory and allows the status quo to be a load of old rubbish (a bit like the rock band of the same name) and we won’t accept it as the Spirit of God in us will not accept it.
Sometimes then, that gnawing, aggravating, restless irritant in the craw of your being is God’s turbo boost that allows the Body to correct itself to be in line with His will. Do not ignore, dampen or neglect it. Act on it.
For His Name’s Sake
Shalom
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