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What Can We
Learn From A Bar
1 Corinthians
9:20-21
The
title of tonight’s sermon is “What can the New Hope Church learn from a
Bar”. Sounds like it should have a punch line, doesn’t it?
Like how are churches are bars alike? They both have people passed out
in them.
But seriously though there are a few things that churches can learn from
bars.
Do you remember Cheers? Cheers was a sitcom about a bar in Boston and
the barflies that frequented the establishment. Nick at night has been
showing reruns for some time now. As I watch the show I see all the
people so happy and excited about being together.
Then there is the theme song; do you remember the theme song?
“Making your way in the world today takes everything you’ve got. Taking
a break from all your worries sure would help a lot. Wouldn’t you like
to get away? Sometimes you wanna go; where everybody knows your name and
they’re always glad you came. You wanna be where you can see troubles
are all the same; you wanna be where everybody knows your name.”
I think that churches can learn some things from those lyrics.
The thing that brings people to a bar is the same thing that brings
people into a church. Although there are something’s that take place in
a bar that we should not condone. There are a few things we can learn
from a bar. Let’s look at three things that bars do well that we church
can imitate.
I. Bars make people feel connected.
People do not go to bars simply to get drunk. If their goal was simply
to get drunk, believe me they can do that at home a lot cheaper. People
enjoy being around other people in an environment that makes them feel
connected to those other people. The Church must connect with the world
in order for the world to connect with the Church.
Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 9:20-21 When I am with the Jews I seem as
one of them so that they will listen to the Gospel and I can win them to
Christ. When I am with Gentiles who follow Jewish customs and ceremonies
I don’t argue, even though I don’t agree, because I want to help them.
When with the heathen I agree with them as much as I can, except of
course that I must always do what is right as a Christian. And so, by
agreeing, I can win their confidence and help them too…
Paul is not saying that you have to put on a show in order to connect
with people. He is simply advising us to be transparent with people. If
I try to minister to someone who is struggling and lie to them or lead
them to believe that I have no struggles it won’t be effective. If I try
to minister to someone about family problems and I tell them I have the
perfect family, I will never be able to get to the core of the problem.
I need to minister to people as myself, but in a way that is
understandable.
Paul says that he is like a Jew when he is with the Jews and like a
gentile when he is with the gentiles. Not that he puts on garments or
jewelry to look like a Jew or gentile. He is simply speaking to them in
ways that they comprehend. He was trying to connect. How can the church
make a connection with people?
Paul in his letter goes on to say…
1 Corinthians 9:22 Yes, whatever a person is like, I try to find common
ground with him so that he will let me tell him about Christ and let
Christ save him.
Finding common ground with people is called fellowship. Fellowship is
not a meal on the grounds. The Greek word for fellowship actually means
common. When we fellowship we connect with people. We find a common
ground with them.
Jess Moody says, “We will win the world when fellowship, not evangelism,
becomes our focus.”
II. Bars make people feel comfortable.
The Church must be comfortable with the world in order for the world to
be comfortable with the church.
But who should feel comfortable in church? Should everyone feel
comfortable in church? Let’s take a look at whom Jesus tried to make
feel comfortable.
Matthew 9:10 While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew’s house, many tax
collectors and “sinners” came and ate with him and his disciples.
Jesus was comfortable with sinners and they were comfortable with him.
In fact, Jesus was more comfortable with sinners than he was with the so
called “religious” people of the day.
Matthew 23:13-15"How terrible for you, teachers of the law and
Pharisees! You are hypocrites! You close the door for people to enter
the kingdom of heaven. You yourselves don't enter, and you stop others
who are trying to enter.” How terrible for you, teachers of the law and
Pharisees! You are hypocrites! You travel across land and sea to find
one person who will change to your ways. When you find that person, you
make him more fit for hell than you are.
Matthew 23:27 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you
hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the
outside but on the inside are full of dead men’s bones and everything
unclean.”
Do you see a pattern here? This is how Jesus responded to religious
leaders. No wonder they weren’t comfortable around him.
Now let’s see how he responded to blatant sinners.
