by Doug Rehberg
Ed. Note: As Doug looks towards retirement later this year, he brings you his fourth “lesson learned” from his 31-year ministry at Hebron.
Within a few months of arriving at Hebron I received a four-page, handwritten letter from a woman everyone respected, including me. She wrote:
“Dear Doug, you are an excellent preacher, a caring pastor, and I support you in every way in your service here at Hebron - but - I am searching in vain for a sense of hope and strength from your messages...I appreciate what I think you are doing - trying to undercut a cheap, blurred, amalgamated version of Christianity and bring folks to an awareness of their true needs, but please stop belittling God’s love…It is the total message!”
Every time I’ve pulled out that letter over the years I’ve winced, because that’s the last thing I ever wanted to do, to belittle the love of God. The love of God is the heart of the Gospel. Moreover, it is the nexus of the Gospel; the only place at which true reconciliation occurs. So how could anyone as astute and experienced as my dear friend discern so little Gospel in my preaching in my early days at Hebron? The answer is clear. It was largely absent.
Today in New York City, one of my heroes in the faith, Timothy Keller, is battling pancreatic cancer and is acutely aware that his time in this world is short. He’s only 70-years-old.
Decades ago, rather than writing him a letter, his wife, Kathy, took him aside for a heart-to-heart. She said something like this, “You know, Tim, you are a good preacher...when you preach people all over the building are taking notes. They hang on your every word. But, if you never get to Jesus you’ve never really preached.” Tim says, “As soon as she said it I knew what she was really saying, ‘You often times never preach!’” That’s always the risk, especially when your objective is to undercut a cheap, blurred, amalgamated version of the faith that permeates every culture of every age.
I know a man who grew up in the church. (I’ll call him Mark.) His parents were loved by their community and friends. In fact, they were so loved that when Mark was recklessly sowing his wild oats throughout his early years, one of their friends asked if he could spend a little time with Mark to “get through to him.” After calling and setting up a time to meet at a local restaurant, the friend launched. He said:
“Look at all God’s given you. You’re squandering everything. You’re making your parents’ lives a living hell, acting so foolishly, not considering anyone but yourself. You have this remarkable heritage. Shape up, man! Snap out of it!”
Of course, he was 100% right. In fact, if he had known the full extent of Mark’s profligate behavior, he could have been justified in being far more harsh. However, in the first five minutes of his admonition, the prodigal tuned him out. As far as he was concerned, it was all white noise, something to be endured rather than embraced.
A year and a half later another friend of his parents called Mark asking to get together. Again the meeting was arranged at a restaurant, albeit a different one. At first, Mark thought, “Oh no, not another one of my parents’ friends trying to set me straight!” But he agreed to the meeting anyway.
There they sat, across the booth from each other. “Listen,” said the friend, “I know you’re going through a tough time right now. And I just want to tell you that I love you, I’m here for you, and I think God’s going to do great things with you. Here’s my number. If you ever need anything, call me. If you want to tell me something you don’t feel like telling someone else, call me. I just want you to know that I’m here for you.” And then he switched the subject and started talking about sports.
Mark writes, “That conversation occurred more than 25 years ago and I remember every word he said as if it were yesterday. That man and his message will forever be the turning point in my life. He will be to me an eternal example of God’s amazing grace.”
Mark and I have a mutual friend who says, “People will always run from law and grace. But they’ll only run back to grace.”
You see, the woman was right. The total message of the Gospel is the unrivalled, incomparable love of God. And if you never get to Jesus you never get to see the glorious Gospel of total, one way love. All you’re left with is religion, a cheap and deadly imitation of what Jesus Christ offers.
