In May, our High School aged youth went to a combined youth event with the youth of Lord of Life Plano. They hosted us for an evening of “9 Square in The Air” (if you’ve never played this game, it is a combination of volleyball and 4 square – it’s a lot of fun!) and we watched a movie about the conversion of C.S. Lewis.
Clive Staples Lewis is known for his defending the Christian faith and writing compelling stories based on the themes of Christianity. Most notable is his Narnia series. Lewis also is well known for “The Screwtape Letters” where a demon and lesser rookie demon converse about how to tempt Christians and draw them from the faith. All of Lewis’ works are well worth your time.
The reason we did this with the youth was because this summer at Higher Things the theme will be “Beyond Reasonable Doubt.” The conference will focus on how we are to defend the Christian faith. What are some ways we can be equipped to give a faithful witness to Our Lord and what he has done and said? What are some of the most pressing questions that atheists and unbelievers are asking?
The church knows and confesses that no matter how winsome we might be, or how clever we can be or how cool the programs we have at church are, ultimately conversion to the faith is solely the work of the Holy Spirit through the means of grace. Here are a few verses that show this:
1. John 15:16 – “You did not choose me, but I chose you.”
2. 1 Corinthians 12:3 – “Therefore I want you to understand that no one speaking in the Spirit of God ever says, “Jesus is accursed!” and no one can say “Jesus is Lord” except in the Holy Spirit.
3. John 6:65 – “And he said, “This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by the Father.”
4. Ephesians 2:8-9 – “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,
5. 1 Corinthians 2:14 – “The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.
Lewis made an excellent point regarding this topic in the movie on his life.
“There are no ordinary people. You have never talked to a mere mortal. Nations, cultures, arts, civilizations – these are mortal, and their life is to ours as the life of a gnat. But it is immortals whom we joke with, work with, marry, snub and exploit – immortal horrors or everlasting splendors. This does not mean that we are to be perpetually solemn. We must play. But our merriment must be of that kind (and it is, in fact, the merriest kind) which exists between people who have, from the outset, taken each other seriously – no flippancy, no superiority, no presumption.”
The Weight of Glory (HarperOne, 2001), pp. 45-46.
Lewis recognizes that when it comes to spreading the faith or growing the church, we must reach people with the tools that God uses to convert, namely spiritual things. We are not dealing with mere mortals but immortals who have a much deeper existence and need than mere earthly vanities. Because we can relate to people in earthly, nonspiritual things, jokes, work, marriage, etc. We can have amazing programs, buildings that are the envy of every church in Fairview. We can hire a pastor who tells great stories in his sermons or have a Church Council that is efficient and never argues, but if we as a church are not first and foremost prioritizing the things of the Holy Spirit (word and sacrament), then people will be coming to our church for the wrong reasons.
We can grow our church in these ways that appeal to our flesh, our mortal desires to belong and have the envy of the world, to attract people to our church but these are temporary things. These things will satiate people’s desire to connect with the immortal for a while but when those things we’ve worked so hard to build don’t offer what people want anymore because they are by nature fleeting and of a mortal taste or they get bored they will leave having never become actual Christians. In fact, you could argue we have done more harm than good.
As the church of Christ, we must know the ways in which Christ grows his flock and the way in which he feeds his sheep. We as Christians ourselves must know where and how our Shepherd feeds us and we must consider that feed, no matter how silly it looks to our flesh, the greatest and most precious gift. We must desire the means of grace and speak of their wonder and reward! That is the way that our Shepherd seeks lost sheep. Our shepherd has no desire to build our faith on mortal pleasures or mortal victories. Christ awakens dead sinners and calls rebellious children to die to their desires and pride and find life in the immortal, the risen Christ.
St. Paul writes in Galatians 5:17, “For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do.”
Part of Lewis’ genius is that he points out that we must also be willing to enjoy the gifts of this life. “We must play. But our merriment must be of that kind (and it is, in fact, the merriest kind) which exists between people who have, from the outset, taken each other seriously – no flippancy, no superiority, no presumption.” Lewis rightly orders our life in regard to life in the church. We must not sin against one another, and when we do we must return to the very things that make us and keep us in the faith, word (confession and absolution) and sacrament. These are the gifts that first awakened us from the death of unbelief, and they are that which keep us in the faith so that we may indeed “play.” Again, the Apostle Paul, “Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?” Gal. 3:3.
I encourage you to watch “The Most Reluctant Convert”, it is on Amazon Prime for a small fee. Watch the Narnia series. Additionally, I especially commend to you the works of Lewis. Read them. Any of them. If one seems to academic resort to another more story telling book. You will be rewarded. But for the ultimate in reward, read God’s word and be in church. The Holy Spirit is especially building you up and giving you wisdom and strengthening you by killing you with the law and restoring you with the sweet life-giving gospel. There is no better gift because the gift of forgiveness touches our immortal being and connects our flesh and blood to the joy of eternal life…even now. You are not a mere mortal, but an immortal who because of the life death and resurrection of Jesus Christ will live with him in the flesh for eternity. Not just with Christ but with all believers.
See you on Sunday!
In Christ,
Pastor Ottmers