THE PASSIVITY OF PEACETIME ASSUMPTIONS

(Post by: Lilly Hobbs)

There’s a thought roaming about my mind today, and it has been for the past week or so now, regarding the Passion Week. The only problem is, I haven’t quite been able to put it into words.

So here we go again, trying to make sense of a random thought that popped into my head last Wednesday that I hope will leave you with something you need to hear by the time you get to the end of this post.

As I have been preparing my own heart for this very important week that makes all the difference in the world, I have been deeply and seriously contemplating the fact that Jesus didn’t approach any aspect of His ministry, and most especially this Passion Week, with an attitude of passivity.

In Matthew 10:24, Jesus boldly tells His disciples, “’Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword.’”

Scriptures such as Isaiah 9:6, Luke 2:14, and John 14:27 all make it abundantly clear that Jesus came to bring peace, but peace between man and God, not world peace as I believe many of us tend to think.

Jesus knew that bringing peace between man and God would be no small matter, but would be a matter that would require the ultimate sacrifice of His life. He was willing to do whatever needed to be done in order to make a way for me and you to have a relationship with Him, even if it was dangerous, uncomfortable, and caused division.

I wonder how often we Christians approach our own little corner of the world with a mindset of passivity.

I wonder how often pastors approach the churches they have been given to shepherd with a mindset of passivity.

I wonder how many of us will approach this Easter with a mindset of passivity if we don’t do something radical to change it now.

You see, if you asked me to define the word passivity, I would simply describe it as neglect.

Christianity and ministry mean war, and we cannot approach these areas of our life with the passivity of peacetime assumptions.

We desire for Christianity and ministry to be easy, convenient, and safe. Therefore, we neglect the true, radical Christianity Jesus calls us to embrace and experience day in and day out.

So, I am going to be bold, because I am finished entertaining a passive mindset that assumes Christianity to be a tiny fraction of my life that leaves me and those in my little corner of the world unchanged.

If you are in ministry, if you are a pastor, if you are serving in your men’s/women’s/children’s ministry at your church, if you are in any sort of leadership position, I want to implore you to be bold this week.

Be bolder than you ever have been when it comes to sharing the Gospel and challenging people to get right with Jesus.

If you are a pastor, preach the Gospel without hesitation.

If you are working alongside someone tomorrow, intentionally start a conversation with them to discover whether or not they are thinking about going to church this Sunday, and if they aren’t, invite them to come with you.

If you are a young person, don’t let people look down on you because you are young. You are more than able to proclaim the good news of the Gospel.

If you are a parent, take time this week to discuss the Passion Week in depth with your kids and don’t go through Easter looking like your secular friends who believe Easter is nothing more than a time to idolize the Easter bunny and Easter egg hunts.

I invite you this Easter, to join me in actually pursuing Jesus instead of remaining passive. This is the week. Let’s not allow it to pass us by and then find ourselves and our little corner of the world unchanged and in the same state next Easter.

If Jesus showed us anything during the Passion Week, it’s that we need to rid ourselves of the passivity of peacetime assumptions.

“In every Christian’s heart, there is a cross and a throne, and the Christian is on the throne till he puts himself on the cross; if he refuses the cross, he remains on the throne. Perhaps this is at the bottom of the backsliding and worldliness among Gospel believers today. We want to be saved, but we insist that Christ do all the dying. No cross for us, no dethronement, no dying. We remain king within the little kingdom of man’s soul and wear our tinsel crown with all the pride of a caesar; but we doom ourselves to shadows and weakness and spiritual sterility.” (A. W. Tozer)