Offense or Defense

I wrote in my journal just a few days or so ago after reading chapter 10 of Joshua that the church has taken on a “defensive” posture and that was never God’s desire, will or plan.  My frame of reference was from Israel’s crossing the Jordan river under the leadership of Joshua. They camped at Gilgal and used this as a “base” of operations to take the promise land by force “one city, one tribe, one kingdom” at a time.  They were to have a constant “offensive” nature rather than a “defensive” nature.  I liken the local church to the “base” of operations at Gilgal.  We have reduced church to taking up residence on our “base” at “Gilgal” and we are waiting for every one to come to us.  Thus the “defensive” posture.  When people come to us, we tend to force them to conform to our “culture” so as to not ruin our way of life, corrupt our children or ruin our traditions. (Note sarcasm here.)

We should take a spiritually “offensive” posture and use our base of operations as a place of “tactical” and “strategic” planning and equipping.  We then should move out into the culture with a compassion and love for people that is so “distinct” and different, it forces people to take notice.  The church has too long been known for what it is against (defensive) rather than what it is for (offensive).  I can’t get away from the fact that the purpose and vision of the church must be first and foremost to reflect Christ to the culture.  Jesus came to “seek and save what was lost”.  He came to give us the great commission and to reduce everything we do to the simplistic “love God, love people”. 

Check out this scripture 1 Timothy 1:15  
Paul and the whole New Testament is about THIS!  I am convinced of the Proverb 29:18

Click here Proverbs 29:18

When the church doesn’t properly understand its mission (offensive) it will live and practice without vision.  When you have no purpose and/or vision, anybody else’s will do!  When I don’t understand what my purpose and vision is, then I will gravitate to whatever I feel is important and most often it is to become “defensive” of something I feel strongly about.  This ends up as a fight over carpet, tattoos, other moral issues or protecting our children from the dreaded ”unchurched, lost, and immoral people in the community. Well loddie-frickin-da!  People without Christ act like people without Christ!  The unconvinced act like the unconvinced!  People without hope and direction act like people without hope and direction!  Sorry for the anger.  I am trying to build a bridge and get over it.  It may take counseling!I was talking with some friends, my mentor, and another pastor the other day and we all concluded that much of the church in our culture have taken a “defensive” posture.  They have forgotten or misplaced the vision, purpose and reason for Christ and the Church. 

Matthew 16:17-18 (ESV)
¹⁷ And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven.
¹⁸ And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

This passage and specifically the part in bold (emphasis mine) gives us the understanding that the church is not to be “defensive” but “offensive” in nature.  WE HAVE BECOME DEFENSIVE! (emphasis mine)

People will take notice of a church that has direction, purpose and a distinct nature!  Let’s simply BE the church! 

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