Modern Day Christianity
There is much more to the life of a true believer than what we know today. Even the seemingly successful “mega churches” are not able to shoot, straight as an arrow, to the core of the issue. In an article I read online recently, which remains constant with other articles I’ve read elsewhere, there are over 1,000 faith groups in the United States that identify themselves as “Christian.” This in itself is very daunting to the believer seeking truth, as well as injustice to the unbeliever. To those who believe and seek the “right” way, who do they follow? Do they simply visit local churches and when they find one that they “feel” led to they join and participate in that group? And what about the unbelievers – how in the world are they supposed to know that we, the unbelievers, have ANY of the answers when we have so many denominational divisions amongst ourselves? It is a good point to remember that Jesus Himself prayed that we would be unified as He and the Father are. It was important to God, therefore it is paramount that we place it at the forefront of our lives. With this thought, let us cast off the chains of our own minds; all of us, to some extent, place God in a box that we have created just for Him. To us, the box represents the world and all life – our life. The majority of today’s believers live day to day, week after week and as the years pass by they believe with all their hearts they are doing God’s will and in His good graces. However, what are we actually DOING to test that feeling, or belief? Are we comparing our life daily to God’s plum line – His Word? Or are we for the most part assuming that because our hearts are in the right place our actions will follow and He will “show the way?”
Point to remember
I have had many people say the same thing to me recently, therefore I must repeat it here so that I may dispell this partial notion of Godly obedience. I have been told, over and over, “God knows my heart,” and “If my heart is in the right place, that is all that matters.” Well, this sounds good but let’s compare it to God’s plum line. First, is it enough to simply love God with all of your heart? No one would argue that this is important, but is that enough? The short answer is quite simply, “No.” What did Jesus say when asked, “Which is the great commandent in the law?” He replied “YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND. This is the great and foremost commandment.” If Jesus’ words are true, then we cannot simply love God with our hearts and be what a true believer is supposed to be. Second, if it is not enough, then what must we do to comply with Jesus’ instruction? Simple: be a diligent student, or disciple, of His Word. I hear a lot of people today say “Read your bible and pray daily.” That’s fine, but very watered-down; what we absolutely MUST do is read His Word for ourselves and SEEK the truth. If the bible tells you that you need to pray, then you pray. Don’t pray because someone in a pulpit tells you to. Remember: everything you will ever really need to know is in God’s Word. There are many more commands, suggestions and commendable practices within its pages than today’s so-called experts are actually teaching.
Which brings me around to the main point of this article. Thank you for bearing with me so long!
Every fairly experienced believer pretty much knows the answer to this question: “What kind of life did Jesus leave us as an example?” The answer? The life of a servant. Now I want you to think for a moment. What kind of gathering of believers are you associated with? Do you have a large building? A small one? Do you have a preacher/pastor and a pulpit? Is he/she pretty much considered the ‘leader’ of the ‘church?’ What is the Bible’s definition of a ‘church?’ Does it match what today’s concept is? Do you have ‘worship leaders?’ Did the early believers have them? What am I being taught about the servant’s life – the kind of life Jesus humbly accepted?
This is a rather large topic that I have been struggling with for a long time now – roughly about 8 years – the same amount of time I’ve been married! When my wife and I tied the knot, I must say that there has been a steady progression in my life, and it revolves around my desire to be what God really wants a believer to be. In the past year, and especially 6 months, God has shown me many, many verses and passages in His Word that had never been opened to me before. I began to view church practice differently, as well as the personal lives of those who proclaim to follow Him. The Bible teaches us that there must be a correlation between that which a person professes and that which they do, otherwise where is the real change? I’ll leave you with some questions on this point and come back at a later time to post another commentary on this issue.
Can we really drive one, two or more nice, brand-new cars and be living a servant’s life? Can we live in a nice, big and expensive house and live a servant’s life? Can we waste our time and money on leisurely activities, shopping, eating out, unnecessary home furnishings like electronics, decor, etc, watching movies, buying cd’s, going on expensive vacations. . . .can we REALLY do any/all of these things and still be mimicking the servant lifestyle that Jesus showed us – by example? Please remember: Jesus is God. He came to earth and became a man, lived a sinless life even though he was mocked, ridiculed, beaten to within an inch of his life, shamed, humiliated, betrayed, denied and nailed through His precious hands and feet to a wooden cross. Do you see how unimportant, wasteful and incorrect it is for us to continue living this life that we have so far been blind to? Most importantly, it keeps us from living the kind of life that we, as believers, were meant to live. When we are spending more money on these things than we are on the children that are dying of hunger, we are sinning. When we are spending our time on leisure, movies and entertainment we are squandering the “short time” that we have here on this earth, and that my friends is SIN, not to mention the direct opposite of the servant’s life.
One last point:
This is a large, hard pill to swallow, I know. I would be lying to you now if I said that I had swallowed mine. There is good news for you, though: now you know and your eyes have been opened. The second question is, will you follow the path? From the very mouth of The Word, Jesus: “For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it.”
Consider yourself one of the few who can now actually stop and take the time to prayerfully soak in what you have read. Is it really okay to continue doing what I do – and please God doing it? Or must I re-examine the life of Jesus, compare it to mine and make the necessary, albeit hard choice, to “take up my cross daily, and follow Him?” Remember that God explicitly expresses his distaste for the lukewarm believer. He would rather you cold or hot (Rev. 3:15-16) instead of lukewarm.
God wants all of you – not just the parts you’re willing to give.
May God bless you.
Brandon English
