Pivotal Truths Christians Need To Understand part1.

1. Christianity is a category of religion established by this world’s scholars.  Christians are people living in ongoing relationship with Jesus.  They are noted to be so by their culture because of what others can see happening in their lives.  Jesus didn’t come to establish a new religion, but to deliver people from the burdens of religion.   

Matthew 11:28 MSG “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”

2. People are not collateral or a church’s workforce to be used to bring about the growth of the church or the implementation of a leader’s vision.  The church is supposed to be about what is best for the growth of the people, helping them establish vision for their own lives and families.  Christ didn’t establish the church to develop programs for reaching people he is reaching people who become the church, who then shine the light of Christ in everyday lives. 

Romans 12 :1 “Here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering.”

3. Jesus didn’t come to correct your bad behavior so the church is not a tool for behavior modification.  Jesus came to wipe away the consequences for our sins to allow us access to God so that He could transform us as we focus on him.  

Romans 12:2 “Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out.”

4. God is not looking to micromanage our lives.  He delights is seeing his children learn to make decisions for themselves using the experience and wisdom that He gives to pursue their passions and advance his Kingdom here on the earth.  As a result Christians are not foot soldiers in the army of God who just get up everyday and ask for their marching orders.  Christians are ambassadors, agents, and independent operators who look to God for direction when the path becomes less obvious.

John 15:15-16 “I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. ¹⁶ You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you.” 

5. While all of scripture is true, the way in which God relates to us under the new covenant is to be governed by the Good News or Gospel not by the law and the prophets.  Certainly the law has not passed away, but it has been fulfilled setting us free to live in Christ under grace instead of under a bondage to a certain set of rules which we find harder and harder to follow when we focus on following them instead of on getting to know Jesus better and better. 

Luke 16:16 “Until John the Baptist, the law of Moses and the messages of the prophets were your guides. But now the Good News of the Kingdom of God is preached, and everyone is eager to get in. ¹⁷ But that doesn’t mean that the law has lost its force. It is easier for heaven and earth to disappear than for the smallest point of God’s law to be overturned.”

Matthew 5:17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.”

Do You Have the Audacity to Get Engaged?

When I was engaged, I spent nearly every waking hour thinking about my soon-to-be wife.  Virtually every spare minute was spent looking for ways to show her how much I cared.  I’m amazed by how romantic I was back then, and frankly a little embarrassed at how far removed from those involvements I can become today.  But that’s the subject for a different blog.  The word audacity means boldness or daring, especially with confident disregard for personal safety, conventional thought, or other restrictions.  The term engaged means deeply involved or occupied with another.  As humans, and particularly as Americans, our culture tends to put all of the focus on us.  Therefore it almost seems audacious to engage people around us.  After all, we may never even see them again.  (All the more reason to make the most of this opportunity.)  But we have an opportunity- shoot, even a responsibility- as Christians to become engaged with those we find ourselves around each day.  There’s someone that needs encouragement, a kind word, or a pleasant smile just feet from us each day.  Disengaging from the worries and business of our minds will free up the mental energy to pay the attention required to impact someone else positively.  After all, Jesus said that the most important commandments were to “Love the Lord… and to love your neighbor as yourself.”  If you are like most of us, you may not even know your neighbor next door, but we have people all around us most days.  Let’s have the Guts, the Raw Fortitude, and the Audacity to Get Engaged.

Getting Back to God's Idea

We as Christians are the Church, not merely members of a church but the composition of The Church itself.  We who have come to Christ, are a house made up of living stones being built by the Lord as we grow in maturity and in our numbers.   The building is not the church, so we no longer ”go to church”. The church is not as series of events, so we don’t “attend church”. The church is not a standard set of rituals, or practices, so we don’t “do church” These false concepts must be shed in order for us to truly accomplish what the Lord had in mind for us in the beginning. When the church doesn't function in the manner that it was intended to it's difficult for it to accomplish the purpose for which it was established.  In the early days of the church,  gatherings were conducted in public places as well as in private homes, but the church was being lived out everywhere that Christians went. For the church is constructed of living stones, the people of God.  I would suggest to you that Christ intended for us to go live Him out in whatever venue we are in   We need to be fully committed to discovering what God intended the church to be and then helping the believers around us to be just that,                                                                            The Church.  

