Tuesday, November 29, 2005

A worthy prince?

It is the Season called Advent, a time of preparation for Christ's coming as our King. Yesterday I wrote about preparation. The question - does my life show honor for Him, preparedness for His coming - has stayed with me. We love that phrase that says we're "King's Kids." You know what? We are! So we need to start acting like princes and princesses! There is a certain obligation that goes with belonging to the King's family and bearing His name in this world. In this Advent season. one way to honor the King is to develop a sensitive conscience that allows the Spirit to call us to greater devotion, to a more consistent holiness, in every area of our lives.

In last month's issue of Christianity Today, David Gushee wrote a most compelling article that touches on this subject. I'd recommend a careful reading of it to each of my readers. Online you can find the article at http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2005/011/27.88.html. In that essay, Gushee uses the phrase 'moral sloppiness' to describe the disarray in the lives of many who call themselves Christians.

We modern evangelical Christians are so terrified of sliding back into the legalistic traditions of a generation past that it seems many of us have lost the ability to call sins by their names! With a broad brush of 'grace' we cover even the most flagrant failures. In the the guise of love, we challenge no one, not even ourselves, to make the hard choices that being a genuine Christ-follower require. The result is a pseudo-religious experience that demands nothing from us but some sentiments expressed at appropriate moments.

"Jerry, that awfully harsh, isn't it? Do you want to turn the faith into a set of laws?" No way! I would never be an advocate for going back to a time when we judged the sincerity of another's Christian faith based on his choice of a refreshing beverage on a hot summer day, the length of her skirt, the kind of music that he loved, or whether she smoked cigarettes! Many of those unwritten rules of 'Christian' conduct were so arbitrary that they were even silly. But, when we swept them away in the name of God's grace, many of us went way too far and we lost the very Biblical concept of being God's holy people, who live in distinct ways that are worthy of our Savior and King.

For example, I believe we need to be able to exercise discipline with that Believer who will not honor his marriage vows as he chases skirts at work.
Then, too, the gossip who tears up the church with stories that are born in a fertile imagination should not get a pass because 'that's just the way she is.'
And, our teens should be taught that sex is really a gift of God and that while our culture says, 'just do it' albeit safely. A real Christian knows that sex has a component of sacredness and God put it into the loving context of marriage for very, very good reasons.

A true Christian will have a different set of values about Money. Greed is so common among Christians most of us see no moral problem with craving more, spending more, running up our debt load 'as long as we meet the minimum monthly payment.' One twisted form of American Christianity even regards conspicuous materialism as a sign of God's blessings. Jesus taught us that we don't own the stuff we care for, or the money in our bank account. We're managers of God's stuff and will give account to the Owner someday. Sobering thought, isn't it? Of course I realize that it's so easy to become legalistic, to create some arbitrary $ amount that is 'too much.' It would be a mockery of the Bible's stewardship principles to argue a Christian can only build a house of certain size or drive a Ford, but not a Lincoln! But, how about having an accountability partner with whom you pray and consult before making a major purchase, someone who will help you check motives? That's the stuff of REAL Christianity, isn't it?

Now that I'm on a roll, I'll just go ahead and jump off the cliff and write about -- church attendance. This year Christmas falls on Sunday and I've already braced myself that the majority of the people in our church will choose family and home over honoring the Lord and His Body by gathering to worship that morning. But it's not just Christmas Sunday, either. On any given Lord's Day, only a little more than one half of the people who call the Assembly their church home are actually there! We excuse this self indulgence by reminding ourselves that going to church doesn't make us a Christian, which is true enough. But, don't we show what we value by the way we divide our time? Are birthday parties, football games, or fixing up our house really the equal of corporate worship? IF we love the Lord, we will desire to be in the company of others who love Him, praising Him and hearing His Word. And... by the way, parent... if you want your child to grow up to put a high priority on serving God, one of the ways you teach them what's important is how you use your Sundays! It's a very visible, tangible demonstration of discipline, commitment, and dedication. Argue with me if you will, but it's hard to tell your child -- "Jesus is first, our Lord" -- as you're driving past the church half the Sundays of the year on your way to a family gathering, a sporting event, or while you lay in your bed "because it's been such a tough week, God will surely understand."

In the book of the Revelation of Jesus we are urged by the King- "Up on your feet! Take a deep breath! Maybe there’s life in you yet. But I wouldn’t know it by looking at your busywork; nothing of God’s work has been completed. Your condition is desperate. Think of the gift you once had in your hands, the Message you heard with your ears—grasp it again and turn back to God. “If you pull the covers back over your head and sleep on, oblivious to God, I’ll return when you least expect it, break into your life like a thief in the night.

Here's a promise for those who walk worthy! -- “You still have a few Christians in Sardis who haven’t ruined themselves wallowing in the muck of the world’s ways. They’ll walk with me on parade! They’ve proved their worth! “Conquerors will march in the victory parade, their names indelible in the Book of Life. I’ll lead them up and present them by name to my Father and his Angels." (Revelation 3:2-5, The Message)

Gushee's conclusion is worthy of consideration:
"Christianity is more than an event, an experience, or a set of beliefs. It is a way of life characterized by moral seriousness and the quest for holiness."

Are you living worthy of your relationship to the King? If not, repentance is in order. And then, watch out for shallow legalism! Cultivate deep intimacy with God, from which comes authentic holiness, which is truly beautiful - in His sight, and before our world. I pray that Jesus is King of my sexuality, my possessions, my leisure time, my work habits, my thoughts, my words, my plans and goals.... so that when people spend time with me, they will say, "you certainly have a great Father, and it's obvious you love Him!"
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PS - I didn't write this specifically for you, or for any one of the other couple of hundreds of people who read TFTD on a daily basis. Please do not feel that you need to write to me with an explanation about why you weren't in church last week. This TFTD was born out of my own reflection on ways that I express my devotion to the Lord Jesus, my own desire to live in a way that is worthy of my position as a child of God. I hope you'll read it that way, too. Our Christianity is never lived, ultimately, for our Pastor, our family, or our friends. It is lived for Christ, the King. Love Him.

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