“… for the sake of
your tradition, you make void the word of God. You hypocrites! Isaiah
prophesied rightly about you when he said: ‘this people honors me with their
lips, but their hearts are far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching
human precepts as doctrines.’”[1]
As I read the gospels I observe that Jesus did not align
himself with any of the Jewish religious subgroups, nor did he side with any
one group against another. Jesus didn’t teach for or against the doctrines
which the divided Jewish sects. Jesus didn’t go out of his way to argue with
religious leaders, but never backed away from an engagement. Jesus gathered
disciples as did Rabbis of the period. Where a person was positioned on the religious
spectrum was of no concern to Jesus. It didn’t matter to which sect a person
belonged, Jesus’ only concern was how that person related to God. Jesus saw
people as needing God, not a new or modified religion. His teaching on the
kingdom demonstrated his concern for attitudes of love and kindness not doctrinal
correctness. In light of Jesus’ life and teaching, the question I ask myself
is, “would anything in his approach change if he was teaching today?”
Recently I had a conversation with a preacher I met more
than fifty years ago. His health is failing, but his mind seemed alert; we
talked of times long gone in another country. During our conversation I
meantioned how important it is to focus on Jesus; he responded that we must
also honour his bride. I have not been able to get that response out of my
mind. I understand that by the bride of Christ he means the church, but
something about the way he phrased his response bothers me. On the one hand
people are the church, are people to be worshipped or honoured as we do Christ?
If the Church is the vehicle through which people come to God, does that put
the Church on the same level as Jesus and deserving of praise? Or, possibly
it’s a form of Mariolatry; Catholics honour Mary as the mother of God, if the
Church has venerable status being Christ’s bride, are we to pray to the Church?
Or, maybe it was just an old preacher seeking to validate his life’s work. I do
not agree with my friend in all things, but I highly regard the effort he has
made preaching the gospel his entire adult life.
To the reader these two paragraphs might appear unrelated,
but to me they are connected. My firm conviction is that I must believe in
Jesus and do his will. My fear is that most Christians are destined to talk
about what Jesus wants rather than doing it. Christianity has been ritualized,
the Church has taken the place of Jesus in the lives of Christians, and time
spent in worship services or working in programs has taken the place of living
every moment for Christ. I’m not suggesting that there is no value in meetings,
studies, and praise, but these are meant as support for people living
continuously for Christ, not in place of it. I worry that by contributing to
Church or mission programs they may become substitutes for communicating Christ
in our lives. I don’t believe it’s possible to pay someone else to shine my
light, nor does my support of mission work take away the need for me to be an
example of God’s grace in my community. At the time of Jesus Jerusalem housed
the temple and people were served by community synagogues, religion was
organized and ritualistic. In the environment of sectarianism Jesus was
saddened; “Jesus was going through all
the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the
gospel of the kingdom, and healing every kind of disease and every kind of
sickness. Seeing the people, He felt compassion for them, because they were
distressed and dispirited like sheep without a shepherd.”[2]
How was it that with a profusion of religious options people were spiritually
bankrupt?
I envy Paul’s confidence, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept
the faith; in the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness,
which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only
to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing.”[3]
Paul reflected a vastly different attitude to the people under Judaism that
Jesus encountered. Paul had tapped into the spiritual confidence, assurance and
hope of living for Christ, he was alive and invigorated by faith. Unfortunately
for the most part the attitude of Christians more often replicates that seen by
Jesus in Jews of his time than in believers committed to his cause in the
decades following. The blame for today’s spiritual disillusionment and apathy
lies at the feet of the Church, just as it did with the religious leaders and
institutions of Judaism. A necessary note here is to recognize that many
congregations and ministers work under difficult circumstances. Many
congregations and preachers offer spiritual encouragement, and support. This is
not a tirade against such preachers and congregations. I do want these concepts
to act as an alarm, warning of institutional traditions that can do spiritual
harm to believers.
The institutional Church to a very large extent acts as a
group insurance plan; faithful attendance, compliance with Church doctrine, and
involvement in programs and you along with all other faithful Church members
will be rewarded. The Church exaggerates the need for its existence in order to
ensure its survival. The mortgage on the building a Church owns will not be
paid by people who aren’t committed to its cause. The physical structures and
programs of a Church demand a guaranteed income, and not everyone will be
invested in those things to the same extent. That was the system designed by
God for Israel; the priests were supported by the people of Israel, the temple
was maintained by contributions and levies. But, as we see from Jesus’ life,
his way is different; access to God is not through a legal system with
accompanying rituals, but through him alone. The kingdom of heaven is made up
of individual citizens, not Church members. Citizenship is universal, Churches
are sectarian, each one claiming some sort of preferred offering. The kingdom
of God exists despite the Church not because of it. The Church is a human
institution, (nothing wrong with that) as was the synagogue. The Church becomes
stationary when encumbered with buildings and programs. The real purpose of
church is to support believers living each day for Christ. If you enjoy the
fellowship and instruction of the Church you attend, but are not committed to
its programs, figure out a suitable pew fee for the times you attend and give
that as your contribution, you can also support charities you are committed to.
