Sullivan: Don’t be constrained by tradition or culture, but exalt the name of Jesus

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LAKELAND (FBC)—The Christian church must not be bound by tradition nor corrupted by culture, but exalt the living Christ, exhorted John Sullivan, during the Florida Baptist State Convention, Nov. 11 at Lakeland’s First Baptist Church at the Mall.

Citing the experience of John and Simon Peter found in Acts 4:1-7, Florida Baptists’ executive director-treasurer said every preacher has a “reference point” and a “preference point.”

In that passage, the religious leaders of the day became angry when they found the Christ followers filled with power to heal in the name of Jesus.

The religious leaders “thought they had gotten rid of Him,” Sullivan said. But the disciples’ power to heal “authenticated the presence of Jesus.” And many were converted to the faith of Jesus Christ.

The Sadducees led the charge placing John and Simon Peter in jail. Yet when he was placed on trial, Simon seized the moment to preach the Gospel.

It was inevitable that conflict should come, said Sullivan, as the Sadducees hung onto “tired traditionalism” as Simon preached from his own conviction.

JOHN SULLIVAN

“We see religious traditionalism and the voice of God come into conflict,” he explained. “The die is cast. The church must decide. So must we. To which assembly would we link ourselves—the one that listens to God or the one which simply follows a tradition?”

Sullivan noted that while some tradition is valuable, “Tradition, when allowed to silence the voice of God becomes the death knell of the church. The faith of Jesus is not the faith of a dead past.”

The church must take risks, he added, but not for the “potential of success” but for the “value of good.”

One of the great temptations of the age is the doctrine of preference, which Sullivan said is designed to “make us acceptable to our culture.”

“The church of the Lord Jesus Christ must not overdose on personal choice to make ourselves acceptable to culture. On the other hand, we must not magnify the dysfunctional aspects of our personalities and call it conviction.”

Never allow tradition, “a dying man’s living faith,” to become traditionalism, “a living man’s dying faith,” he warned.

“Neither must we allow either to replace the cry, ‘I have a word from God.’”

Sullivan advised those who preach the Gospel to spend time both with the written word of God and the living God. “When you say ‘I have a word from God,’ you can be sure where your message comes from.”

Do not confuse “obligations to the church,” with hearing the voice of God, Sullivan warned. “We will not hear the voice of God by keeping an agenda.”

The religious leaders in the book of Acts “didn’t get it,” Sullivan noted. Their preference was tradition rather than the living word of God.

But Simon, speaking as “the voice of God” preached from the reference point of the power of the cross.

“The exaltation of Jesus Christ is the message we must preach—the exaltation of the resurrection, the exaltation of the ascension and the exaltation of the return.”

Messages presented during the Florida Baptist State Convention can be ordered by contacting the Media Services Department, Florida Baptist Convention, 800-226-8584, ext. 3157.