The Tea Sipper

A bishop, for whatever reason, began to read the book of Acts, noting the ministry of the Apostle Paul.  After he'd finished reading its 28 chapters, he sadly told a friend, "Wherever Paul went, there was either a riot or a revival.  Wherever I go, they serve tea."

Although the story is probably apocryphal, sadly, the bishop had a point.  Why was Paul Mr. Controversy and why was the good bishop a tea sipper?  Because of the message they carried.

Paul's carried "Christ and Him crucified" from Jerusalem to Rome; the bishop carried psychology ("I'm OK; You're OK"), success principles with their complementary stories and "Seven Steps to Success" outlines; Sunday after Sunday he brought carefully crafted and cleverly alliterated, "Let's all feel good" sermons The bishop carried a torch for social action; Paul carried the message of the Light of the World.  The bishop brought the word to Oprah Winfrey; Paul brought the Word of God.  Paul has to be escorted out by armed guards in battle gear; the bishop takes his leisurely leave flanked by gushing sycophants.

Paul was controversial because declaring the grace is like kissing a hornet's nest - it riles the natives.  But why?  Why does the message of grace stir things to riot gear conditions?

Grace violates the traditions of religion with its standings, washings, sittings, kneelings, mindless repetitions, liturgies; its pomp and circumstance.  Religion holds its fastings dear and its give-up-these-and-give-up-that's.  Religion relishes its don't-do-that's and please-do-these.  Give us some rules to keep, that's our Sunday sip of tea.  We like to hear that we can do things to impress God.
Grace violates the prime doctrine of religion: each person has within himself the God-given power to seize the day and, over the process of time, earn heaven by the sheer weight of his good works.  Religion loves to hear and promote the power within.  Its proclamation and promotion make us hearers feel good because we're hearing, "You are in control; you are the master of your destiny."  Who wouldn't feel good listening to that?  Success principles, motivational stories, that's our Sunday sip of tea.

Grace is an outrage to the hubris of man, an insult to his intellect.  Grace says, "You can't figure out how to get to God; it has to be revealed to you in the Book." Religion never fails to reason that the way to God is by effort; the Book says such efforts are bloody rags in God's sight.

No wonder religion riots.  Ever open a gift and inside you find a collection of bloody rags?  Disgusting.  That's the Book's word picture from God's point of view of our efforts to impress Him with our noble works.*  You can't talk like that; it upsets the sensibilities of tea sippers everywhere.  The Book is too graphic, too plain-spoken and it can't talk to us that way, so instead of the Book, how about psychology?  Psychology talks nice and flatters us.  Psychology is our Sunday sip of tea.  What we want is the sermonette for the Christianette with our tea set.

Grace stirs up controversy ultimately because of satanic opposition.  Satan does not want people to hear the gospel because he knows that if they hear it and believe it, they'll be saved.**

But the other side of the coin is revival. There's this minority.***   To them, grace is a refreshing, encouraging, enlightening, and liberating  message that brings life.

Grace is just such a message, that, as one man told me, "We can't get enough of it."  May his tribe increase.

Riot or revival?  As Harry Truman once said, "The only thing new is the history you don't know."  Paul said the same thing - riot or revival - way back when, in II Corinthians 2:15-16: "For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing.  To the one we are the smell of death; to the other, the fragrance of life.  And who is equal to such a task?"

Dr. Mike Halsey, Pastor

*  Isaiah 64:6
**  Luke 8:12-What Satan does not want people to hear is this: "Because of Christ's death for our sin, His burial and His resurrection, He guarantees everlasting life to all who simply believe Him for it."  That is the saving message.  That message infuriates religion.
***  Matthew 7:14