67 “You do not want to leave too, do you?” Jesus asked the Twelve. 68 Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. 69 We believe and know that you are the Holy One of God.” John 6:67-69
I am sick and tired of The Middle, and I want out.
The Middle is that place of wishy-washy, lazy, half-hearted, apathetic faith; that bland, passionless center, equidistant between REJECTION and ADORATION (the only two real choices one can make when faced with the reality of God).
It is the place where all too many Christians live their daily lives; somewhere stuck between deciding that God is of no value, and deciding that He is the only thing of any real value.
The Middle is comfortable and easy and relatively safe, but it is also a lie. Allow me to explain…
Tonight, I gave our students this simple God Multiple Choice Quiz, which you might take as well.
God is: a. Everywhere b. Some Places c. Nowhere
God is: a. All Powerful b.Somewhat Powerful c.Powerless
God: a. Loves Me b. Is Indifferent To Me c. Hates me
The default Christian answer, is that God is EVERYWHERE and ALL-POWERFUL and that HE LOVES ME. That’s the expected believer’s response, the Sunday School answer, the party line. It’s probably your default answer when asked, as well.
The problem is, we can’t really believe that, and remain in The Middle, now can we? We can’t truly believe in that God, and still respond with merely an hour on Sunday, or a split second prayer before we eat, or a by-the-numbers religion whose change lasts only until we reach the church parking lot.
If God is everywhere, that means he is wherever I am; my school, the car, my home, the mall… His PRESENCE is limitless.
If God is all-powerful, then He is bigger and stronger than anything or anyone I can face. His POWER is matchless.
If God loves me, He wants to use that presence and that power to change my circumstances, or at least, how I view them. His love is boundless.
That default answer, is the message of the Bible; that God is everywhere, is all-powerful and does love us madly.
Faced with that description of God, I can either reject it as complete myth, or run fearlessly into it as the greatest reality there is. How can there be an appropriate middle ground?
And let’s be honest: A God who is ever-present, all-powerful and who loves us, is the only God worth worshiping. Everything short of that would be a waste of our time, our church services, our energy. (2 out of 3 just wouldn’t cut it).
If God is everywhere and all-powerful, but doesn’t love you? You may as well pack it in, ’cause you can’t win that fight, friend. (God can throw lightning).
If God loves you, but He isn’t everywhere or all-powerful? He can’t be relied upon in a pinch, and you would be better off without Him.
Worshiping a part-time, mediocre, apathetic God; that would be tragic… but an even greater tragedy, would be actually having an everywhere, all-powerful, loving God, and giving Him worship that is part-time, mediocre and apathetic. (Welcome to The Middle).
That’s why The Middle is such a lousy neighborhood to live in. It is the place where a lukewarm reply to a passionate invitation is acceptable. Sadly, most churches and youth groups are made of The Middle, because it gives some surface sense of God, without really going all the way, or incurring any great cost.
The Bible is full of people like Peter and Isaiah and Paul and Samuel, who decided that The Middle was no place for someone who sees God in all His glory to stay for very long.
I’ll ask you to do what I asked my students to do tonight; think about the thing or situation that you are struggling with right now, the part of your life that brings you great fear or worry or anxiety. (an illness, divorce, school issue, personal conflict, addiction, regret, etc).
Now, picture yourself writing down that issue or situation on a small white piece of paper, and placing it in front of a God who is everywhere and all-powerful and loves you…
(It doesn’t stand a chance, does it.)
The heart of it all is this: If God can’t handle your problems, stop believing in Him, and if He can, start worshiping Him.
As for me, I’m busting out of The Middle… Who’s with me?
