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The Gospel and the Waffle House
The Gospel and the Waffle House
When Hurricane Helene came through Tampa Bay, FC students were forced into a lockdown at 1:30 PM. For me, this meant a quick trip through Temple Terrace. Hungry, I drove to Chick-fil-A but noticed they were closed due to the impending storm. I realized there was hope, Waffle House!
I plug it into Maps and see one down the road, so I excitedly drive past USF’s campus and reach my destination. I place my order, an All-Star Breakfast with a waffle, and wait for my order. While there, I look around and think, “Weird, this restaurant is packed with people from all races and walks of life. Yet, I feel included in this experience. They didn’t force an equal representation policy, customers just came. They see the product, and that is appealing enough.” I quickly realized how simple that gospel is and told my parents that we, as the church, ought to be similar.
I am not proposing a Waffle-House-sponsored service to attract people. However, I admit that Waffle House has better “attendance” than church services. Why? Several factors can be attributed to this (including hashbrowns or waffles). Often, however, I hear responses like, “People just don’t care anymore” or “These are different times.” While there is some truth to this, how we often use them might not be healthy. I typically respond with these answers because I am nervous about sharing Christ or, sadly, do not care about the other person’s soul enough to share Christ with them.
Considering this, is it any wonder that folks are not flooding the doors each week? If we do not care, share no reflection of Christ, and act ugly to people, we are spiritually unattractive. Just as we get “gross” feelings about others acting this way, how can we think this thought process is permissible and be an attractive Christian?
We talk about being the “light of the world” or a “city on a hill,” which is great, but do we live it? Are we living out Christ’s calling to “let your light shine before men,” or are we content to grow in knowledge but not action? I think of John’s words in 1 John 1.6, “If we say, ‘We have fellowship with Him,’ and yet we walk in darkness, we are lying and are not practicing the truth.”
A recent post from a friend brought this Passage to life. In it, he shared that we are often content to call theological education “spiritual growth.” This, however, is not always true. Information seldom equates to transformation. Yes, knowledge of Christ is necessary for transformation. However, what is imperative in the information that sparks change? It is the emotional understanding of what Christ has done, not a mere theological understanding that an all-powerful being died and rose again. I can understand that two plus two equals four, reciting it, using my fingers. What makes two plus two come alive could be through money, when I have two dollars and gain two more to have four dollars, my life is changed.
We must understand that if we want people “in the doors” each week, we must first be the kind of people God calls us to be. In Matthew 5, Jesus states, “In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5.16). Trust me, people are hungry for hope. The gospel is attractive to those who are searching! But are we being the reflections of Christ we need to be so that others can see us and glorify God? –Daniel Schoenholz
