10. Leaven Won’t Get You to Heaven
Jesus said to them, “Watch and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.”
Matthew 16:6
When we lived in Texas a particular “pastor” was emerging on the world scene. His church was just an hour and a half from ours, and they had a Saturday night service. At the time we had only one child, not much to do, and a free Saturday night in the Lone Star state. I loaded up the little family, promised we’d get dinner somewhere, and headed to his mega-church. I wanted to see if what I watched on TV was what was done in reality. Of course, there were many behind the scenes things I observed that lessened the “magic”, but one thing was clear: this pastor preached a very generic Christianity. In fact, what became obvious was that his sermons were so generic it really depended on who you were as to how they would be interpreted. For example, if you were a born-again Christian then the sermon would sound applicable. If you were a lost person living in adultery, you’d never think of changing your lifestyle (because that would be specific talk that was not generic). If you were as lost as a ball in high weeds (spiritually speaking) you’d just focus on how God was going to take you to the next level of worldly success, but no one would ever tell you were a lost ball…in high weeds. The message was so generic there was little direction and wide interpretation.
After the show guests were invited to get this pastor's autograph. I figured since I drove my family so far, I was going to talk to this cowboy. I made my way to the rope line while Amanda got our child and headed to the car. I began talking to the people standing in the rope line. It became painfully obvious that my inclinations were correct. As they shared why they were there, what they hoped to get out of it, and how they understood the pastor's message…the truth was that a generic god who was not the God of the Bible had been preached and accepted.
If millions are flocking to pastors and churches that preach a generic god, then we know there are some who will come to Christian Education with that same generic god mentality. One truth that we have to grasp quickly is that you can have a Christless Christianity. There are forms and versions of it all around. It is not true Christianity and will not hold up in life - but it is present.. Lots of preachers, churches, and people flock to it. When Jesus said, “Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees…” he’s talking about things such as this subtle teaching that works its way into the true teaching from the “Bread of Life.”
Remember that the Pharisees and Sadducees were religious in every way we would imagine. They kept the rules and they were good moral people. The problem is that they preached a half-gospel. They added laws and rules to God’s revealed word. They also rejected the exclusive claims of Christ, and saw no need for the Messiah. They refused to see him as the Messiah who was Savior of the world. The teaching was so subtle that those who were not discerning would mistake it for God’s truth. The teaching was so similar that it worked its way into everything. That subtle yeast of a half-gospel is what I saw that night in Texas. It had worked its way in, and many were oblivious.
Generic Christianity that we see emerging is another form of the leaven of the Pharisees. It is a sanitized version of faith that claims a little “g” god who is made in your image, and he/she is more of a therapeutic counselor to you who just wants you to live morally (Don’t smoke or chew or run with those who do). If you have all that, then you can have a good life living your weekends for yourself, running your successful business that you give the man upstairs credit for, and being an all-around good guy (or gal). The problem is that this is not Biblical Christianity at all…and it could send you to Hell.
I remember teaching high school Bible classes at SBEC and dreading the parent/teacher conferences that inevitably rolled around. It was dreaded for me because I gave actual grades in Bible class (some did not). Everyone did not automatically get an “A” for attendance. One parent was disgusted that their child had a “D” in the class. She said, “How can he have a “D” in Bible class? It’s Bible? I mean, how can you fail Sunday School?” There were basic reasons…like sleeping in class, never memorizing the one verse weekly, and so on. Also the fact that the Bible is the most complicated subject in all of the sciences…but her point revealed the true issue. Since her family didn’t go to church at all, this was church for her child. This is what she paid for. Her son was present…what more did I need? How could I be so judgmental by giving out a grade?
In the past year some interesting data has emerged. The majority of the students we serve in the school do not go to church at all. When that information was given, initially I was not surprised. I think that is nothing new for Christian Education. There have always been those who think that by paying a Christian school tuition they’ve gone to church. We cannot assume all the responsibility for this (it’s complicated and has varied reasons). I believe our goal has always been to teach the Bible unapologetically, and support the local church. We must be aware that this is an issue. We can also make certain this is not our personal situation. The goal of Christian Education is to demonstrate that generic Christiaintiy is not the real thing, and we serve a risen Christ. The question the teacher should ask is: am I involved in a local church that teaches a Christ-centered truth? Do I see the value of the local church for my life personally, and for the benefit of the students that I serve? Anything less is generic Christianity that will not hold through the storms and seasons of life.
Discussion Questions:
What biblical evidence could you give that proves the value of the local church?
How does your local church support and encourage your faith?
How can we encourage our students (and their parents) to see value in the local church?
