It's not a secret that many bad things have been done in the name of God. Going back centuries, you have crusades that saw mass slaughter of Muslims and Jews across Europe and in the Middle East. In the 15th and 16th centuries, Christians across England rounded up hundreds of believers who "didn't believe the right way" and had them burned alive. In the 1990's I remember seeing the news of a "Christian nation", called Serbia, who was ethnically cleansing Muslim minorities in Kosovo. I'm not saying Christians are bad people, but the idea that you can slap "Jesus" on the front of a building or organization and somehow call it righteous is just ludicrous. In America, we don't really see atrocities at this level, at least on en masse. Instead the offenses are far more subtle. We choose to judge someone according to a cultural standard that isn't found anywhere in the Bible. We condescend to newer Christians or young adults who haven't "earned their right to sit at the big kids' table" of church. We refuse to run any of our passions or emotions to the sieve of Christ's calling to assess if we are fighting for some sort of communal/organizational ego or for something truly righteous. I guess when I see all this, I completely understand what Brannen Manning meant when he said, "The greatest cause of atheism in the world today is Christians who acknowledge Jesus with their lips and walk out the door and deny Him by their lifestyle. That is what an unbelieving world simply finds unbelievable." Nailed It. Do you remember the popular bracelets reading "W.W.J.D?" in the 1990's? "What would Jesus Do?" I have a modification I'd like to make based on this verse...
I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. (Gal 2:20)
Based on this, instead of "what would Jesus do?" I'd like to ask "is this what Jesus died for?" I think that's a far better descriptor of how we should measure our actions. When we're in church arguing over schedules, is this what Jesus died for? When we're trying to determine who is and isn't worth funding to go spread the Gospel in another county, is this what Jesus died for? When people are scheming over church polity, who gets to lead a group, what facility is being used, or whether a hurting and underserved community is "in the church's strategic vision", is this what Jesus died for? I think when we start asking "is this what Jesus died for", we can start seeing the subtle atrocities modern Christianity commits against a lost and dying world each day. It's no wonder why the mainstream church, stuck in their tradition and secure in their bank accounts, is dying all across the globe. Monasteries turned into bed-and-breakfasts and century old churches turned into chique restaurants. These institutions aren't failing because they didn't effectively resist change; they started existing for the sake of their own existence and as a result... they died. As individuals, as bodies of believers, and as institutions that call themselves "church", we can not fail to see our calling. Is this what Jesus died for? If the actions of a church body or individual believer cease to reflect the same message of love, compassion, and the glory of salvation that Christ showed to the poor and downtrodden, then we are a part of the problem and guilty of exactly what Brennan Manning was talking about... we are little more than institutional churches celebrating our contributions to a growing atheistic society. Harsh words, but there it is. We can't control the world, but we can be lights to those around us. We have been crucified in Christ which means we are also raised from the dead in Christ and made new! Let us not miss a single opportunity to reach out to the lost souls that surround us daily, rescuing as many as we can until either Christ comes here or we go home. That's the goal, pure and simple.
DEVOTIONAL PRAYER A Prayer for Earnest Passion God of all things, you know the intentions of our heart. Convict and reveal our true intentions in everything we do and help us to be bent towards your Will, your glory, and your calling. Give us the wisdom and humility to see our own faults for what they are and to move in the direction you have ordained for us. Be patient... we are stubborn people; no less stubborn than the people of Israel. We need your grace and forgiveness more and more each day, it seems. We thank you for the blessings you have shown us despite our sin and pray that you would help us know how best to serve you with those things you have so graciously given. We love you and pray for your wisdom and guidance. Amen.
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