Wholly Jesus

Recently the book, Wholly Jesus, by Mark Foreman has found its way into my possession here in South America.  I'm amazed at the books that have been given me in the last two months.  Before, finding a book written in English that offered encouraging insight to my faith seemed like it would take a miracle.  Good thing my God is big, and I believe in miracles.  

I always wonder about how well Christian culture is presenting Jesus to those outside the church, and all to often I feel like they represent the story you will find below of Christy, which Mark shared in his book. 

The underlying argument is that the church was not intended to be separate from culture, and if we continue to pursue church in this manner "we risk losing an entire generation", using Mark's own words.  

Christy grew up in a global, pluralistic, holistic, ecological society for which she was told, “Jesus didn’t care.”  Her youth pastor told her that Jesus didn’t care about world peace, only the apocalypse.  He didn’t care about the wellness of the body, only the soul.  He didn’t care about the people of other faiths, only Christians.  He didn’t care about art and culture.  He didn’t care about ecology; the planet was going to burn anyway.  And he didn’t care about the integration of science and her faith.  And the reason she could be sure Jesus didn’t care about these things is because none of these things were mentioned in the Bible.  Jesus just wanted her to pray, read her Bible and tell others about him.  But eventually the tension between the real world and this fabricated you-pastor’s world snapped.  In order to be true to herself and her passion about these issues, she had to abandon the other-worldly Jesus she’d known.  Christy is an example of tens of thousands of Christians who have learned to disassociate a thin Jesus from their own wellbeing, along with the wellbeing of society and the planet.

I share this because I feel it is relevant.  I don't believe it to represent all churches, maybe there is only one or two things from this story that you recognize in your own life.  Still, these issues are everywhere in the global Christian community and I beg that all in Christian culture to revisit that which we believe to be the love of Christ.  More and more I learn that people respond to love, many people want to believe in the love that Jesus preached about and demonstrated, but the fact is they fail to find it in human relationship.  It is the purpose of the Church to present nothing other than Jesus.  If we wish to glorify God, with one voice, as is the purpose of the church we must be consistent with what Jesus said and did.  Unfortunately, I feel there are far to many people out there who share Christy's story...

Dear friends...  may we let God's love transform us so that we might see where we are lacking in our representation of God in culture, in church, and in the world.  

I hope Paul's words to the Romans challenge you just as much as they have challenged me:

"Who shall bring any charge against God's elect?  It is God who justifies.  Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus the one who died--more than that, who was raise--who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us."
Romans 8:33-34

An Easter story that makes all the difference…

I believe this is the first Easter I have experienced outside of the U.S. and it’s been quite the experience.  Here the Colombian culture has been greatly influenced by the Catholic Church and the celebration of Semana Santa (Holy Week) consists of resting, visiting family, and church processions which back up many of the streets.  Yet Easter appears to be the quietest day of this week-long celebration, no work, no Easter eggs, no bunnies, no candy…  Just Church.  

I enjoyed the rest, even though most businesses were closed when I desired their service or products.  It was good to experience Semana Santa and Easter Sunday differently than what I have been used to, and it certainly encouraged me to think more about the significance of Christ’s resurrection for me and for the Church, and even for those who don’t share my spiritual beliefs.  

A dear friend and mentor used to remind me every Sunday, “Jesus Christ is alive, and that makes all the difference.”  When I came back to what Dave had said, I think this sums up Easter for me, for the Church, and even for those who wouldn’t find themselves in church in twenty years.  If Jesus Christ is alive, that makes all the difference.

I Corinthians 15 says, “For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised.  And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished.   If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied.”  (I Cor 15: 16-19, ESV)

If Jesus Christ is alive, if he conquered death, this means that God is faithful and his promises are true and that should make all the difference in how we see God.  If not, if Jesus Christ did not conquer death... we are of all people the most to be pitied. 

I hope that this fact brings forth many of the other beautiful and convicting realities of our faith.  God wants to provide for us, sustain us, protect us, and use us to make known His love.  It means that when Christ asked us to make disciples of all nations he didn’t say get people in Church because that is where salvation is, he meant make disciples who make disciples.  

I write this in love, but I think there are many times we must revisit our understandings of scripture.  Making disciples isn’t necessarily about getting people in church to say a prayer of salvation, it is about teaching people to search and know God, empowering them to find understanding on their own, so they can empower more people to search for, to know, and to make visible the invisible attributes of our God.  Unfortunately, I think we fail at this all too often.  Not always, but too often.  If we wish to see the Kingdom of God here on earth in our generation, if we wish to see our message reach all people, all languages, all cultures, then we must return to the source, Jesus.  It is much more than a prayer, it is an understanding that we are a body, we all have different giftings, different passions, and we respond differently to many of life’s pleasures.  Yet, we share the same purpose, that we glorify God with one voice.

This post is not to discourage you from leading people in prayer, proclaiming Jesus lord of our lives.  No, it is to open discussion that salvation can come outside of our reproducible model of evangelism, and that discipleship is more than a prayer.  What good is ‘the prayer’ if we fail to form relationships with the prayers, if we fail to show them Jesus, if we fail to disciple them.  Yes God is good, He is sovereign, and I believe many times he disciples people Himself through his Spirit.  But that is not to say we are not responsible for inviting people to know and experience the life that God has desired for them, beyond a single prayer.  May we not focus so much on cultural restrictions we’ve placed on ourselves in the church.  Salvation comes from faith, and faith alone.  If we fail to remember that our litmus test for discipleship is our fruitfulness, and not only that we bear much fruit but that our fruit should last, then our focus isn’t on creating disciples.  When we accompany someone in their desire to profess that God is real, that people are imperfect, and the Christ died and rose again, that He is faithful, then let us show that Christ’s resurrection makes all the difference by being a church that makes disciples who make disciples, as Steve Saint puts it.

Again, my writings are about concerns that stem from my pursuit and my desire to make and see God known among the nations, to heal wounds from church and religion with people who have been hurt by people professing the name of “God”, and to see the church one day glorifying God with one voice (Romans 15:6).  Is it heresy to ask that what we often see in church may not always be Biblical?  Is it too sensitive to ask that is it possible that many people who are in church may not be saved?  Is it possible that people can find salvation without ever finding themselves in Church?  Am I making you uncomfortable by wanting to challenge truths that appear more cultural than Biblical?  And am I wrong in wondering if we realize that because Christ is alive, which makes all the difference, that we should be drawn to know for ourselves, and not from what we here, who is our God?   Is it wrong to ask if the sole purpose of the Church is to make visible the invisible attributes of God through the process of making disciples who make disciples, and not necessarily through worship music and a sermon?  

Let me say this very clearly, I love the church.  I love going to church.  I love my church communities.  I will support any church as long as it carries the name of Jesus as savior.  There are also many churches out there who are making disciples that make disciples. However, I believe we should challenge that which appears to be a watered down version of salvation, and that which keeps us from truly living and enjoying this life that God desires for not just the church, but for all people.  I will ask and plead people to challenge me, that I myself am not running, or leading others, in a direction which is anything less than the life purposed for His disciples.  I do not wish to pretend I have the answers, I only have questions, but I hope you can join me in better understanding who our God is and what He desires for us.  This is the church, the body of Christ, no?  To challenge and be challenged in love, having been given grace for our imperfectness and an undeserved love for our sinfulness, that one day we may glorify God with one voice in complete harmony (Romans 15:1-6).  

So amidst the chocolate, the presents, the parties, and the Easter bunnies, I hope we return to this simple truth of our faith…  Jesus is alive, and that makes all the difference.

In Grace and Love, and in the celebration of Easter...

Cyrus