What's the point?

I've been reflecting a lot lately about Christianity. I've followed Jesus my whole life, and that's great for me, but there are a lot of people out there who don't think that they're good enough to deserve the unconditional love of a Father in Heaven. Or maybe they don't like the idea of having to be 'dependent' on another person. Maybe their their experience of God has been negative due to interacting with broken people in a broken world. Or maybe they don't want to become affiliated with a legalistic, judgmental, graceless society of people. Here's something that most people don't seem to get: just because people call themselves Christian doesn't automatically make them a nice person. Simply believing in God is not enough for our humanness to be changed. And here's the reason. It's not even that difficult to grasp. In fact, it's likely you might even agree with me. We're all human. Wow. Deep. But what do you mean by that? I hear you ask.

Ok. Like I said earlier, simply believing in God will not change us. Christians, like everyone else, make mistakes. The unfortunate thing is where someone in leadership is raised to the point where it seems to their 'followers' that they could not possibly make a mistake, because they are 'chosen by God' to lead, and God would only choose someone infallible to lead His 'flock'. Well yes. You're right. But there's only been one infallible leader chosen by God to lead His flock. That is Jesus. He left us many parables, allegories and good advice in the Bible and it's up to us to read it according to how it was intended. What? The Bible is not literal? Women are allowed to speak in churches? We should spit on blind people to heal them? We have to hate our Mother and Father to follow Christ? Ok. Here it is. Some of the Bible is literal. Some of it is metaphorical and a lot of it is specific to the culture of that time. It's our responsibility to read the Bible alongside the Holy Spirit. He is the Teacher. He knows the intentions of the scripture and will reveal its intended meaning if we ask Him. There are so many contradictions in the Bible but the important thing to understand is that they're not inconsistencies, they are a divine invitation to commune with the omniscient One and listen for His revelation. If you expect Him, He will come. I believe it is due to this misunderstanding that so many leaders have got it wrong. Why has the protestant church split into so many denominations? I believe it's due to disagreements on doctrine. What is doctrine? Our fundamental beliefs as a Christian. What do we base these on? The teachings in the Bible. So what happens when people don't interpret the Bible with the Holy Spirit? They get their own ideas and think that they are more enlightened with the current leader and so they revolt and take 1/3 of the church with them and start another one. Great. But you can see that these leaders are still human. They still make mistakes, and that's ok.

You see, there's a couple of wonderful verses that take out all the sting when you feel like a leader has mislead you. Here is how James (3:1&2) "My friends, we should not all try to become teachers. In fact, teachers will be judged more strictly than others. All of us do many wrong things. But if you can control your tongue, you are mature and able to control your whole body." (Italics mine) Let's face it. Teachers/pastors/leaders will make mistakes. But it's on their shoulders. God's going to address them in those matters. He is the fair Judge - I've decided to let Him deal with those who are (even unintentionally) misleading others. Here's another one in Matthew 18:6 "It will be terrible for people who cause even one of my little followers to sin. Those people would be better off thrown into the deepest part of the ocean with a heavy stone tied around their necks!" Note he doesn't say that whoever deliberately leads one to sin... Ultimately it's our responsibility to read the Bible with the Holy Spirit so that we are aware if the teacher gets it wrong. And if they do - so what? You can talk to them about it (out of love), and if they don't agree, then you can make a prayerful decision about what to do. This is a better option than giving up on God and the Church and trying to find meaning in the monotony that we call life. The saddest part is when people blame it on God to get out the easy way. You know what? Sometimes it's not God calling us to another church, it's just our fear of confrontation talking to us. (But it sounded an awful lot like God... Yes. That's because often God sounds an awful lot like you. Be careful not to get the two mixed up!)

