meditatio at the water's edge

A Rare Rant with an Apology at the End

One of the problems I see with some Christians in America is that we're so damned lazy. I mean, it really is damnable, the way we approach the life of following Jesus in such a trivial way. I read through Hebrews 11 and hear all the testimony from those ancients who acted in obedience to God in ways that led them through suffering and death. I consider our modern day brothers and sisters who are being killed and imprisoned because of their commitment to Jesus. And then we walk through life treating discipleship as optional and using our 'freedom' as an excuse to be lazy (we wouldn't want to be accused of trusting in 'works'!).

If I hear one more person complain about how they don't like a certain style of music in a worship gathering, I might just go Old Testament on their backsides(prophetically speaking). Are we still so hung up with these incidental things? Why haven't we progressed beyond making such a big deal about things that are a matter of preference?

Why are there so many people who have been in communities of Jesus' disciples (churches, okay?) who are not progressing and do not intend to progress in their knowledge of God (in the Biblical sense) and their likeness to the Master Jesus? I think I know part of the reason: Expectations and assumptions. There is an assumption placed on leaders that the primary purpose of our churches is to make converts. Much of this in America (at least where we're at) goes back to the frontier revival culture of the mid 1800's (and perhaps from only a partial understanding of that). I think we've made conversion such a big thing that it has become the only thing. So the only thing that's left is to move people into places where they can serve the institutions and structures that are geared to make more converts.

Enough already! I'm with Dallas Willard on this one. The problem isn't that we don't have enough people in our churches. The problem is that we don't have quality in our churches. By and large, discipleship has been dismissed and we are paying the price--churches full of spiritual stillbirths. We need to stop worrying about the people who aren't there (Dallas said something like this, and I agree) and start pouring ourselves into the people who are.

Oh Lord, deliver us from our petty self-concern that makes us lazy about following you!

I apologize for any meanness that comes across in this little rant. I don't think everyone is lazy. I don't think that many of us are intentionally lazy. I just long for people who should know better to start getting serious about being formed by the Master instead of by the culture around them (this, of course, includes myself). So let's stand up with seriousness about following Jesus.
Let's stop thinking we're 'not smart enough to think deep thoughts'. Let's start pressing on so our minds and actions can be formed by God.
Let's stop being ruled by our feelings. Let's start living from a controlling vision of a life where God is King.
Let's stop making excuses for our laziness, and start engaging our whole lives in the life of God.
Let's stop using a so-called-'grace' as an excuse to maintain a life of stagnation and start consuming grace by cooperating with God's action in our lives (Dallas again).

Think about what would happen if little groups of people started truly living as apprentices of Jesus. I mean, forget about the incidental things like structures (the form of corporate gatherings, institutions), and think about what would happen if little groups of people (four, ten, twelve, twenty, one hundred and twenty?) stopped making incidental things of primary importance and started making apprenticeship to Jesus their singular purpose (and let the rest flow out of that). Think of those lives, radically transformed by the Spirit of God over time. Like 'mustard seed' communities of kingdom life, with God transforming the world around them by his presence among them.

If you aren't operating with that kind of dream, get into it.

Here's some more! We have to start thinking beyond our little localisms and start thinking 'kingdom'. "I'm part of this church." "Well, I'm a member of this church." Are we still stuck in these little ideas? Sure, be committed to a group of people, but we've got to stop the pettiness of thinking we're competing with each other (local churches, I mean). We (especially the 'emerging' church folks) more than anyone need to move to embrace not only other 'outcasts' but also those who cast us out. We need to forgive and start seeking the good of other communities of Jesus' disciples rather than just complaining. Yes, voice what you think is broken. Yes, acknowledge and talk about differences in theology. Yes, stick to your convictions. But do it in a move that listens and embraces and forgives and seeks the good of the other.

God's really getting a hold on me and I'm glimpsing the beauty of that life. I want to see it realized in me. I want to see it realized in the people around me. I want to keep learning and loving and soaking up all I can so I can share it with the people around me who want to see it realized in their lives too. So it's, 'more of God' until it's, 'only God' (I hope you know what I mean).