Never Go To Church Again!
I'm going to take a brief break from the "Blue Like Jazz" inspired posts and write about something which has been weighing on me as of late... church and how we view it. Here's the average Sunday church experience for the average Christian:
Put on your Sunday best and head to the church, the building, with a group of other well-dressed and obedient protestants.
Walk past the "First Church of the Whatever" sign and glance and see what the pastor will be talking about today. Get excited to see we're going to have one of those entertaining/funny sermons. This week it's:
Q: Why didn't Cain please God?
A: Because he just wasn't Able (or Abel if you want to be extra cute)
Sit down, face front, and let the music begin. Bring the leather-bound bible and set it gently on the pew next to you along with the hymnal (only approved "worship" songs come from the hymnal... it was printed in 1968... I have no clue what they did before that, played a harp or something). Sing 3 songs (gotta beat the Baptists to lunch, after all), Lord's Prayer. Now to learn about Jesus.
Then the sharply dressed preacher takes to the pulpit and delivers a 25-minute message of comfort about how Jesus loves them regardless of what they did during the week and throw in 2 or 3 jokes just to make sure everyone feels really good about themselves when they leave.
We do this every week because of the traditions we have carried on from the time of the first church. Back when Jesus wore his 3-piece suit to teach unchallenging messages with a touch of humor and sing a few songs with his followers. Wait... that's not what the first church was like?!? But we do things this way because they've always been done this way, right?
No, the first documented gathering of the church also happens to be my very favorite part of the bible. Matthew 5:1-7:29. This is what is commonly known as "The Beatitudes" and the "Sermon on the Mount". Getting into the specifics of the sermon on the mount is a whole other blog series entirely, but here's a link which I suggest you take the time to read and really think about the depth of this sermon and this church gathering.
But, how can you have church on a hillside? There's no sound board. No overhead. No Powerpoint. No guitar. Those are the things which make a church a church!
No, that's not true. Here's what "the church" was and should be trying to restore itself to be (regardless of a building or technology):
Church was a bunch of Christ-followers and some other people who had the word taken to them coming together to follow and live with Jesus. It doesn't matter if it was Sunday morning, Tuesday afternoon, or Saturday night. The purpose of the church was for a community of believers to walk together in their faith in God and His son, Jesus Christ.
If you continue read on from the Sermon on the Mount, there's several other gatherings listed in pretty short succession. It appears Christ had his "church" with him wherever he went. The sermon could have been 20 seconds or two hours, but always with the same intent... teaching a message of faith, and loving God and your neighbor. Not just Sunday mornings. But 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.
The real church is described perfectly in Colossians 2:6-7
My counsel for you is simple and straightforward: Just go ahead with what you've been given. You received Christ Jesus, the Master; now live him. You're deeply rooted in him. You're well constructed upon him. You know your way around the faith. Now do what you've been taught. School's out; quit studying the subject and start living it! And let your living spill over into thanksgiving.
So, I urge you, stop going to church and start being the church. That... will revolutionize the world.
Grace Like Rain
"He was too proud to receive free grace from God. He didn't know how to live in a system where nobody owes anybody else anything. Though he understood that God wanted nothing in return, his mind could not communicate this fact to his heart, so his life was something like torture."
-Donald Miller, "Blue Like Jazz"
Practice what you preach.
I'm a big fan of God's grace. It is one of the biggest joys of Christian living which I share with people who are asking quesions about God. I know that God's grace is abundant, sufficient, and all-encompassing. Stop and think about that for a moment. There is nothing you can do which God is not willing to forgive you for.
Complete this sentence:
God, I know that I _____________, and I pray your grace is enough.
Fill in whatever sin you have committed and God is willing and able to forgive you for it. Humbling.
I start every day of my life with the intent of living a sin-free day. I fail virtually every day.
I'm a lot of things the bible says I shouldn't be.
I am angry. I ridicule. I lust for beautiful women. I am unforgiving. I am a braggart. I am selfish. I worry. I am a glutton/overweight. I am greedy. I use foul language. Do I need to continue?
We all sin. Sin can be intentional... pre-planned if you will. I sin by not doing things I should (sins of omission). I sin unintentionally. I sin without knowing it.
For every one of these things which I am and am not, there is grace. In my heart I I know that I am forgiven when I ask to be, but at the same time I find it very difficult to think I am forgiven. The flaw of trying to rationalize God I suppose. While it is me and not God who is harboring a sense of ill will towards me and my transgressions, the end-result is the same, I feel dirty and unworthy.
