At Ease, Church

The church in America today, at least the one most non-churched people see, is one of ease. It is a cultural construct, just something people do. It doesn't seem to have much impact in changing the life of the churched people that non-Christians have experienced. You go in, have a great light and music show, someone talks to you about how much better, more blessed that your life will be if you just follow these steps, and "oh, by the way, here are some verses from the Bible that happen to support my points." Then we go our way and live out the other segments of our lives - for we are rich and have need of nothing.

"You say, 'I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.' But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked" (Rev. 3:17 NIV)

And those to whom God would have us bring His word see right through us; So we lose the power to impact our world.

As I logged in to the blogspot this morning, I noticed the scripture verse of the day posted, it was Phillipians 1:29 (NIV)

For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ 

not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for him

So what does "suffering" look like? The aesetics took it literally and deprived themselves of pretty much everything. I believe that, taken in the context of Phillipians, suffering means that we stand firm in the Gospel, no matter how we are opposed. For us in America today, there is not much in the way of physical opposition, but rather it is and intellectual or societal opposition. So how do we stand? Do we stand by the Gospel or do we become "tolerant" of things that scripture speaks against so that we don't ruffle any feathers and are considered enlightened? God has always been God and has not changed His commands in our lives, though it is not about the rules but about right relationship with Him. Today we struggle with that, we want it both ways, we want the benefits without the submission to the one who gives us the blessings. This is not a new issue. On Sunday mornings we are studying Hosea. It is odd that, as they say, the more things change the more they stay the same. In Hosea 10:2, scripture says "their heart is deceitful." The Hebrew word translated deceitful is hlq or halaq. This word can mean both smooth, as in a smooth talker, or divided, not being of one heart or mind. It's a really long story, Hosea is, but very informative for where we are today. God's people wanted both Yahweh and Baal, in fact, they called Baal, "Baal-Yahweh." And you wonder why God is so hard on adultery? But that's another story. In the words of Pastor Win, they wanted the blessing but not the blesser. 

So do we. we want the benefits without the commitment to be who God asks us to be. Just in case you wondered, God doesn't want us to be "rule followers" first, He wants us to be Yahweh followers. Israel, and religions ever since, have tried to boil God down to following rules, which is both easier and impossible at the same time. It's easier because we can feel if we can balance enough obedient behaviors against our disobedience we can feel good - even superior. It's impossible because we can never meet all of the rules (hence the need for a savior?) - and so it has to be about relationship, not rules, and relationships are hard. We divide our hearts still, we compartmentalize our faith to Sunday and Wednesday, and then we have the rest of our lives to live "normally." We become Laodicea because we want it both ways. We want the blessing without the blesser. We want to feel good, because that's what our world tells us we want. In the words of Paul to the Phillipians though, we need to take a stand for the Gospel:

Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the Gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in one spirit contending as one man for the faith of the Gospel without being frightened in any way by those who oppose you. This is a sign to them that they will be destroyed, but that you will be saved - and that by God. (Phil. 1:28-29 NIV)

So instead of "Church, at ease" with little to no impact, we need to be "Church at attention," focused, undivided, one in the Spirit. Then, instead of lukewarm impotence, we'll have the hot potency in Yahweh that changes the world.