A Good Looking Hypocrite

"Here's another way to put it: You're here to be light, bringing out the God-colors in the world. God is not a secret to be kept. We're going public with this, as public as a city on a hill. If I make you light-bearers, you don't think I'm going to hide you under a bucket, do you? I'm putting you on a light stand. Now that I've put you there on a hilltop, on a light stand—shine! Keep open house; be generous with your lives. By opening up to others, you'll prompt people to open up with God, this generous Father in heaven. Matthew 5:13-15

Keep open house.  Well, that would require me to keep a clean house.  Now, my wife and I have people in our home every week, so the place gets a lot of traffic every Sunday.  Add to that two boys living there- well, three now that I think of it- and it’s a wonder the place is still standing.  I think the above passage that urges us to keep open house is suggesting not only that we open our homes to others, but that we share our lives with them as well.  You see, when people come over, they get to see all of your stuff.  Even our junk rooms and drawers end up getting laid out bare before others.  I think that’s part of what Jesus wanted- Authentic Living.  

Authentic Living

I once heard it said that character is looking the same in private as you do in public, or maybe you have heard the question, “Who are you when no one is looking?” I like to use the construction term Integrity.  It means consistency of strength.  If a bridge is built with steel that looks good on the outside but is full of air pockets and weak welds, it may look really good but come crashing down as the traffic begins to cross it.  You may be one of those all-or-nothing type of people who read this and think that you have to be perfect; that your every private action needs to be bathed in perfection, or you are nothing but just a good-looking hypocrite. 

A Good Looking Hypocrite

Well, if you struggle with acting the same in front of people as you do when no one is looking, you are in good company.  First off, no one is perfect all of the time.  Many of us fake perfection when we are around unbelievers to sort of sell Christianity as this magic pill that makes you perfect if you just pray the sinner’s prayer (whatever that is).  This is counter-productive because when new believers (or at least those that took the magic pill) start to struggle with their old ways- like the second day of their Christian walk- then they figure they didn’t really have a supernatural, change-oriented experience. This leads to legalism or cynicism.  Many others of us fake perfection when around other believers so that we will look good, be a part of the “in” crowd at church, or at least feel good about our choices a few hours a week.

I happen to like Paul’s writings (you know Paul, the one who was Holy Spirit inspired to write the majority of the new part of the Bible) where he says:

“For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing”  Rom. 7:19

I think there is something to be said for growth in Christian maturity for sure.  I‘m just betting that it doesn’t come from disciplining yourself to live up to the law.  Otherwise why would Christ’s sacrifice be necessary?  True transformation of behavior comes from a transformed heart and a renewed mind, both of which the scripture seems to point out happen as we get to know Jesus better and better. 

The consistency or integrity that comes from authentic living doesn’t demand perfection, but realism.  People need to see our good, our bad, and even our ugly.  It’s the same principle I try to use in parenting.  When I fail or blow it with my kids, I make sure to point out my mistake to them and say that I’m sorry and ask for their forgiveness.  You see, I don’t want to foster in them the idea that it’s okay to act like ours doesn’t stink.  It’s incredibly beneficial to my kids, my brothers and sisters in Christ, as well as my unbelieving friends to see how someone who is friends with Jesus deals with their own failures.  I don’t flaunt my freedom to sin and get away with it thanks to the sacrifice of Christ.  On the contrary, I highlight not just my struggles, but my repentance.  Not so that I can get to heaven but because it’s good for me and it is the right thing to do.  You see, regardless of my failures, I believe Jesus is happy with me and I try to let people know that.  I’m convinced he is paying attention to my successes instead of my failures, and as I get to know him better and better, my failures decrease and my successes increase.  I think they call this a batting average in baseball, and you can be sure that God’s not keeping track of yours.  

2 Corinthians 11:30 “If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness.”

So open up your house and your life to others.  You and they will find it refreshing.  It’s also attractive to people who are hurting and hungry for something real.  If you have a hard time accepting this, ask God to show you if it’s because you really needed to hear it. 