I torment myself constantly for my failures. I keep these thoughts from people most of the time and appear at most times to be cool, calm, and collected. This is not reality. In the words of NHL coach Fred Shero, "I'm like a duck: calm above water, but paddling like hell underneath." There are times where my paddling makes its way to the surface, and God always steps in one way or another and sends someone to help me deal with how I'm feeling.
Recently I twittered a statement about how I really needed to begin reconciling my failures with God. In my heart, I know he has forgiven me for them. In my brain, I think I still owe him something for that grace. Is it humility or pride which makes me think there's something I can actually do to pay God back? Hey God... thanks for that whole sending your son to die for me and forgiveness of all sins thing. Here... borrow my lawn mower and we're all square this week, okay?
That's what it feels like at times. Seriously? God does not need or want anything from me. If he wanted or needed something... he'd take care of that himself. He's GOD for GOD's sake!
The last time I had a mini-meltdown and exposed how I feel, God sent a friend of mine to me via a text message of all things. An unexpected source. This is someone I rarely see or talk to, but at the same time it is someone I have a world of respect for their intelligence, kindness, and faith. The conversation went like this:
Friend: Eric. Seriously. You have not failed God. Reconciling is one thing--we are all in the process of becoming more truly human, more truly whole. But that does not imply failure. Don't be so hard on yourself.
Me: Thanks. I try to tell myself that all the time. Grace is just SO hard to wrap your head around when you screw up so majorly.
Friend: I just hate to see you be the victim of a distorted theology. God is not a hander out of grades, passing and failing. He resurrects the dead.
Me: My heart knows that. It just has a hard time convincing my brain. It's simple in theory, but it's hard to not try and rationalize God and feel deserving. I fucked up a 10-year relationship, regardless of fault. I'll accept my part in it. I've broken my son's family. How do I just accept that?
Friend: We don't just accept the brokenness in our lives. I'm not suggesting that all bridges burnt can be mended. But there is something to be said for what Jesus was known for in his time. He was, to everyone, a healer. and when we call him our own healer, that (if we take it seriously) fills our own lives.
Me: Yes, but stubborness, weakness, whatever is is just leaves a sense of feeling like maybe I screwed up too much this time. Applying human thoughts towards how God operates is a fail, but that's what I need to work out.
Friend: It's not easy. Things may not be able to return to the way they should be in our lifetime. But our actions, our love, our prayers, all draw from that one great Act of resurrection -- and anticipates our own. If Gethsemane (Eric's note: Where Jesus and his disciples prayed the night before Jesus' crucifixion. "his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground." Luke 22:43–44) is anything, we know it takes time and tears and sweat and prayers on our knees. Seek, and you will find. Christianity has a rich history of "failures"... but they never did it alone.
Me: True. "Reconcile" is probably a poor choice of words, but it's what it feels like in a way.
Friend: Reconciliation is what we are after-- with ourselves, God, and everyone around us. Not a poor choice at all.
--
God, I know that I _____________, and I thank you that your grace is enough.
Does Jesus Really Like Me?
"I found Jesus very disturbing, very straightforward. He wasn't diplomatic, and yet I felt like if I met Him, He would really like me. I can't explain how freeing that was. There were people He loved and people He got really mad at, and I kept identifying with the people He loved, which was really good, because they were all the broken people, the kind of people who are tired of life and want to be done with it, or they are desperate people, people who are outcasts or pagans. There were others, regular people, but He didn't play favorites at all which is miraculous in itself."
-Donald Miller, "Blue Like Jazz"
One of the things which makes it easier to accept God's grace is the fact of who His son chose to spend time with during his time here. Jesus was drawn to the broken and hurting people. Jesus called a gaggle of complete screw-ups as his disciples.
The disciples were stupid. These were the guys who were there to help Jesus and would carry on his message after he died, and they didn't understand what in the world he was talking about at times. (Matthew 15:15-16)
The disciples lacked faith. They were in a boat in a storm with the friggin' SON OF GOD, and were freaking out about some waves and liquid turbulence. Jesus woke up and essentially told them "You have no faith, chill, I got this." (Matthew 8:26)
The disciples had no commitment and one of them even sold him out to be crucified. They ran like scared dogs when Judas betrayed Jesus and brought people to arrest him. (Mark 14:48-50)
The disciples were egotistical. They spent a whole road trip having an argument about which of the 12 was the greatest disciple. Jesus then told them to be a servant to all, to put themselves last. (Mark 9:33-37)
If God can use and love people like that... then surely he can use and love someone like me.
