Several years ago, I discussed a book by Adam Hamilton entitled Seeing Gray in a World of Black and White.  Hamilton took on several tough issues for Christians; abortion, acceptance or non-acceptance of homosexuals, inerrant Scripture etc.  He tried to be even-handed with his comments, positing that the tough issues are not black and white—they are mostly gray.  The author I am discussing now is not Adam Hamilton.  In his book The Explicit Gospel, Matt Chandler likes to quote Matthew 12:30 “Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.”  He states things like “The hearer of the Gospel must move, either toward Christ or away from Him.” [63].  He quotes Pastor Chan Kilgore who says “True Gospel preaching always changes the heart.  It either awakens it or hardens it.”  Sounds like you are either in or you are out.

No gray.

Chandler has already written about the American Christian cultural attitude of works, that many Christians today have “lost their way” by believing God expects us to check all the boxes on our daily faith discipline charts.  That somehow entitles us to be rewarded by God the Father.  He is definite in saying what he expects of Christians, and it is not a list of “works.” 

Also giving your life to Christ is not a one-time event.  It is a commitment to serve God for the rest of your life. Going to church and praising God is not a hobby.  If you don’t submit your life to God and chase after His Son Jesus the rest of your days, forget it; you are wasting your time.  Chandler is not Adam Hamilton: “The religious, moralistic, churchgoing evangelical who has no real intention of seeking God and following Him has not found some sweet spot between radical devotion and wanton sin; he’s found devastation” [70].

This is hard language.  Chandler has high standards.

He continues his response to the Gospel in Chapter 4.  One might think he has skewered today’s legalistic Christian enough in the “Faith versus Works” section of Chapter 4 but he has more to say in “Response and Responsibility.”   The target this time is the hypocritical Christian, the one who hears God’s Word and reads God’s Word, but doesn’t live God’s Word.  They have perfected the veneer of the “believer,” but Christianity for mere appearances is not enough.

To make his point, he focuses on Isaiah 6; the most famous quote is verse 8 “whom shall I send, and who will go for us?  Then I said, Here am I!  Send me.”   Looks good on a t-shirt doesn’t it or maybe it could be of use at the bottom of a Christian’s personal stationary.  The problem with Isaiah 6 is that the quote is excised from the rest of the Scriptural context.  Isaiah is saying to the people that they are not getting the message.  Chapter 6 is not a call for action; it is a criticism of people who have a blind spot in their faith.

I once had a friend who has had one relationship after another, searching for “the perfect man.”  No one seemed to “tick all the boxes.”  As she moved from relationship to relationship she provided excuses for each disappointment but after six failed attempts to “couple,” maybe there is a clear pattern.  The problem is not the men; the common denominator in all of the failed attempts is the woman.  I never heard these words from her: “I have a problem.”   It was always the men.  God tells Isaiah “Here’s your ministry.  Go tell them, keep on hearing but they do not hear.”  In essence, the listeners are only partially aware of the truth.  The right words are being spoken but a common way to express this is, “it is like speaking to a brick wall.” 

So what is Chandler saying about some Christians in the pews?  We are just not getting the message.  In Isaiah 6, the people do not “get it” but the preacher is told to preach on.  Too often the responsibility for the response is placed on the pastor.  Chandler is very clear about that:  the responsibility of responding to God’s Word falls squarely on the shoulders of the people sitting in the pews.  What are pastors responsible for?  They have been given the job of proclaiming God’s Word and of course, they need to do that and they need to be faithful to God.  That is the measure of their success.  But too often it is the number of members in the church building, the number of visitors who come to church, the number of people who come forward to be saved and the number of activities that are broadcast to passersby on the church marquee.  Chandler disagrees. 

The pastor who is faithful to God’s Word and obedient to his calling is just as successful preaching every Sunday to nine people as the pastor who preaches to the mega-church of twenty thousand. 

Let’s put a framework on this discussion.  Do you think that God would be more pleased with nine people who are “all in” or twenty-thousand who are just going through the motions?  Chandler cites the parable of the sower of seeds: Matthew 13.  Where do those seeds land?  Some land on the path, some land in the thorns, some land in the shallow soil and some land in the good soil.  You can determine what this means.  The sower casts a lot of seeds that bear no crop.  The pastor preaches a lot of sermons that are not heard. 

Again, let’s return to the idea of responding.  After all, my comments on this topic are in Chandler’s chapter entitled “Response.”  How should pastors respond to this situation?  Chandler says continue to be faithful and obedient to the calling you have on your life.  Don’t water down your message just to attract more people.  How should church members respond to this situation?  Open your ears to the Word of God and respond with faith in Christ.  Live your life like you are in a kingdom not of this world because devout believers know they are not obedient to a king in this world.  They have a much higher set of standards.

Respond.  Either move toward Christ or away from Him.  Sadly for many, the move toward Christ will never happen. 

Too many sit in the pew but they will never hear.