There is a basic difference between an evangelist (a fisher of men) and a defender of the faithful. The first looks for every positive situation that could be used to help someone encounter God while the second is always looking for ways to distance themselves from others. The first is looking for entry points while the second guards the door to make sure the wrong people don't get in. The way you respond to the Occupy Wall Street Movement has a lot to say about the role you have chosen for yourself.
The Occupy Wall Street Movement is diverse, and I would say confused. It lacks direction and a central theme, but it doesn't lack heart or vision. It represents a group of people who think there is something wrong with the world and believe they can make a difference, and that is where I connect with them. Whenever a lively discussion is taking place, our first question should be, "Does Jesus have something to say about this?"
Jesus has taught us that something is wrong with the world. In a nutshell, I am what is wrong with the world and so are you. Our sin and rebellion has led to all the problems in the world. As a Christian, I am not the solution. I am still part of the problem (God is changing me, but the work is not yet finished). On the other hand, Jesus is a very real solution. His life, sacrifice, and resurrection ushered in this new age of the Spirit. A solution has been offered.
Any time there is a group of people who realize there is something wrong with the world, especially youth, we should be there to bring Jesus into the conversation. But we won't do much good unless it's Jesus we bring to the table. If we are there to defend tradition or a narrow political or fiscal agenda, then our impact will not go far. The starting place for ills we suffer is not our human institutions. It's Jesus himself.
Too often we fill in the details that Jesus chose to leave vague. He begins with our heart and let's everything flow from there. In that way, Jesus inspires vision or creativity. There are many ideas out there that have merit, but, whether the ideas are conservative or liberal, they haven't worked. They are partial answers, but it is human arrogance to believe that our institutions and theories come close to representing the perfection of the kingdom of God. It would be a tragedy to make people dependent on our wisdom when they need to depend on Christ.
The Occupy Wall Street Movement is not a mainstream youth movement. It's plans, half-formed as they are, don't represent the views of the majority, but they do represent the desire of this generation to improve a broken world. Most of the church ignored or fought the youth movements of the sixties and the seventies, but Jesus didn't. He sent people like Francis A. Schaeffer to meet them in the streets and on college campuses to talk with them. Schaeffer seemed an unlikely candidate for the job. He looked like he had emerged from an exotic corner of Middle Earth and loved words with more than six syllables, and yet, he made an impact and sparked the imagination. People such as Josh McDowell and bands like Petra focused their time and energy on a generation that the church often kept at arms length. Many of these faithful were criticized for their efforts.
Out of that ministry came the Charismatic Revival of the late seventies and early eighties. Many of you reading this are the fruit of the movement. It would be a tragic denial of our spiritual heritage if we repeated the mistakes of a previous generation. If we do, Jesus will still be about his work. He will just rise up a new generation to do that work, and let the rest of us huddle in our poorly lit corner. I pray we do not make that our destiny.
"Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should. Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity."
Colossians 4:2-5
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