In preparation for leaving, it has hit me who I am as a professing Christian and what I am going up against as I head into the world. What does that mean? I am a product of the American church. Unfortunately, negativity spreads faster than what is positive in todays world (just watch at the news), and American Christinaity many times comes with the negative undertones of the self made, do it yourself, be independant American dream that has infiltrated the view of ourselves in relation to God, instead of the self sacrificing, death to flesh, surrendering our identity type of lifestyle that the Gospel commands in which we find true life, meaning and freedom.
Over the years, as Church success has been measured in numbers and the size of churches, and the Gospel has been compromised and labeled as another product to sell in our capitalistic society, the postmodern view of what Christianity is has been created. It is viewed as offensive because it totalizes everyone putting them on the same fallen level taking away their individualism which is so near and dear to hearts, and it is viewed as violent because if you don’t adhere to its doctrine then get out because you are wrong. It is ironic becuase both views have truth in them but the attitude in which Christ portrayed them was completely different than how many Christians do today. Instead of totalizing taking away individualism, Christ showed how his teachings offered the promise of becoming an individual of the kingdom, somethng better, a perspective of laying down personal temporal accomplishments only to pick up a role in God’s ultimate everlasting accomplishment. Christ was not violent and hateful towards those who disagreed pushing them away, but truthful in what the cost of discipleship involved calling out hypocritical attitudes along the way, and teaching those around him a lifestyle (not just with words) that imposed true contagious doctrine on others’ lives.
The failure of Christians representing the true Spirit of God has resulted in other world religions wanting unique aspects of Christianity (such as redemption and grace) because of the eternity that God has placed in the hearts of man. Some label this as universlaism, I label it as man finding out the impossibility of actually living up to what their religions require only to reach out to a hand that is not there because Christians are not there to give them the hand of Christ. I am not saying that there is more than one way to heaven or that God doesn’t convert men apart from the work of any Christian present in their life. What I am saying is this is the dying world in which we live and the different traditions in which we are going to work. It didn’t take me telling you this to make you realize that this world is messed up. So the question is what do we do?
Usually our first reaction is to look at what we need to change. I want to take a different approach and challenge you to instead look at how our culture and past cultures (especially Christian) have changed who God is and what the Gospel is. Only the plot of the Devil changes. Why? Because in its imperfection his plot doesn’t lead to satisfactory results which is the reason any change takes place. Our God and his Message do not change because they are perfect. Any changes to either by the Church is not the work of the Spirit but of the Devil, not of sanctification and completion, but of dissatisfaction in the shortcomings of human expectations of what we think God should do.
Let us throw off the wieght of our business minded ideas of success in how we want results from marketing the Gospel and be satisfied in the rewards God gives us from seeking and following his will! I sometimes wonder what kind of a pastor Jesus would be if he came back today, no miraculous powers, just his philosophy of ministry. Unfortunately, I would have to think that because of his priority in discipling 12 men instead of speaking to thousands, and delivering messages educating his followers on the hatred and persecution that would come to them from the belief of his message that he wouldn’t quite cut it in contemporary Chritsianity. He probably wouldn’t write popular books, or speak at large conferences. Infact you probably wouldn’t know about him unless you met him or knew someone that did. But to those that did it would be the greatest blessing because he would take it upon himself to live for you, teach for you, send you, and even die for you all for the glory of God so that his name might be made known.
Dear God,
Thank you that your requirements are not burdensome because your strength is in my weakness
Please let me be sensitive to your Spirit’s call in obedience to your will
Let not the expectations and the pressures of the world shape the work that you want to do in and through me
Let me look to Jesus as the example for my life
Let the truth of your Word shine through the lies of this culture
May your Word break and fill the hearts of men and bring them to slavation
May I not seek the fame and favor of man, but the humility and service to my everlasting God
Amen.
