Expectation Gap | Week Three

The Expectation Gap of God and the Church | Expectation Gap | Week Three | Dr. Larry Baucom | July 2, 2023

What does God want? Is it the same as what the church teaches?

“Unlearning” is difficult – it is a process.

1. it is difficult to unlearn flawed religious principles.

Matthew 5:21-22

The teachings of the church have changed slowly over time. We have been taught a transactional theology – accept Jesus and be saved, confess your sins and be forgiven. This kind of faith has worked for a long time, but since around the 1950’s, church is no longer a highly sought after solution to our problems. Churches are closing because people are not finding what they need there – it is not scratching the itch. Some types of fundamental churches have been a source of hurt and damage to people, so unfortunately, Christianity as a whole is often labeled as more harmful than good.

1. We are often interested in faith, but God is interested in faithfulness.

God wants us to know him. Sometimes we feel we must know “what to do” to be in good standing with God – confess, feel shame, receive forgiveness – the transaction. What if we lived a faithful life instead of living to receive something from God? What if we focused on the relationship, letting God change how we live and interact in the world?

1. The authentic teaching of Jesus will change the world.

When we teach what we’ve been taught, we miss the possibilities of growth and new understanding. Following a theology of love, following the teachings of Christ instead of holding tight to fundamental (and damaging) beliefs – that is what the community of Suncoast strives to do.

We want to be the better church. How? By focusing on the world today and what it needs – love, grace, hope, acceptance. God doesn’t want something from you, he has something for you – no stings attached.

Be the change, be the loving hands, be the light in your world. We can be part of the solution to today’s problems.