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Scripture
1 Corinthians 3:18 (NIV) 18 Do not deceive yourselves. If any one of you thinks he is wise by the standards of this age, he should become a "fool" so that he may become wise.

Observation
It has been interesting studying the history of the church for the past 14 weeks, starting with the age of the apostles all the way to present times. As we've looked at the evolution of theology through the centuries, it has been facinating to see how the church through the years has been constantly influenced by the prevailing secular wisdom of the day. For example when the teachings of Plato and Aristotle were all the rage, you find major movements in the church to adapt theology to incorporate the ideals of these philosophers, and place rational thought over the mystery of God. The pattern is repeated over and over again. Fast forward to the Age of Enlightenment when advancements in science lead man to believe he's got the universe all figured out, and can leave the age of barbarism behind. Once again that leads to Deism and Protestant liberalism under the teachings of Kant and others. Today we are no different than any previous age. We think in our time mankind has finally arrived. We have mastered our universe. We can harness the atom, send a man to the moon, decypher the genetic code, and even clone sheep.

The same pattern from history continues to affect our churches today. We still take the standards of this age and try to apply them to the church. Take church polity as an example. Any red blooded American knows that if democracy is good for America it's good for our churches too, right? Majority rule is scriptural after all, isn't it? Not exactly. While it feels right as an American for every member to have a voice in every decision of the church, the glimpses we have from scripture of the early church don't seem to bear that out. The vast majority of references indicate that the early church was led by a plurality of leaders who met high standards of spiritual maturity oulined in 1 Timothy and in Titus. On top of that, all of the examples we have in scripture of the "the crowd" indicate that the majority usually get it wrong. Remember it was "the majority" who were laying palms at Jesus' feet then a week later yelling "Crucify Him!." Sounds like a business meeting...

There are many other examples where we take what seems right in our own eyes and the eyes of the culture at the time and we attempt to mold Biblical truth to support our own lifestyle. The foundations of Christian belief in this country have crumbled so severely, that indeed if one lives by Christ's standards, the majority will consider you a fool. Look at Miss California who had the audacity to share her belief in God's standard regarding gay marriage. She was absolutely destroyed in the media and eventually lost her crown. Actors and actresses who openly declare their faith are regularly blackballed in Hollywood. Mike Huckabee, who may have been one of the most intelligent and articulate candidates in the last election was deliberately ridiculed and made to look like a fool for having the nerve to speak publicly about his faith as a guide for daily living.

When you look at it that way, if the world is calling us "wise," that should cause ice water to run through our veins. If when they look at us they say, 'there go those crazy Christians again.... living generously, helping others, talking about Jesus all the time, staying in faithful man/woman marriages, always showing love for each other... what a bunch of nuts!".... then maybe we're getting it right.

Application
When my neighbors see me, do they see a "crazy Christian" or do I just blend into the crowd? Does my life cause anyone to say "he's nuts?" That's what they said about Jesus. That's what they said about his followers. If they are not saying that about me, then something's wrong. I'm blending into my culture too much. I may seem wise and reasoned in the world's eyes, but that's not God's expectation, and it's not the example Jesus set. Today I'm going to look for opportunities to completely confound the world and "live out loud" in a way that unquestionably points to Christ!

Prayer
Father help me to be one of those "crazy Christians" and be bold for you... living your way and not the way of the world!