Crosswalk church is committed to serving our community, to be salt and light, and to be a witness for the Lord and his church in as many ways as possible. The apostolic attitude is summed up for us in 1 Corinthians 9:22 (NRSV) - To the weak I became weak, so that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that I might by all means save some. So we serve and we bless and we seek to do good deeds in the name of the Lord. Last week we had a team serve the homeless by preparing a meal for 70 people at Washington Park through our sister church, the Refuge. We also had a team paint the Missionary House at RCP. We also served through the Sunnyvale Chamber of Commerce at the Art and Wine Festival. This last act of service is probably controversial to some.
Normally, we set up a booth among the non-profit groups in the children’s section and advertise our church and school. This year, the organizers discontinued that program. We offered to serve our community in any way, because we want our town to know that there is a church here that cares and loves and serves. “Any way?” they wanted to know. “Yes, we will even clean up trash.” They countered, “The only thing we really need is for people to serve wine and beer for the city of Sunnyvale. Will you help us?” Well, I was informed of this while on a mission trip to NE India. This is a bit of a stretch for a church with a Baptist background. Many of us with a traditional Baptist or Pentecostal upbringing have been raised with the famous “5 no-no’s” of no drinking, dancing, gambling, smoking, and card-playing. In my first church, a lady told me that a deck of cards is the devil’s bible! Some traditions have replaced card-playing with going to the movies. At any rate, I’m pleased that the church of Jesus has generally moved away from such cultural legalism and toward a more graced filled and Spirit led ethic.
Perhaps one of the last vestiges of this attitude is “No drinking;” in part because the Bible clearly forbids alcohol abuse, as in drunkenness. Another pertinent factor is sensitivity to people in recovery, of whom our church is blessed with many. Because of such sensitivity, on our church grounds we are an alcohol and drug free community. We love our people in recovery, and praise God for the tremendous blessing they are to Crosswalk. However, the use of alcohol is clearly a matter of conscience, according to Romans 14. Also, we desperately want to reach more people and bring them into the process of recovery and more importantly, into a relationship with the Lord. In fact the Bible is very affirming of such a commitment. Our Lord Jesus turned water into wine at a wedding reception, and he regularly attended feasts which included a generous use of alcoholic beverages. In fact, this opened him up to criticism from “holier than thou” types! Jesus said, “For John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine, and you say, 'He has a demon.' The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and you say, 'Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and "sinners"' (Luke 7:33-34, NIV). On this note, Dietrich Bonhoeffer quotes the great reformer, Martin Luther:
“The Kingdom is to be in the midst of your enemies. And he who will not suffer this does not want to be of the Kingdom of Christ; he wants to be among friends, to sit among the roses and lilies, not with the bad people but the devout people. O you blasphemers and betrayers of Christ! If Christ had done what you are doing who would ever have been spared?” As with much of Luther’s writings, it is perhaps a bit overstated; but his point is a good one.
So because of this clear biblical emphasis, we decided to risk criticism by serving our community and going where other churches will refuse to venture. The result from last week was overall very positive, but of course there are some improvements to make if we do it again. I was with a team of 4 others in one booth, and I proudly wore my Crosswalk polo shirt and got into a couple of good conversations about the Lord and our church. The Chamber of Commerce has a profound respect for our church’s servant heart, and seeds of the gospel were planted. If you have any concerns or want to share any feedback with me, please reply to this email!
THIS SUNDAY will be a great day at Crosswalk! We are in a new series in the Gospel of Mark, and this week we will look at“How to Prepare for God to do Something New in Your Life!” We are honoring graduates, concluding our Missions Moments about Crosswalk’s impact in Bhutan, and praising the Lord together! Come and be a part of it!
Love in Jesus,
Pastor John
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