What does it mean to be a follower of Christ? I find myself asking this question more and more lately. I look at the world around me and I look at this thing we call the church and I find myself wanting… imagining that there has to be something better… something more… real, uncut, raw and organic.
Much of what I see in church institution these days seems to be focused more internally rather than outward. Our buildings have become holy shrines to the pride of men and the glory of business. These walls hold us in and filter our view of the beauty of the eklessia that is each and every one of us.
And it’s not just the buildings its the atmosphere and the things we teach and believe that have nothing to do with Gods church. Somewhere the church was separated from people and became its own entity.
The gospel has been watered down AND fired up to be nothing more than a simple prayer paragraph and a exit ticket from hell. If getting out of hell is the only reason Jesus died for humanity then it only leaves me to ask why? Why do it? I deeply believe it’s because of love.
God has been working at getting us back to the Garden of Eden and the cool of the day walks and the gentle conversations for a long time… Jesus died for love because he is love (there is a lot more to this I will write about in another day).
Some people would call me a heretic for this but I do not expect to get to heaven to simply join in with the angels and sing all day… and that be it. If that is all it is then I have to ask why (again) would I be there… God made angels to praise him, not that we can’t or shouldn’t, but we were given something much greater than the angels were ever given and that is love. I am made to love Love (God is Love).
Love created love so that love could love Love and Love would love love.
(translation)
God created us so that we could love Him and He would love us.
So, it kills me when I hear the gospel presented in the form of a ticket out of hell because it has never been a ticket, never… it is love bold and naked, enduring and conquering the sins of the world for our sake because a commitment was made at the beginning and that commitment was love and because God.. is… Love… love… could… not… fail… even though we broke our commitment.
You see, it has never been about the experience. It’s about being God’s Eklessia (God’s church body… not the building or service or thing… the people is the eklessia)… His love… It’s about loving him and loving others (two greatest commandments)/
I don’t want to be content with a goose bump experience “of God” from a song, I don’t want to be content that I punched in my time card on Sunday, I don’t want to be content with what someone else has to say about God and how to experience Him….
My soul longs for more
I long for something interactive. I read Acts and other scripture about the original church body and you can’t help but notice how much of a beautiful mess it is. They are drawing straws to pick the next disciple and it just looks like they are figuring this thing out… or maybe they are being led by the very spirit of God.
There is a beauty that is the church which hasn’t been seen for many years
How can we claim to please God with our watered down rituals? God is not after the ritual He’s after our heart.. our commitment to love Him and His people… Take a look at this:
The law is only a shadow of the good things that are coming not the realities themselves. For this reason it can never, by the same sacrifices repeated endlessly year after year, make perfect those who draw near to worship. If it could, would they not have stopped being offered? For the worshipers would have been cleansed once for all, and would no longer have felt guilty for their sins. But those sacrifices are an annual reminder of sins, because it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.- Hebrews 10:1-4
and
“What to me is the multitude of your sacrifices?
says the LORD;
I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams
and the fat of well-fed beasts;
I do not delight in the blood of bulls,
or of lambs, or of goats.”When you come toappear before me,
who has required of you
this trampling of my courts?
Bring no more vain offerings; – Isaiah 1:11-13
God basically say’s, “Do you think I need the blood of bulls and goats, what is that to me? Do you think I need your sacrifices?” Basically what was happening is the people of this time were vainly and casually making sacrifices. Sinned… Oh, well just sacrifice… sinned again… no problem bub sacrifice and it will all be ok…
The ritual became watered down… diluted. The message was then lost with it. I’m afraid the church institution has fallen the same way today.
Do we really think God needs our Sunday services? Do we really think God is appeased with just our ritual songs, offerings, listening, showing up… is that really the heart of God? Is this really what he died for? Does God need us to remind Him He is Holy, did he forget? (not that I’m saying that telling him is wrong, I’m simply saying that He is Holy whether we tell him or not).
What is Gods Heart then? What is a real God Experience? I stand to believe if we look to the two greatest commandments we will find our answer.
Love God…. Love His People…
There’s His heart, there is how we experience God… by being Jesus to one another.