One of my the issues I have with so many churches is the unwillingness to go out and reach the people who so desperately need God in their lives. I've been to churches which had no outreach whatsoever. They would congregate on Sundays, have board meetings on Thursdays, and talk about how financially they needed God to bring more people to the church. One of the things I've learned... is if you are truly doing the work of God in your community, then people will come to your church to learn more about Jesus. Why? Because you are living Jesus and people will want to learn more about what this life is about.
Sadly, an acquaintance of mine's girlfriend said recently that she hated my church. She said she hated all of the "publicity stunts" we do. I really want to take her to the side and get her to understand that it's not about publicity, it's not about putting our name out there, it's about Jesus.
I can't drive five minutes in any direction from any point in this town without passing a church, yet there are over 35,000 people in my community as of the last census who claimed not to have a church home. Whatever these multitude of churches have been doing in the past, it's not working. Either it's not working or the traditional outreach has touched each person who could be touched through those methods.
The time has come now to find new and unique ways to reach people and let them hear about Jesus. Reach the unreached, give them a place to feel comfortable coming to hear more about this God and what His son did for us. Get them in the doors and let God work from there.
I think the Statue of Liberty has on it one of the most beautiful statements ever: Bring me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to be free.
In more modern times, I think God is asking this: bring me your high, your drunk, your broken families, your addicts, your hurting masses yearning to be free. It's not about a publicity stunt, it's about going to the places where the people are who God has called us to put first and to serve.
As Paul said in Corinthians:
Though I am free and belong to no man, I make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible... to those under the law I became like one under the law so as to win those under the law. To those not having the law I became like one not having the law so as to win those not having the law. To the weak I became weak, to win the weak
I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some. I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings.
1 Corinthians 9:19-23
Footnote: The girl who hates my church. She's getting married today. They're both really good people... just hurting. I wish them the best and pray they have a long-lasting and healthy marriage filled with joy and love.
Chocolate, God, and Cigarettes
"We would eat chocolates and smoke cigarettes and read the Bible, which is the only way to do it, if you ask me. The Bible is so good with chocolate. I always thought the Bible was more of a salad thing, you know, but it isn't. It is a chocolate thing."
-Donald Miller, "Blue Like Jazz"
Sadly, one of the reasons many people are opposed to church and Christianity is because of The Bible. Well, not so much because of the bible, but because of how it is presented to them and/or used against them.
I still remember the first time I decided to purchase a bible. I didn't know there were different versions of it! Great, but what on Earth was the difference? Nobody told me which was the right version to get! I decided to go with a King James Version (KJV) Bible... I'd definitely seen this, so it seemed like a reasonable idea at the time.
Let's take a look at a very well-known bible verse, John 3:16 as it appears in the KJV:
"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."
Awesome. Great concept. But, I was 16... "begotten? believeth?", this was more like Shakespeare than God's word. How could I get excited about a God who talks to me like He's speaking from the stage at The Globe? Now, I know there are some "religions" (see previous blog post) which will tell you I am bound to go to hell because I don't read the KJV. In fact, here's a quote I found while looking for statistics as to why people don't read their bible more:
"Because they aren't literate enough to read a real Bible (KJV) so they figure why waste their time with a fake one."
A bold statement. Made with conviction. Who wrote this? It was this guy...
"By Anonymous, at July 20, 2007 3:30 PM"
Sure, way to stand by your beliefs there, Captain Anonymous.
Let's take a look at John 3:16 in a couple of other versions of the bible:
NIV
"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."
THE MESSAGE
"This is how much God loved the world: He gave his Son, his one and only Son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life. God didn't go to all the trouble of sending his Son merely to point an accusing finger, telling the world how bad it was. He came to help, to put the world right again. Anyone who trusts in him is acquitted; anyone who refuses to trust him has long since been under the death sentence without knowing it. And why? Because of that person's failure to believe in the one-of-a-kind Son of God when introduced to him."
The concept appears to be very much the same. So, is it really important that you read a specific version of The Bible, or is it more important to find a version which A) sticks to what God's message is, B) makes sense to you, and C) you enjoy reading?
Once I found one which worked for me, I started to enjoy reading it. There was the gospels (particularly Matthew for me). Corinthians. The beatitudes & the sermon on the mount. Mind blowing stuff, all of it.
The Bible, to me, is not a weapon. It is not for beating or thumping. It is not an ancient text to be studied like the Greek mythologies. It is not propaganda.
The Bible, to me, is a history of God. It is a refuge for the hurt, lost and suffering. It is God's word. It is God's message of grace as he was obligated to give us nothing. It is a record of the life, death, and resurrection of His son, Jesus Christ.
The Bible is love. It is hope. It is kindness. It's a way to revolutionize the world if we truly live by the example which was set for us.
