Last Sunday, we had a Bible study on Acts 28:17-31. We discussed how the earliest Christians struggled to proclaim the gospel “with all boldness and without hindrance” (v. 28). We discovered that, despite their eventual successes, the earliest Christians faced all kinds of hindrances to their proclamation. The Apostle Paul, in particular, worked tirelessly in his effort to overcome the hindrances created by those who viewed themselves as ethnically and religiously superior to others. Although his convictions seem obvious enough to us now, they were by no means undisputed in the first century world of Judaism. While the majority of Jews and Jewish Christians maintained that Gentiles must first become Jews in order to become God’s people, Paul boldly asserted that God, under the terms of a new covenant in Christ, accepts Gentiles as Gentiles. It wasn’t that most Jews and Jewish Christians objected to Gentiles being God’s people or even that they objected to Gentiles being saved. Rather, what they found offensive and unthinkable in Paul’s gospel was the notion that God would accept Gentiles without first requiring that they conform to the requirements of the Law (cf. Romans 3:30; 10:12). Thus, in order for Paul to preach the gospel “with all boldness and without hindrance,” it was necessary for him to overcome these ethnic and religious obstacles.
As we moved to see what God might be saying to us through Acts 28:17-31, we asked ourselves some tough questions about what obstacles we create, either consciously or unconsciously, to people encountering Christ. We discussed how we can ask the question of our larger church, of our youth group, and of ourselves as individuals. We discussed how sometimes even our most sacred notions of what constitutes “church” can actually serve as obstacles to people encountering Christ. Like Paul’s first century opponents, we often assume that we know exactly what God requires to be accepted as his people. We assume that we know how to properly “do church.”
While I could discuss several relevant insights brought out during the Bible study, the one I want to focus on in this post is what one of our youth said about our church buildings. Even though Tabernacle has been blessed with beautiful facilities, and even though we might consider a church with a traditional architectural design to be an indispensable part of properly “doing church” and glorifying God, our buildings can actually serve as obstacles to people encountering Christ. While our buildings and stained glass windows can serve a vital role in facilitating our worship, they can also serve as an obstacle to people encountering Christ when they view our buildings as intimidating. We discussed how sometimes youth and others are more likely to attend churches without traditional architectural styles simply because they look less intimidating to them.
I do not, however, take this to mean that we advocate for Tabernacle to tear down its buildings and start over. I am instead saying that we as a youth ministry need to be sensitive to this issue. If our vision is to promote encounters with Christ (see my previous blog post), then we need to find ways to overcome anything that might hinder us from accomplishing that goal. If our buildings seem intimidating to our peers, then we need to look for opportunities to provide more inviting settings. We need to take the initiative in letting those outside our church know who we are and what we stand for. My hope is that Thursday luncheons would serve as one such opportunity. I hope that by offering an informal and welcoming setting, youth will be encouraged to introduce their friends to Tabernacle and to Christ, in order that the gospel might be proclaimed “with all boldness and without hindrance.”