John 8:3-11 As he was speaking, the teachers of religious law and
Pharisees brought a woman they had caught in the act of adultery. They
put her in front of the crowd. "Teacher," they said to Jesus, "this
woman was caught in the very act of adultery. The law of Moses says to
stone her. What do you say?" They were trying to trap him into saying
something they could use against him, but Jesus stooped down and wrote
in the dust with his finger. They kept demanding an answer, so he stood
up again and said, "All right, stone her. But let those who have never
sinned throw the first stones!" Then he stooped down again and wrote in
the dust. When the accusers heard this, they slipped away one by one,
beginning with the oldest, until only Jesus was left in the middle of
the crowd with the woman. Then Jesus stood up again and said to her,
"Where are your accusers? Didn't even one of them condemn you?" "No,
Lord," she said. And Jesus said, "Neither do I. Go and sin no more."
Lepers were to be avoided like, well, like lepers. They had to wear a
bell and yell from a distance, “unclean, unclean!” If they failed to do
this, they were punished with death. How do you think Jesus would feel
around a leper?
Mark 1:40-42 A man with leprosy came to him and begged him on his knees,
“If you are willing, you can make me clean.” Filled with compassion,
Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” he said.
“Be clean!” Immediately the leprosy left him and he was cured.
Jesus was comfortable around sinners! The Religious leaders were not.
Our church needs to be more comfortable with sinners than anyone else is
willing to be. More comfortable than the justice system. More
comfortable than hospitals. More comfortable than anybody. Why? Because
we have the cure for sin. We should not beat people up because they are
sinners but welcome them in and give them the honored seat.
Rex Brown said, “The church has become like an Aids clinic that is
afraid of people with Aids. The true function of the church is to
disturb the comfortable and to comfort the disturbed.”
III. Bars make people feel normal.
Churches so often want to pretend that the world is somehow below them.
We think we are better than those pagans out there in the world.
The troubles and sins of the world have nothing to do with the church.
That we Christians don’t struggle with sins because we have found a
magic potion that makes all our sinful desires disappear.
Truth: there is no potion. Christians struggle with sin as much as the
rest of world.
The Apostle Paul even admitted his struggle with sin.
1 Timothy 1:15-16 This is a statement that can be trusted and deserves
complete acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners,
and I am the foremost sinner. However, I was treated with mercy so that
Christ Jesus could use me, the foremost sinner, to demonstrate his
patience. This patience serves as an example for those who would believe
in him and live forever.
The thing that is normal about the church is our sin and us. We have to
stop thinking that we are so divine and join the human race. We must
understand that we are all sinners and that only thing good about the
church is the forgiveness of Christ.
The USA Today ran a story last year Daughter of Dancer Kicked Out of
Christian School
A Christian school has expelled a kindergarten student, saying her
mother’s work as a Night Club dancer clashes with its Christian
philosophy. Christina Silvas, 24, of Rancho Cordova said she took the
job as a dancer in part to afford the $400 monthly tuition at Capital
Christian School. But school officials decided no reason could justify
her daughter’s enrollment.
Silvas, said she thought the church was supposed to accept everyone.
Silvas, who is single, said school administrators called her last week
and told her that in response to persistent rumors, a parent went to the
club’s website, downloaded pictures of Silvas and showed them to school
staff. Silvas said Cole told her that not only would her 5-year old
daughter be expelled, but also that as long as she dances, she cannot
attend the church.
God says in Romans 14:13 Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one
another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or
obstacle in your brother’s way.
I like the way the Message paraphrases that verse.
Forget about deciding what is right for each other. Here’s what you need
to be concerned about: that you don’t get in the way of someone else,
making life more difficult than it already is.
Churches are too busy pointing at the world and their sins, tattling on
them like a child tattles on a sibling to his father. Dad, look at he
did!
How many churches do you think Ms. Silvas has attended since her
daughter was expelled from Capitol Christian School?
Do you think that the experience made her quit her job? No.
Would we be comfortable enough to let her to come here? Would we allow
people to come here and allow God’s loves and forgiveness to change what
needs to be changed?
God changes people, we don’t.
The church belongs to Jesus. The purpose of the church of Jesus Christ
is to serve him. So, how do serve Jesus?
We serve Jesus by loving as he loves.
Matthew 25:40 "The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you
did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'
A restaurant had this on their sign. It read, “Suffering from the winter
blues? Come to our happy hour.”
Isn’t it amazing that bars are offering people a solution to their
problems, while the church sits in the judgment of people’s problems?
What kind of church will we be, the kind that judges or the kind that
offers people solutions?
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