Unfreezing the Frozen

I used this blog last week to describe how we as Presbyterians have earned the nickname “the frozen chosen.” This week, I will try to show how we, as Presbyterians, have not earned this nomenclature, nor do we deserve such a frigid description. Our own Book of Order (BOO, just love that acronym) goes to great lengths to show that we are all about evangelism and that we choose to live our lives in reflection of God’s greatness. The following statements are taken directly from our BOO, (there it is again) and prove a very different set of rules that govern our church, our faith and our mission to the world.

The statement describing our Evangelism begins with the fact that God sends us, in the power of the Holy Spirit, to announce the good news that in Christ Jesus the world is reconciled to God. This is a powerful proclamation, a very meaningful message that the world needs to hear. If we choose to keep this good news to ourselves, within the walls of our churches, then how can we increase the size of God’s family? I firmly believe that God’s wishes are for His children to share His goodness with others, and not just a select few that happen to be in the pew next to them.

The next statement in our BOO (okay, now I’m having too much fun with this) actually states that we are to “tell all nations and peoples of Christ’s call to repentance, faith and obedience.” This is a big assignment, especially when we think of how big “all nations and peoples” really is. This is a huge task and one that we, as Presbyterians, do not take lightly. This is a very important and crucial piece to an even bigger puzzle. We need to take a look at how we can influence others, particularly non-believers, and bring them to Christ. As Christians, this is a tall order that needs to be placed near the top of our priorities if we are ever to “grow in number” Acts 16:5.

My last statement on this issue has to do with how we as Christians, daily live out our vocations in the world, inviting those we meet to come and share the life of the people of God and join in our worship. This is stated very clearly in our Book of Order (just couldn’t say BOO again) and should be a big priority in our daily comings and goings. My interpretation of this, and its just that, my interpretation , is that we should live our lives in a manner that reflects positively on our faith, our church, our beliefs and our practice of worship. This will send strong messages to those searching for a place to worship and lead them to discover Christ in all His fullness. This will also convey to those watching that we, as Presbyterians, are comfortable in our expression of our faith in Christ, living out this belief for all to see. This is a big assignment, especially for the “frozen chosen” who tend to keep all of their great secrets about our wonderful God within the confines of our sanctuaries and fellowships halls. These feelings, these very positive “vibes” need to resonate throughout our communities and the world.

Let’s all make a pledge to bring a new member to our faith this year, and to share what we already know with someone just waiting to hear it. I bet we see new names in our guest books, so lets blow the dust off of them and get them ready.

As a footnote, I would never poke fun at a distinguished reference such as our own Book of Order. I just think it’s a great acronym, and one that is easily remembered, and it’s never my intention to offend anyone.

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