Through Passion Week this year, I contemplated how it took the empty tomb to flip the narrative about Jesus. Top up to the cross, the narrative was scandalous. Jesus was labeled a lawbreaker, usurper, heretic, and pretender. To most, the truth of the scandal was substantiated on Friday at the Cross. They supposed He wouldn’t let the crucifixion if he was not all the factors they said about Him.
In I Corinthians 1:23, Paul referred to the information of the cross as a σκάνδαλον (scandal). The NASB interprets it as a “stumbling block” to the Jews. In other phrases, the cross substantiated the scandal that He was all they stated about Him, and it stood in the way of Jews believing in Him as the Christ, the promised Messiah.
Top up to the cross, they consistently challenged Him to confront the scandal. “Tell us,” they explained, “If you are the Son of God! Say it! Defend on your own in opposition to the narrative.” But Jesus refused to do what they demanded of Him.
A single ought to inquire, “Why didn’t He do it?” Most likely, it was for the reason that He knew that no make any difference what He stated, it would just take the empty tomb to display who He was. No matter what He claimed or did, it would not be ample. It was only by the resurrection that the narrative could be flipped. That was the “mic drop” moment.
Southern Baptists also have been scandalized. Unlike Jesus’ scandal, ours is incredibly real. There have genuinely been instances where Southern Baptists have unsuccessful in our owing diligence to shield kids but alternatively protected the church. At instances, alternatively of appropriately reporting the fact, we repressed it. As a substitute of genuinely caring for survivors, some of us shamed them by how we handled them.
There are some genuine things that Southern Baptists are executing to suitable the errors of the earlier. I am grateful that these factors are now on our radar display screen.
But will these be ample to flip the narrative? I never believe that so if we want to do a lot more than look at boxes.
Research display 1-3rd of females will be sexually abused by age 18. For adult males, the number is all-around 25 per cent. These are now guys and ladies sitting down in our churches each individual Sunday who are however carrying the pain of the trauma from abuse at residence, from prolonged family, or in their community or university. All destinations they assumed they had been harmless.
Grownup survivors of sexual abuse are an unreached people group exterior of your area church.
Adult survivors of sexual abuse are an uncared-for men and women team in your area church.
How will you care for them if you have no ministry for them?
When you put into action a strategic survivor ministry, some will come from the community to get assistance and in the approach discover Jesus. Others from within your nearby church will encounter therapeutic and grow to be a great and mighty army of healers to other survivors.
In the church I pastored for about a few many years, we were being deeply included in ministry to survivors of childhood sexual abuse. I was privileged to see adult men and women of all ages practical experience the joy of healing from this trauma through the “one another” procedure. This is the body of Christ, responding to the connect with to be His devices of therapeutic to one a further. When that takes place, no a person can say we are only “checking containers.”
Ministry to survivors is a resurrection celebration. It is an “empty tomb” variety of evidence that can flip the narrative and end the scandal.
The publish First-Individual: Flipping the narrative about Southern Baptists and sexual abuse appeared very first on Biblical Recorder.
