John 4:21-24
“Believe me, woman, the time is
coming when you Samaritans will worship the Father neither here at this
mountain nor there in Jerusalem. You worship guessing in the dark; we
Jews worship in the clear light of day. God’s way of salvation is made
available through the Jews. But the time is coming—it has, in fact,
come—when what you’re called will not matter and where you go to worship
will not matter.
“It’s who you are and the way you live that
count before God. Your worship must engage your spirit in the pursuit of
truth. That’s the kind of people the Father is out looking for: those
who are simply and honestly themselves before him in their worship. God
is sheer being itself—Spirit. Those who worship him must do it out of
their very being, their spirits, their true selves, in adoration.”
Scripture
quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002
by Eugene Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs,
CO. All rights reserved.
A pastor friend shared a blog post
on Facebook titled “9 Sins the Church is Okay With.”* This is a
thought-provoking read that I urge you to make time for. The blogger,
Frank Powell, is a college/young adult minister at the Campbell Street
Church of Christ in Jackson, TN. Powell outlines nine areas that church
members have internalized and readily accepted, even though scripture
teaches something contrary. These 9 “sins” are: fear, apathy, gluttony
(excess), worry, flattery, comfort, consumerism, patriotism, and lying.
Just
as we read in the words of Jesus from this passage of John 4, a lot of
us have made “church” something it is not. We have molded our Christian
faith into something that fits us, rather than bare our hearts and
souls to God and let His Holy Spirit lead where He deems to be
the right course. We’ve inserted fear into our witness…we’ve grown too
comfortable and complacent with “how we have always done things.”
Conversely, we’ve chased the latest and greatest fad with voracious
consumerism…we’ve lusted after everything bigger, better, and MORE!
We have
waffled from the extreme of complete apathy to one of a constant chase
for flattery and affirmation that we are “all that and a bag of chips!”
We’ve worried…a lot…about anything and everything! We’ve waved the
flag and preached “God and Country!” – and blurred the lines between
“church and state.” And we have lied – to ourselves and everyone else!
And then, to make ourselves feel better, we have shined a spotlight on other people and their
“sins” (because most of these are purely judgment calls on our
part!)…and we’ve set ourselves apart and created an “us vs. them”
division. We have declared ourselves and our version of Christian faith
to be superior…and woe to those who believe differently!
I’ve
done a lot of soul searching lately about divisiveness among
Christians. I’ve spent a good deal of time in study and prayer about
how to worship with those who feel differently than I do on many issues -
great and small. How can I share in corporate worship with people who
make no bones about expressing their disdain for others who are
different in some way? How can I associate with those who openly
question the Christian faith of others…and attempt to set themselves
apart in the process? How can I hear the voice of God in the din of
those who want to point fingers while they wave flags in one hand and
Bibles in the other?
I feel that God is telling me to “be
still.” God is assuring me that He is still in control…that His word
and will are still clear and pure…and all-encompassing. He loves those
who are being attacked…and their attackers. I believe that God is brokenhearted by the
discord…but He has not changed – and He is still with us. So I am
waiting…and listening…and finding God’s Holy Spirit where I can. He
comes to me through the hymns and the beautiful offertories that Mrs.
Barbara plays on Sunday mornings…the anthems presented by our choir…the scriptures that are read...and the
faithful service and examples of men and women who have been a
part of my life - and the life of the church - for decades.
God’s
Holy Spirit reveals His message of hope and promise in the faces and
words of our little ones who exit their classrooms singing, “The Fruits
of the Spirit” and telling us what they discovered about Jesus. When
they talk about how God wants them to act and listen and learn…and how
much He loves them…I am reminded that He is with me. THIS is God’s
Spirit in its purest form…and I am learning to drown out all of the
“noise” and immerse myself in Him.
I don’t know what is in your
heart…or how God is speaking to you these days. I have no clue
whether these 9 “sins” have crept into your heart…or what burdens and
struggles you may have. But I do know that the words of this passage
are true and right for all of us…that the Father is looking for those
who are simply and honestly offering themselves before Him in their
worship…those who serve out of their very being, their spirits, their
true selves – in constant adoration. I know that it is who we are and
how we live that testifies to the purity of our faith.
I hope
these words describe you and me and our relationship with God. If we
live according to this model, God will handle the rest - to His glory.
Are you ready to pare away the baggage and be your true self in worship
of our Heavenly Father? Will this be the day that you begin?
©2015 Debbie Robus
* http://www.faithit.com/9-sins-the-church-is-okay-with/
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