“For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation.”   2 Corinthians 5:19

Leaving a Legacy

One of the Christian bands that I love to listen to for encouragement and fun is a group called Sanctus Real.  They have a song out called “Legacy”.  One line of the lyrics from the song states, “Free me , my hands are tied , I'm so tired of wasting time, these endless inventions steal my attention from real life”.  How ironic that the age of technology allows us to be even busier in the 24-hour cycle of our day.  I realized this recently when my smart phone notified me with a ding in the middle of the night that someone had “posted” something “on my wall”, terms which didn’t even exist until recent years.  As I lay there a bit disgusted that I was awakened by the sound, I could not get back to sleep because of the nagging question, “Who was posting on my wall in the middle of the night, and what did they say?”  Maybe it was a friend in need of prayer, or someone hoping for a listening ear, maybe even an opportunity to share God’s love.  Maybe it was someone commenting on one of the many wonderful things which I had posted on my own wall in the last few days.  Well, soon enough I got up and made the journey across the room to solve the mystery. 

Our tools for connection are greater today than ever before, and our opportunities for entertainment are no less great.  I actually know people with way over three hundred TV channels on their cable box.  Add to that the possibility of streaming movies from Netflix or one of their carbon copies (which we don’t use any more, by the way) and you have a full slate of opportunities right in your home, and that’s not even counting the endless options from gaming system manufacturers.  You can be an all-star at virtually any sport, exercise your hand/eye coordination, and do your duty defending the country while saving the world from the bad guys while keeping track of the number of kills.

Are all of these things bad?  Not necessarily, but they do provide us with an even better reason to be intentional about where we choose to spend our time.  Unlike money, we can’t borrow time.  We all only have 24 hours in a day, and after limiting our sleep, neglecting our children and spouses to squeak out a little more, we still can only spend 24 hours a day doing anything.  What’s my point?  I recently read that the word “entertainment” is derived from a Latin word which I probably can’t pronounce and won’t bore you with, but the meaning of the word is “something providing a pleasurable escape or a diversion for the mind.”  My natural response to reading this was to ask, “A pleasurable diversion from what?”  A quick look around our world tells us just what people need diverted from.  Pain, depression, strife, frustration, debt, wars, rumors of wars, tragedies here and there, too much month at the end of the money, broken relationships, bad politics, and the list goes on.   But I would like to suggest to you that the enemy of us all uses the problems of this world to get us to self-medicate on entertainment.  Why would he do such a thing?  Because thoughtless, mind-numbed, busy individuals rarely recognize the fact that each of us was created with a destiny.  Destiny literally means divine purpose.  God, the ultimate Creator doesn’t make useless, purposeless people.  Each of us has the DNA of our God-plan written right on our hearts.  It’s not the sort of “have to follow God’s will for your life” sort of stuff that we have come to see as undesirable, but it’s hidden there in your heart, tucked  neatly between your most significant desires and fond dreams.  When we get away from it all, we at first find boredom, quickly followed by anxiety and hand wringing, followed by the deeper questions of what are we doing with our lives.  Not the sort of condemnation-oriented thoughts like, “Jesus died for you, so suck it up and get out there and serve him,” but the thoughts like, “What will I regret not having tried if I were to close my eyes tonight and never open them again?”

Let me encourage you to take a self test.  Go unplugged for 24 hours.  Shoot, try even just twelve hours (not counting sleep).  Hang out with some good friends for an evening (the real kind, not the kind from social media that you may have never met).  Ask yourself and your friends things like “What would you do if you knew you couldn’t fail?”  “What’s the most exciting thing to happen to you recently?”  Endeavoring to recover your sense of destiny and encourage each other to change the way you think. Help each other, not in the sort of “have to spur one another on to do things which we should do but don’t want to do,” but be encouraging each other to move forward in relationship with Jesus, the one who said, "Are you tired?  Worn out?  Burned out on religion?  Come to me.  Get away with me and you'll recover your life.  I'll show you how to take a real rest.  Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it.  Learn the unforced rhythms of grace.  I won't lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you.  Keep company with me and you'll learn to live freely and lightly."  Matthew 11:28

P.S.  I love it when people post on my wall, even in the middle of the night J.