Tension

Have you figured out yet that the Christian faith is about walking in tension? I didn’t say that it’s about “being tense.” There are some things that we would like resolved to our liking, yet God says that it’s not all that tidy. Some things which seem to be incompatible must be held in tension. They are paradoxes.

Look at the cross. When you gaze upon Christ on the cross, suffering and dying, what do you see? What did the world see? “Is that God on the cross?” “What sort of God can be killed by men?” Look at this scene from His crucifixion,

Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads and saying, "You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself! Come down from the cross, if you are the Son of God!" In the same way the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders mocked him. "He saved others," they said, "but he can't save himself! He's the King of Israel! Let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him. Matthew 27:39-42

How about you? Does the cross show you God’s wrath or His love? Do you see a God who is holy and just, who pours out His judgment decisively and fully? Or do you see a God whose immeasurable love led Him to leave His majestic throne, take on human flesh, and willingly allow those He was serving to torture and kill Him. When you see Him, arms stretched out wide, blood pouring from His hands, His head, His feet, His side, is He telling you, “I love you this much!”

The teachings of Scripture are full of paradoxes. “Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it” (Matthew 10:39), “Do not deceive yourselves. If any one of you thinks he is wise by the standards of this age, he should become a fool so that he may become wise” (1 Corinthians 3:18), “That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Corinthians 12:10). How about the doctrine of the Trinity? Is God one or three? YES! Try to reconcile it to your personal liking and you’re probably going to find yourself firmly rooted in heresy.

Group life is no different. There are aspects of group life which must be held in tension. I am going to blog on several of them over the next couple weeks. I’m taking time to do this because we have a tendency to lean toward one side or the other in each of these areas:

• Is group discussion about truth or life?
• Is group about care or discipleship?
• Is group for friendship or accountability?
• Is group a place of sympathy or confrontation?
• Should group time focus on tasks or relationships?
• Should your group be open or safe?

As you read through the list, no doubt you thought about your own answers to these questions. But I want to take a little time to explain how these all must be present in order for your group to function properly.

I’m taking this information from a book by Bill Donahue and Russ Robinson called Walking the Small Group Tightrope. If you find that you want to read up on these issues more fully, consider picking this book up for yourself.