You've probably heard saying like these: "If something sounds too good to be true, it probably is" and "Nothing is ever really free". These sayings really ring with truth. Think about the last time someone told you about this unbelievable deal. Once you got into, you realized it wasn't all that great. I remember back in the 70's when I would see the advertisements from RCA which had the unreal promise of buying six albums (Back in the day, albums were larger CDs) for only one penny. I remember being excited about that and writing down my choice of six albums when one of my brothers came into the room. I told him about this great deal and then he burst my bubble. He told me to read the fine print, which I did. The fine print said that I would have to buy ten more albums during the next year at the regular price. Since there was no Internet, I was unable to google their price list, but I'm sure they would have made money off me with their "regular" prices. What a terrible way to find out that if something looks too good to be true, it is. Just think about the advertisements for a free cell phone. The fine print says we must sign a contract with this carrier for two years to get this wonderful "free" phone. There really aren't many things which are free.
Yesterday, the El Sobrante Chamber of Commerce hosted the El Sobrante Stroll. They block off about 1/2 mile of the San Pablo Dam Road and sells booth space to different organizations and vendors. Our church always rents a space and sets up a booth (More about that later). During the Stroll, I walked up and down the street to check out all of the booths. Almost every single booth was trying to make money - Maybe they were vendors selling food or merchandise. Maybe they were organizations trying to raise money. For the past few years, this charging at every booth has become the common practice. Even the booths for kids were charging to play games or play in the jumper or have the face painted. So Hillcrest Baptist Church has chosen to buck the trend and provide a booth with quality entertainment for families at no charge. We had two games set up (The Labyrinth and Skee Ball) along with prizes for the winners. The high scorers in Skee Ball would receive a Family Gift Card donated by Chuck E. Cheese or a $25 gift certificate from Outback Steakhouse. As we invited people to play these games, the first response was almost always, "How much is it?". People had been programmed by what they had already seen to know there was a charge. Then they wanted to know what the catch was because nothing is ever free. But there was no catch and it was all free. Our response was to tell them that God's love is free and the church doesn't charge to help people enjoy life. It was amazing to watch faces light up as they were able to do something that would not hit their wallets. Several people thanked me as they left because their kids had such fun playing the games.
It reminded me that we live in an age when the Church often uses the bait and switch method. We invite people to something, but there is a hidden hook in it. We invite you to come to hear and free concert and then take up a love offering. We have a wonderful event, but before you can get what you came for, you have to listen to a sermon. They hear pastors on the radio or see them on TV hocking their latest book or merchandise. You can have this book or merchandise for a small donation. So now our culture has become leery of the church because it appears we have a hidden agenda.
The Church should always be honest and have integrity in what we are doing. People need to know that they can trust whatever the Church says. Jesus spoke plainly and He spoke the truth. Those who were seeking, were thrilled to encounter Him, but those who played games were offended by Him. As followers of Christ, this is how we should live our lives. Our family should know we are trustworthy and credible in whatever we say. Our co-workers should be able to trust the words we say. There is too much duplicity in the world today and we need some fresh, loving honesty. It doesn't mean people will always appreciate what we say (Of course, we also can speak the truth in rude and offensive ways also - then tell everyone we are persecuted because of our faith). But it doesn't mean people will respect us and know that we have integrity. My prayer is that some of the folks at the Stroll who saw the love of Christ in action by the Hillcrest family will desire to follow through and come to church to see what the love of Jesus is all about. Then they can see the truth of Christ being lived out by the Body Of Christ.
Ephesians 4:14-16 gives us a solid foundation for this insight. Check it out and see what you think. The church at Ephesus was dealing with false teachers who would manipulate the truth for their own gain. Paul reminds them that in the Church, we speak honestly and we speak with agape. That is what helps us grow up and mature in Christ. The church in America could greatly benefit from the insights given to the church at Ephesus. We need honest conversations which allow us to grow and mature.
How about you? Do you have a hidden agenda? Are you speaking the truth in love and accepting the truth others tell you? May we be a refreshing breath of honesty in our world.
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