Anyway. Like I said earlier. I've been thinking a lot about what it means to be a Christian. For many years I just thought it was because God loves us and wants us to live forever in Heaven with Him. Which is 100% true. But just because it's true doesn't make it the complete story. Yes, we (humans) were condemned to death due to our sin (breaking God's law). There isn't any of us who has never lied, stolen, been jealous or rebellious. Many of us haven't been adulterous or murderers or abusers, but there are thousands who have. And all of us at some stage have broken rule number one by having a higher value for some earthly thing than our God. This is inevitable. We're human. But then there was one, fully God in his deity, yet completely human in his existence on earth and here is the Good News. He lived and died for us, as us. He lived a perfect life on our behalf. How? He was completely human. How is that possible? By living in communion with the Holy Spirit. Jesus only did what he saw his Father doing. He only said what he heard his father saying. He came to earth to do the will of his Father. And he did it with perfection. He died for no earthly reason. But in Heaven it meant everything. This perfect man died so that we could live forever with him. At the point of resurrection all our sin, sickness and torment was paid for. Forever. For too long Satan had dominion over the earth (given to him by Adam and Eve) but Jesus took it back. For us. For our freedom. Why? Because "God so loved the world" (italics mine). Why? Because "your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should perish." Why? "that they may have life to the full." Why? "Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these"
                                          How?
Jesus told his disciples in John 14 about the Spirit of Truth, our advocate. He is here to help us and be with us forever, he will live inside us and that is how we will know him. We were designed to follow Jesus as the disciples did. To imitate him. To bear his anointing. To be covered by his mantle. To take his yoke. All of these are references to the relationship between a Rabbi and his followers. Hey guys - if you believe in Jesus then that means us. We should be compelled to follow his lead. And if he evangelised the Father's love with signs, wonders and miracles the guess what? That is what we have access to.

Now don't get me wrong. I'm not condemning anyone who doesn't believe they are called to witness testify to the Father's love in this way, but I encourage you to search the scriptures and ask the Holy Spirit what his take on this matter is. I, for one, was a bit nervous about this train of thought at first. Why should I desire miracles? Shouldn't my focus be on God? Yes. But what I am beginning to understand is that there is a difference between focusing on God and invoking the Presence of the Holy Spirit. Having the Holy Spirit in us is part of being born again and filled with the Spirit. But what I am learning is that this idea of being 'filled' or 'baptised' in the Spirit was never meant to be a one time event, it's supposed to be continuous. And this is where the supernatural presence of God, our Dad, the lover of our souls, delights in his children when they perform miracles and signs and wonders for his glory. There such great joy in the Father's heart when he sees his children operating to their potential. How do I know this? Because the same is true of earthly parents. There is such pride and joy when their children operate to their gifting and strengths with diligence and enjoyment. And think about how Jesus compares our heavenly Father to our earthly one and claims how much greater the love of our Dad in heaven is for us.

I want the world to know the Good News. Not the OK news that I used to believe in. The "ah, it's cool for you to believe in Jesus but it's just not for me" news is no longer an option for me. When we tell people that Jesus died for their sins that's only half of the Gospel. He didn't die just so we could go to heaven. If that was the case, then it would be a simple thing for God to offer the choice of Heaven or Hell on death's door and people could choose then. No. He offers us a fulfilled life of sharing the Gospel with power, just like the apostles. Jesus paid for a life free from torment, free from sickness and redeemed sinners. Our identity is no longer in our sin, but in Christ's righteousness. This is what qualifies the unqualified. Jesus died so we could live like he did and bring Heaven to earth. Some people see that as a terrible thing. I'm not so sure that Jesus would have directed us to pray for "Your Kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in Heaven." (Italics mine) if he didn't mean for the Kingdom of Heaven to invade earth... I am no longer content to simply believe that the apostles were solely responsible for the outpourings of the Holy Spirit during the times of the early church. God is the same yesterday, today and forever and so He still wants his love brought into the world with power. He's given us the Holy Spirit, our guide, teacher and advocate to draw us into his word; to discover his nature; to do his will on earth as it is in Heaven. This makes me responsible to find out what is going on in Heaven and to do it. Even at the cost of my own pride. Maybe at the cost of my dignity (loaded term here - I'm thinking of David dancing before the Lord). Bill Johnson says that God will never violate his word, but he might violate my understanding of it. Let's make sure then, that what we are reading is being interpreted by the Holy Spirit for this moment, right now. I'm no longer content to live in ignorance because it's easy. I want to be known by God. I want the Spirit of God to rest on my shoulders and for lives to be transformed by His Presence. I know it's a big call, but He's invited me to His banquet table. How can I refuse?