Is the Church becoming Wimpy? Grace like Spinach.

Wimpy.  Such a strong word. Visions of Olive Oil, or Popeye…before the Spinach…comes to mind.

If you don’t know who Popeye is, He was a pipe tooting sailor who would chug down a whole can of raw Spinach.  As a consequence, He was able to ward off Bluto, the burly rascal who was always trying to steal Popeye’s skinny legged girl, Olive Oil.

But could it be, we have become content leaving Olive Oil in turmoil?  A church running, hiding, sitting complacent…so that we don’t have to battle our nemesis, Bluto?

Have we become like Wimpy…spiritually fat, a little confused, content eating hamburgers (or wanting things) that simply, fail to fuel us?  Have we too lacked the resources to pay for what our eyes say we must get? 

I just finished a book about William Carey.  The story of the first missionary to India.  The son of a poor weaver.  He taught himself Latin, Hebrew…then Greek.  He was passionate about getting England to send out missionaries, founding the first English Missionary Society.

But not only did He sit back and learn, instruct, tell what good ideas he had for others…but He also got out of the boat, volunteering to be the first missionary ever, to India.

However, it wasn’t just His going that made his life an impenetrable testimony to the world around Him, to those witnessing His heroic life….

It was his resolve to shake off the dust, stand up and keep getting up, despite the opposition; that kept his name jotted down in history as a faith giant we all would do good to emulate. 

William Carey…

• Lost His sons, three of them.
• His wife went insane.
• He had opposition from India, England, and even from those within His own Baptist community.
• He experienced a fire destroying his printing press building, where He had labored years at translating the Bible into various languages.
• He experienced floods, multiple times, washing out his house, and all he had accumulated…

But he kept rebuilding.  Kept pushing forward.  He wasn’t shaken, didn’t stop fighting regardless of the opposition…to spread the gospel.

Yet, we get tripped up if…

• Someone doesn’t look at us, or smile at us, at church on Sunday.  
• We stumble over silly little offenses, like “they didn’t call me back”…or “I simply must have this or that”.  
• We trip over idiosyncrasies like, “I can’t attend church because I don’t like the people”, or “so and so didn’t respond exactly how I want them to”. 
• We fight about doctrine, and divide over preaching, buildings, bank accounts, size of families…..things that don’t even matter. 

But where are the faith-giants, the life-givers, the unshakable-children of the church who are willing to “go” and be what He wants…despite what we are feeling, despite the cost, despite whatever comes our way?  

I ask myself these questions, as I close the book, “William Carey”.  So challenged with these questions.  Still, I see them….

• The mom who tends her cancerous daughter, while being a light on Facebook to all those around her.  She too had just recovered from cancer when she found out suddenly that her daughter now also needs treatment.  

She is a faith giant.  She refuses to be shaken.

• Pastor Saeed, still imprisoned because He won’t denounce the name of Jesus.  His children growing up without Him.  He gets beaten, starved, and held as a martyr in prison. Still, he clings to his faith in Christ.

He is a faith giant.  He refuses to be shaken.

• The arm-less one we saw in Guatemala.  Treading to the top of the mountain, to worship Jesus.  In this remote region, a neighboring people, rejected Christianity.  As a result, one man cut off this new believers arm with a machete.  
• Did he hate?  Did he start a war?  Did he shrink back in fear?  No…he just
  

  kept treading up the mountain, to worship the God He loved.  Now arm-less…but still no-less in love with God.

He is a faith giant.  He refuses to be shaken.

And I wonder if we shrink back because we feel like Popeye, chased and under persecution,  forgetting grace is like Spinach. God never wanted us running.  He called the church to be strong, brave, courageous, and impenetrable.  So….

• What if we got up…regardless of our hurting.  
• Stood strong…despite the fact that others aren’t perfect.  
• Spoke bold….unshaken by discouragement.  
• Lived loud….really knowing the power of God inside us.

What if “the church”, generally speaking, really believed God is alive, I mean really alive, and is still actively working?

What if we knew that, although hard things happen, Christ is still the same… 

• His power is no different from the faith of William Carey.  
• It’s the same strength, a mom takes with her to chemo.  
• It’s the same grace, Pastor Saeed carries with Him in prison….still.  A year later.
• It has the same resolve to be a mocking point to all the neighboring tribes.  This arm-less one.

If we knew this….really believed this…

• Would we give our lives more willingly away? 
• Would we go from being chased to chasing the enemy?  
• Would we stop looking gloomy, instead consuming all God has for us? 
• Would we rise up, actively redeeming the victimized around us?

Would we be Popeye, on Spinach…flexing the Spiritual muscles Christ died to give us….

Instead of living like wimpy; failing to believe, content aimlessly searching for hamburgers.  Blank-faced wandering.  Looking for something…that never fully satisfies.  Living…constantly hungry, in a continually state of depravity….

When we were called to be victorious, satisfied in Him, and fulling running forward to where there is a never-ending supply of….Grace, like spinach.

(Linking with Barbie, Faithful Friday, Michelle, Ann)