Articles
Feeling Out of Place
Not long after my wife and I got married, we decided to visit a very ritzy hotel in the area where we lived that someone had mentioned was a nice place to have brunch. When we arrived, we noticed how well-kept the grounds were, how beautiful the view was from where it was located, and just how 'ritzy'' it was. We felt a little out of place, driving up in my Chevrolet S-10 pickup, but we decided to go ahead and try it. When we walked into the main lobby, however, we really felt out of place.
The architecture in this place was amazing, with marble finishes on all the walls, floors, and ceiling. What wasn't covered in marble had highly-polished brass finishes. Everyone we saw in the lobby and adjoining dining area was dressed much nicer than we were. The waiters looked like they were wearing tuxedos. We turned to each other and, with a knowing look, turned around and walked out. We have never felt so out of place as we did that day!
Have you ever had that feeling when you walked into a house of worship? For some of you reading this, it may sound strange, but for others, you know exactly what I mean. You walk into a place where you don't know anyone, some people are dressed a lot nicer than you, few people acknowledge your presence, you sing songs [with no piano or accompanying band] about things you don't understand and using words you don't understand, and hear someone talk about things that seem strange and maybe even a little backwards-thinking, compared to our modern society.
If that is the case with you, please understand that it is a learning process. The things we sing about are all spiritually-related and, when compared to the secular songs you might have heard, they do seem strange. The language we use is also different, as well as some of the terms we use when talking about spiritual things. Please pardon the measure of discomfort you have when you hear us speak; we are not trying to exclude anyone in our conversations or confuse anyone by the lessons taught, but these terms are used purposefully as we try to better understand the Bible, what we believe to be God's revealed plan for our salvation from sin. We use terms found in the Bible to help better understand what it is saying, and use those terms so as not to confuse those terms with modern usage and meaning. [We are not opposed to using more modern language, but some terms have changed their meaning over the years and we strive to be absolutely clear when explaining the texts we read; a misunderstanding could result in doing things God does not approve, or in ways God does not approve.]
If you are willing to bear with us and come back, you will find that these terms are not really so strange and is not really a different language altogether, but will see that our aim [as compared to the aim of most worldly endeavors] is different. You will hopefully see that our focus is “on things above, not on things on the earth” (Col. 3:2), and that the reason things sounded so strange in the beginning is because “the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned” (1 Cor. 2:14); it is a different way of thinking, which requires using different terminology to explain what we do and why we do it. One who comes into our assembly thinking it will be focused on entertaining the crowds or giving the audience a message that encourages a materialistic pursuit will be surprised and maybe a little disappointed because that is not our aim. You would feel out of place, if that is what you expected. Again, if you give us a chance and come back, you will see that it is a learning process, and that things eventually may seem not as strange, after all. You might even change your thinking and join with us in our effort to learn more about God's ways.
Please understand that for most of the people who come here regularly, we feel out of place in the world in which we live. More and more, we feel like we are “strangers and pilgrims on the earth” (Heb. 11:13), and that is because our desire is for “a better, that is, a heavenly country” (Heb. 11:16). Even though we live in this world, we strive to “not be conformed to this world, but…transformed by the renewing of [our] mind” (Rom. 12:2) and, when we do that, we do feel out of place in this world.
Christians feel out of place in this world because the world has, well…a worldly mindset; one who has never known God and Christ will naturally focus on material things and pursue fleshly pleasures. A Christian, however, should have a mind set on spiritual things and will understand that his or her life is now one of “denying ungodliness and worldly lusts” and that “we should live soberly, righteously, and godly” instead (Titus 2:12). Because our aims are different and our thinking is different, of course our speech is different, our behavior is different, and even the words we use is different. A Christian feels just as out of place in the world as a worldly person feels out of place in a house of worship.
Will you see some people who profess to be a Christian who don't seem all that different than the world? Sure! Is that surprising? It shouldn't be, because you probably know some people in the world that don't seem all that different than true believers. Some who profess to be believers haven't fully left the world behind or are still maturing in their faith, and some people in the world happen to think it is preferable to abstain from the pursuit of fleshly pleasures and strive to do good to others, looking for nothing in return. Just because we aren't all exactly the same doesn't mean we are all a bunch of hypocrites; it is more likely that what you see is different levels of spiritual maturity or knowledge, and maybe even different backgrounds. When I see a worldly person doing good and making sacrifices for others, I don't think he is a hypocrite; I am thinking he might just be not as far from the Lord as others are.
If you are one who has not grown up learning about God and His ways, yes, the things we say and do here may seem strange and you might feel just as out of place as I did in that ritzy hotel. Bear with us, though, and give us some time to get to know one another better, and you may see it is worth getting to know us and — more importantly — worth getting to know the Lord. Take the time to learn the terminology we use, ask questions about what we do and believe and teach, and see what we're all about.
When I felt uncomfortable in that ritzy hotel, I did not expect them to change their whole setup just to make me comfortable, and it would have been unreasonable to think so. They aimed for a certain clientele and they were not going to change their landscaping, interior design, uniforms, or service just to cater to those who felt uncomfortable the way things were. I knew it just wasn't for me.
Likewise, please don't expect us to cater to you and change the things we do or teach just to make you feel comfortable. Yes, we want you to be a part of the Lord's church, but to do that, you must change. Please take no offense, but it is you who will have to change if you ever want to feel 'comfortable' with these things. We want you to join with us, but please know we all had to change to be a part of this church. —— Steven Harper
