Bait and switch. We hate the way this marketing tactic takes us for fools – but have we come to accept it as the norm in our spiritual lives? Take this promise from Jesus:
I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come in and go out, and find pasture… I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. (John 10:9-10 NIV)
Or how about the dynamic and exciting depiction of the early church?
They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved. (Acts 2:42-47 NIV)
I love my church, but comparing ourselves with THAT is very humbling, challenging, even depressing. It’s like falling for the bait and switch; we have resigned to “the way things are”. We have lost our passion for love, justice, and the proclamation of God’s good news. No wonder that in an age of unprecedented fascination with spiritual wellness, outsiders see Christianity as a failed experiment.
With the New Year right around the corner, it’s time for some serious reflection. What if none of Jesus’ commands are optional? What if all His promises are credible? What if instead of treating salvation as icing on the cake, we considered our relationship with God more precious than anything else we have? What if instead of making excuses and blaming church leadership, we started praying and struggling through the issues that prevent us from being faithful witnesses for Jesus?
As it is said, half of every solution is knowing the problem. A thoughtful church thinker put it this way:
The church is always in crisis and its greatest danger is that it is only occasionally aware of it. (Bishop Roy Williamson)
Witnessing about love, justice, faith, hope and salvation is serious business. We are always in crisis because we are constantly tempted to give in to our selfish nature, and then to explain our actions away by watering down the gospel. But a watered down gospel is no gospel at all. As G.K. Chesterton said,
The Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting; it has been found difficult and left untried.
In the year 2012, let’s not leave the Christian ideal untried, but
Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching. (Hebrews 10:23-25 NIV)
Posted on December 21, 2011
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