DISENGAGEMENT

From My Perspective - - - 

Disengagement: “the freedom from obligation, occupation, acceptance of responsibility” is a term that can have several applications. One that comes to mind is the ongoing conflict between Hamas in Gaza and Israel. A Washington Post Headline this morning is: “Israel accepts truce plan; Hamas balks.” If both parties were affirmative, the present conflict would be ended and military disengagement could occur. Egypt had acted as the intermediary. Why did Hamas refuse the terms and come to a mutual agreement with Israel? The Post article continues: “…the Islamist militant group rejected the deal, saying it had not been consulted on its terms. A senior Hamas official, Sami Abu Zuhri, called the proposal unacceptable and complained that Egyptians have not spoken with the Gaza leadership. The group’s armed wing, the Qassam Brigade, wrote on its Web site that the initiative was not worth the ink it was written with and the resistance will continue until all the demands of our people are met.”

There are other terms that come to mind along with disengagement. They are: disinterest, detachment and disentanglement. When an opportunity exists to prevent loss of life, damage to property and hardships for the citizenry, one would think there would be a response that would bring a cessation to hostilities and the hope that calm, a degree of stability and peaceful coexistence might be embraced by both sides in the conflict. It is amazing how stubbornness and stupidity take over whereas common sense and reasonableness get jettisoned. It reminds one of the comedic line of Ron White, “You can’t fix stupid.” 

The broader question and application pertains to our culture, society and church today. Has the church been impacted by the culture and society or is the church impacting the culture and society? The degree of disengagement and disinterest both in and toward the church is obvious. In many places, people are no longer committed to church attendance and the millennials (age 18-30) have all but abandoned the church. Those who remain in the church cling to the past and want to dream about the future. There are occasions when there is wonderment about why the church is not being attended but little desire to change and adapt in any way. It is not dissimilar to the Hamas in Gaza and their refusal for any compromise or to end the conflict. 

Is there any hope for the church? Will the church persist in its stubborn refusal for change (except to terminate a pastor or some other ministry team individual)? In Revelation 2 and 3, there is the scene of Jesus walking among and assessing the churches. Depending on the translation one uses, there is a recurring phrase used by Jesus. In The ESV, it is: “To the one who conquers…” in the NKJV it is: “To him who overcomes…” The NLT is: “Everyone who is victorious…” The key to realize conquering, overcoming and victory is contained in Revelation 2:5, “Remember…from where you have fallen; REPENT, and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lamp-stand from its place, unless you REPENT.”

The website of Desiring God shares these two thoughts about Repentance: (1) Charles Spurgeon writes: “REPENTANCE is a discovery of the evil of sin, a mourning that we have committed it, a resolution to forsake it. It is, in fact, a change of mind of a very deep and practical character, which makes the man love what once he hated, and hate what once he loved.” and  (2) J. I. Packer writes: “REPENTANCE means turning from as much as you know of your sin to give as much as you know of yourself to as much as you know of your God, and as our knowledge grows at these three points so our practice of repentance has to be enlarged.” The questions for one to consider and act upon are: (1) Have you REPENTED of all known sin in your life? and (2) Does your church need to REPENT of all its known sin? In Luke 13:1-5, The people are talking to Jesus about the Galileans and how they had suffered. Jesus bring the focus back to them and what they need to do. Twice in these five verses Jesus uses the phrase: “UNLESS YOU REPENT, you will all likewise perish.” The Westminster Shorter Catechism asks and answers (Q. 87): “What is repentance unto life? REPENTANCE leading to life is a saving grace, by which a sinner having truly realized his sin and grasped the mercy of God in Christ, turns from his sin with grief and hatred and turns to God with full resolve and effort after new obedience.“ Is this what YOU have done? Is this the commitment YOU have made in Christ? 

One can only wonder what would occur in and through the church today if it heeded the words of Jesus Christ - “except/unless you repent”? There is a potential and possibility for the church. A key is Acts 4:31, “And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness.” Acts 4:32-37 is the possible/potential result. Are you ready and willing to impact your culture and society for Jesus Christ? Consider these things with me!