"Purity and simplicity are the two wings with
which man soars above the earth and all temporary
nature."
-- Thomas a Kempis
With
Him
We've made it too complicated. Like the Pharisees
of old who mired Judaism in legalism and made it
discouragingly unattainable for the common people, we've
complicated Christian faith and buried the
basics.
Our new covenant regulations, dressed up as
"principles," build a deep bog from which we struggle to
extricate ourselves.
It's honorable to want to be a "Christian
husband or wife" a "Christian father or mother" and a
"Christian worker." But somehow in the process of
defining these ideals, we often sideline Christ Himself.
We define appropriate (and inappropriate) behavior and
preach the subtle secrets to successful living. We
dissect the biblical text, finding (or creating)
additional layers of meaning, and packaging the
principles in neat, crisp, linear points that do little
(usually) to redirect our focus to Christ, the Living
Word.
The term "Christian" subtly changes form and
meaning. Rather than alluding to someone who follows
Christ, it becomes an adjective to describe our
attitudes or behavior. Put simply, we extol Christian
ethics with barely a reference to following Christ. And
in doing so, we build burdensome
systems.
At each gathering (small groups, mid-size
groups, celebration groups) we receive another set of
principles to guide our lives. The net effect is a
religious structure, not a life of relational faith. We
have more rules and guidelines than we can remember or
implement.
When Jesus called His disciples to follow
Him, the plan was simple. He did not open up a
rabbinical school for scholars. He invited His followers
to tag along with Him, to walk with Him, watch Him,
learn His voice, depend on Him, imitate Him, and become
like Him.
By contrast, we define discipleship in all
sorts of ways except the above. We don't "tag along
with Him" but read about Him. We don't train our ears
to hear His voice but listen more to the religious pundits around
us. We don't depend on Him but speak highly about
Him. We don't imitate Him but incorporate Him into our
Western culture.
We underestimate the powerful simplicity
of being with Christ and knowing Christ. We assume that
mature faith means extensive Bible knowledge, strong
financial giving, and decent living. Perhaps those who
listen to Christ and simply yield every moment to Him
have managed to clean off the barnacles. We will soar
with such simplicity.
Take two minutes right now to sit at His
feet, and repeat it often over the next few
days.
In HOPE --
David |
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