The Jews of Jesus time did not need more religion, they had
more than enough of that. They needed a Saviour to lead them out of bondage
into freedom, and that’s what Jesus did. Christianity doesn’t need more Church,
it needs a Saviour to lead believers out of religious confusion into spiritual
freedom, and that’s what Jesus does. Paul wrote to Timothy, “I know whom I have believed,”[4]
he didn’t make that statement because he was a good Church member, but because
he was a child of God, and knew Jesus his Saviour and Lord. “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so
great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that
clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before
us, looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the sake
of the joy that was set before him endured the cross, disregarding its shame,
and has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who
endured such hostility against himself from sinners, so that you may not grow
weary or lose heart.”[5]
The author of Hebrews encouraged early Christians to focus on Jesus even while
enduring persecution; the challenge for today is to focus on Jesus while living
ordinary lives. The Church gave birth to sectarianism, it was the mother of
division. The institution of the Church was the greatest setback to
Christianity in its history, nothing has done more harm to the unity of
believers. The kingdom of Christ exists and will not fail; citizens of the
kingdom, stalwart servants of Jesus must let their lights shine within the
confusion Church.
It may sound as though I am against church, but I’m not; I
am against institutionalizing Church and any other organization no matter what
it’s called that stands between believers and their Lord. “Therefore leaving the elementary teaching about the Christ, let us
press on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead
works and of faith toward God, of instruction about washings and laying on of
hands, and the resurrection of the dead and eternal judgment. And this we will
do, if God permits.”[6]
Some leaders and preachers are killing the congregations the serve. The author
of Hebrews recognized the need for a mature spiritual diet, but some Church
leaders and preachers use fellowship time of believers as the opportunity to
preach to the lost. That’s a waste of time, worse than that it retards the
spiritual development of believers. Congregational meeting are family times for
believers. Preachers who have a burning desire to preach to the lost should go
to where they are. Instead some preachers make it the congregation’s
responsibility to bring the lost to them, so that from the comfort of their
pulpits they can expound on the plight of sinners. During which time the
majority of those present, believers, sit idling away time waiting for the
preacher to finish. The unfortunate truth is that some leaders and preachers
are more concerned with their own Church growth than adding to the kingdom of
Christ. I have the utmost respect for preachers who preach the gospel, especially
those in congregations with weak or non-existing leadership. Those young men
carry the burden of encouraging Christlikeness in believers and many other duties
that should be handled by spiritual leaders. Some groups are better organized
than others; recognizing the difference between material assets and people the
function of leadership is divided with committees handling material assets, and
spiritual leaders focusing on spiritual needs.
I believe that teaching has to focus primarily on two main
areas, without neglecting the myriad of circumstantial needs. The two main foci
are, living as Jesus did, and, dying with Jesus; actually one leads into the
other. “…in these last days he has spoken
to us by a Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, through whom he also
created the worlds. He is the reflection of God's glory and the exact imprint
of God's very being, and he sustains all things by his powerful word. When he
had made purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on
high.”[7]
When Jesus stated that he was the only way for people to access God it wasn’t
idle chatter; the scripture specifies that Jesus “is the reflection of God's glory and the exact imprint of God's very
being…” God has shown himself to us in Jesus. Jesus is our Saviour and our
example. Not only is it imperative to believe Jesus, but to live as Jesus did. That
doesn’t suggest we need to eat his food or dress like him, or even have similar
customs, since we are not Jews and do not live in that time or place. We have
to develop attitudes like those of Jesus; he was a man representing God. In
learning to live like Jesus we also learn to die with Jesus, not sacrificially
or violently, but peacefully. “Then
Jesus, crying with a loud voice, said, "Father, into your hands I commend
my spirit." Having said this, he breathed his last.”[8]
Dying with Christ, I believe is learning to commit our spirits to God as we go
through our daily lives. As we do this the hope of afterlife becomes more real,
and like saints of old, being with God becomes more attractive than staying on
earth.
“Therefore let us draw
near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and
find grace to help in time of need.”[9]
People talk about methods of motivation, i.e. pain or pleasure, or in simple
terms the carrot or stick. There is obviously a time when the stick, or wrath
of God is to be applied, but generally not with believers. There is naturally a
tendency to doubt God’s grace extends to us; we know ourselves from the inside
out, and often what we see we don’t like. We need to grow in confidence, we
need to unequivocally accept God’s grace, we have to let go of the past. The
process of committing my spirit to God includes what Paul was able to do, “… one thing I do: forgetting what lies
behind and reaching forward to what lies
ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in
Christ Jesus.”[10]
A congregation infused with the Spirit of Christ provides support and
encouragement, helping believers grow in faith and assurance. Leaders and
preachers must focus on stimulating spiritual development, inspiring believers
to grow to spiritual maturity. It has nothing to do with Church organization,
or doctrinal correctness, it has everything to do with Jesus, and growing to be
like him. Believers don’t need whipping, most feel whipped already. The
greatest need in the Christian community is for believers in Christ to believe
him. Trusting Jesus, God, will lead us to uninhibited service, it’s impossible
to be the example we want to be while still carrying the burden of past sins.
The simplest, yet most difficult advice to follow is, just do it! Drop your
baggage and move forward unhampered.
