Have you ever asked
yourself, “Why are we here?” or “What are we here for?” I used to ponder
questions with illusive answers, but for some considerable time those
particular questions to me seem irrelevant. That said, there’s nothing wrong
with wondering if humanity has a purpose, or maybe had a purpose, until it went
so far off the moral track that any purpose would be impossible to uncover. I
assume that one of the characteristics of being human is wondering why we are
here. I began thinking about Noah and his awareness of the chaotic world about
him. “Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and
that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.”[1]
God was sorry that he had created man and decided to destroy every trace of
humanity, “But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord.”[2]
I guess Noah was the proverbial “one in a million”. It also sounds like Noah
was the odd man out in his society when God called him to be odder than odd; he
was told to build a boat too big for any waters anyone had ever seen. I doubt
Noah understood what it was that he was doing. If Noah thought he was different
to other people before God called him, after, when doing what he was told, it
would have been evident to all that he’d lost more than his marbles. After a
while he came to understand what he had to do; one, was to warn people of
impending doom, and the other, to build a big boat.
When we are wondering
about what we are here for we must recognize that there is no need for a saver
of the human race; that’s been done. We need to also accept that there is no
need for another Saviour, that’s Jesus. We will have to settle for lesser
appointments than either of those that have already been taken. What we have
been given is citizenship in God’s kingdom. That is exceptional when we think
of it, because Jesus is the King. For citizens wanting to know why we are here,
the answer carries significantly more weight. Believers can look back to
apostolic writings to read and hear the words of Jesus explaining the kingdom
of God. The kingdom was very important to Jesus, it was his mission. Many of
his parables define the nature of the kingdom. Jesus’ teaching in general
addressed characteristics of the kingdom. A distinguishing feature of the
kingdom is love. God’s love, Jesus’ love, and citizens’ love. If we are in
God’s family and are ruled by Jesus, we must grow in love. Nearing the time
Jesus would leave the world he spoke to his disciples, “I give you a new
commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also
should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples,
if you have love for one another.”[3]
Love is not something that would be nice to have, it is a critical requirement.
Paul said that love validates every action or behaviour. Jesus wasn’t suggesting
that if the disciples got around to it they should try exercise love; it was a
command. Through loving acts and behaviour people at that time would have
connected them to Jesus.
I remember as a teenager feeling that I
belonged in the Church I attended. That Church was populated with people who
were loving and accepting. Much if not most of my time was spent with other
young people of the Church, and I attended every service. Later in life I
learned that my parents felt they had been replaced by a group they knew
nothing about. I have come to realize that most Churches are places of comfort
for their members, a place to enjoy one another’s fellowship. A large Methodist
Church I frequently passed by, had a sign saying; “Charity begins at home –but cannot
stay there.” Of course love begins in the home, and good works in the Church,
but neither of which should remain where they started! In my situation I
enjoyed receiving love and acceptance and took that Church to be my second
home. My story is not unique, I believe it is actually quite common. Churches
in decline need only to look at their programs to find the reason they are
losing members. Churches that try to be everything for everyone, end up doing
nothing for anybody. At the outset of Christianity assemblies were for
encouragement and remembrance. Some gatherings may have shared meals, but for
the most part, gatherings were a brief escape from worldly pressures. The
greatest part of any believer’s influence was, and still is, on the sphere of
their social interaction. The Church has become an end in itself, granting love
and acceptance to members only. It has produced generations of crippled
Christians, unable to function outside its walls. Instead of equipping people
with a faith that is portable, and that would remain with them wherever they journeyed,
people have been warned not to locate in a town where that particular Church
has no presence. It seems that Jesus’ teaching hasn’t been fully grasped, or
maybe it has been completely disregarded.
Treat
others the same way you want them to treat you. If you love those who love you,
what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them.
If you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you?
For even sinners do the same. If you lend to those from whom you expect to
receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners in
order to receive back the same. But love your enemies, and do good, and
lend, expecting nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will
be sons of the Most High; for He Himself is kind to ungrateful and evil men.
Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.[4]
The first part of this section of scripture
suggests, that if the cycle love exists only in and around Church membership, members
are doing no more than people who ignore or defame Jesus. People in God’s
kingdom do not live isolated from the world, they live in it. Jesus prayed on
behalf of his disciples, “I do not
ask you to take them out of the world, but to keep them from the evil one.
They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. Sanctify them in the
truth; your word is truth.”[5]
Spiritual family time is important, it is a time of encouragement and support needed
to go back out into the world as emissaries of God’s love and grace. Believers
are to represent the kingdom of God, not by attending Church, but by living as
children of God in the world. The world is in a pretty bad state right now, and
in this critical time people are leaving the Church in droves. Why? Because the
Church has failed its membership. That’s not to say there aren’t any Churches
that provide support, there obviously are. But, the vast majority of Churches
are more concerned with maintaining the status quo than they are meeting needs
of people. God our Father, and Jesus the King, provide security and promise
that no Church can match. Believe it or not, I am not against Church in general,
but I am against any Church that puts itself ahead of Jesus, or its programs
ahead of the teachings of Jesus. There is only one legitimate purpose for a
Church and that is to support and encourage citizens of the kingdom of God; beyond
that lies institutionalism and failure.
It’s time that
believers accept that there is no other path to God than through Jesus. That’s
it! No institution, no organization, and, no Church. You don’t need to be a
member of a Church to have the blessings of the kingdom, but you do have to be
in Jesus. Church should be a place of comfort and nurturing, a place where
people are refreshed and strengthened to walk in the spirit. A place that
glorifies Jesus as Saviour, and supports hope, and not focused on attendance
and how much money is needed to pay the mortgage. In the parable of the soils,
the third and most dangerous place for plants was among thorns. “…the one on
whom seed was sown among the thorns, this is the man who hears the word, and
the worry of the world and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, and it
becomes unfruitful.” The worry of the world is what encumbers most Churches;
those with real-estate, staff, and costly programs. The kingdom of God does not
have earthly wealth or debt.
love
your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return; and your
reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High; for He Himself is
kind to ungrateful and evil men. Be merciful, just as your Father is
merciful.
What it takes to be children of God is considerably
different to what it takes to be a Church member. Membership requires
conformity to a Church’s doctrines, to its programs, and to give money to its
cause. Children of God are encouraged, to love enemies, to do good, to lend,
expecting nothing in return from anyone. While Church membership and being a
child of God are different, it cannot be said that they are mutually exclusive.
Children most often reflect their family’s values, and that’s what children of
God must do; those values are found in the teachings and life of Jesus. I can’t
be sure, but I wonder if in some cases people want to feel good rather than do
good. That might be one area the Church has failed its members; preaching a
feel good gospel, or, being active in Church work will make you feel good. What
Jesus taught his disciples in the passage I’ve focused on basically points out
the difference between feeling good and doing good. “If you love those who love you, what credit is that
to you?” “If you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that
to you?” “If you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that
to you?” If you only associate with people who go to the same Church as you…?
Doing those things can make you feel good, but feeling good isn’t necessary the
doing good Jesus spoke of. Jesus taught in synagogues, not exclusively or even
a lot, most of his teaching was done to groups both large and small among
common people. I have heard congregations boast of the Professionals and
Wealthy people in their membership. James spoke to a situation similar, “Listen,
my beloved brethren: did not God choose the poor of this world to be
rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him?”[6]
In a time when “super heroes” fill screens of theaters and television, we need
to have a super hero, but not some comic-strip character or elite athlete –we
need to have Jesus as our Super-Hero.
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