We offer a similar adventure. We tell people that when they accept Jesus they will never be the same. We tell them that life will be different and then they go back to their same jobs, same houses, same families, etc. What exactly is different? They have a relationship with the One True God! They have embarked on a new journey and we are now responsible for providing the necessary tools and equipment to succeed on this journey. Why do 80% of high school graduates not return to church? The only thing they know is a religion that is powerless and a ritual that is exhausting. We have not shared with them the pathway of passion. We must show them the way.
In an earlier post I mentioned the potential off-ramps and side paths that grab our attention and massage our human wants and desires.
- We off-ramp into rebellion because we don't allow the control of our lives He deserves after having forgiven us of all wrong-doing, providing hope of eternity in peace, and establishing a spiritual do-over in life. We deny the need to follow and choose our own way.
- We off-ramp into ritualism because we become passive in our relationship. We let the teacher and preacher do it all for us. We go through the motions of having "quiet times" that are anemic which leads to lives that are apathetic. We become believers that someone else is handling that issue or ministry and put our spiritual life on auto pilot.
- We off-ramp into religion. The devil, if he can convince you of nothing else, wants you to be fully committed followers of the church. God wants you to be fully committed followers of Christ. There is a huge difference. The church does not save. The church does not eternally forgive. The church did not die for us. Christ is the answer. The church is a product of that relationship designed to assist, support, and develop the follower of Christ into maturity.
How do we develop this relationship?
Get centered on Christ.
Communicate with God through a dynamic style of Bible reading and talking with God.
Connect with other believers for support, development, and encouragement.
Concern yourself with the lostness of those around you.
If we will discipline ourselves in these areas we become open to the Holy Spirit's presence and guidance. We become filled with Him. We are the bride. He is the groom. For this relationship to work we must submit to His leadership as he has graciously submitted his life for us.
At the center of faith is a relationship and not religion.
How can we transition into this relationship? What are your stories?
Posts
Off-ramp #1 - When presenting the gospel, it needs to be understood that salvation is more than just fire insurance. The solution of our sin problem is important but not a total end in itself. Salvation should also be understood to be a change of allegiance. Salvation involves making Christ both Saviour and Lord of one's life. Salvation is both passive (allowing God to cleanse and re-make one into a new creation - II Cor. 5:17) and active (working out the changes brought about by God into our daily contact with others - Phil. 2:12).
ReplyDeleteOff Ramp # 2 - A re-discovery of the meaning and role of the New Testament church is needed. Re-capturing an understanding of body life (I Cor. 12) would certainly be a place to begin. Church is not a spectator sport. All pull together for the good of the whole and the enlarging of the Kingdom. In the true New Testament church, there exists no opportunity for a clergy/laity split. Kingdom work requires the participation of eveyone.
Coming to this realization will require that Belivers understand the complete meaning of the doctrine of Priesthood of the Believer as it applies to the church. On one side of the coin, all of us have been supernaturally gifted by God for works of service within the body (i.e. spiritual gifts). But on the flip side, we are all expected to put to use those gifts for the mutual edification of one another in the body of Christ.
Off-Ramp #3 - The difference between religion and relationship is a matter of focus. Relationship requires one to understand that the universe revolves around God. We are not the masters of our own destiny. We have been bought and our lives are not our own to use as we wish. Our purpose in life is simple - To Glorify God.
Religion is placing something or someone else at the center of the universe. It may be the church, a particular set of doctrines, or some well-meaning cause. Whatever it may be, it replaces God as the center of our universe and the purpose for which we exist.
This is the struggle we are facing in our churches today. You are right in your position. Our problem is that this is not carried through as often as we would like in the local churches. These discussions raise our awareness of the need of development through the entire Great Commission cycle and not just to baptism and then relegate them to simple "attendance" as the cure-all.
ReplyDeleteYour reply brings up the question of WHY this is not being carried through in the local church. The believer lacks an understanding of their true relationship with God and purpose in the church. Can we completely blame the problem on them? Or may some of the blame fall on us as leaders not understanding the true biblical nature of servant leadership/team ministry? Are we in this situation because a misunderstanding of ministerial leadership has been perpetuated and passed on? If so, it is time for us, as leaders, to rediscover a biblical understanding of service and then teach it to our people.
ReplyDeleteI believe that we have become overly concerned with numbers and accolades. I sense that we as leaders get on a high of seeing people come to Christ, but lack the follow-through to see them become committed followers of Christ. The pervasive thought perpetuated is that our local programs are enough to develop the individual. We cannot blame the believer because they are babes in Christ. It is the churches responsibility as a family to raise that child. It takes a village to raise an idiot, but a church family to raise a follower of Christ.
ReplyDeleteBelievers are failing to launch because...
1. They are underdeveloped.
2. Many leaders like the feeling being needed and disallow development.
In reference to the July 14post (sorry for the delay!) here is part of my personal story about transitioning from religion to relationship ...
ReplyDeleteI grew up in church. When my journey with Christ began at 19, there were specific Christian men who possessed a relational focus that invested themselves in me. Their investment is still felt 34 years later. The transforming power of Christ was expressed in their mentorship and in the dynamic of that group of relationships which was focused on growing in and serving Christ. Though there was one specific ministry in which we were all involved, there was no additional formalized structure to our relationship ... we just did life together and walked alongside each other. I believe that it only takes a small group of like-hearted men who will catch the vision of investing themselves in the lives of other men to initiate the transition from religion to relationship in individual lives and in a church. Proverbs 27:17 says that "iron sharpens iron and one man sharpens another." (HCSB) I am convinced that there are men in our churches who want to transition; I am equally convinced that many of them may not know how to get started.
Aaron, thank you for your contribution in raising awareness about these issues!
Steve - I enjoyed your transition story. Mine was a pastor who came along side and became my mentor.
ReplyDeleteBut isn't this just true Christianity? Individuals within the Body of Christ free to use their spiritual gifts for the good of others in the body.
It is a sense of familial relationship with Christ and with each other. It is the church being more interested in mutual edification than condemnation. It is a body in which members feel free to share their needs with one another without the threat of judgement.
You are absolutely right ... and if this expression of relational faith is going to be encouraged and sustained in the local church, then it will need to be included as part of the way by which a church evaluates its ministry. In addition to the usual standards of evaluation, we should include evaluative questions such as "What relationships am I developing for the sake of the kingdom?" "How have I expressed Christlikeness within those relationships during the last month?" Keeping questions such as these at the forefront can help foster the development of a mindset that is focused on relationship. Christian author Larry Crabb stated it very well in his book entitled CONNECTING when he said “There is a power within the life of every Christian waiting to be released – a power that can lead to further and deeper change, a power that can help someone else join more intimately to the heart of Christ. That power is released by connecting with the hearts and souls of other people and allowing God’s grace to flow freely through us to them . . . We haven’t dreamed big enough dreams of what we could mean to one another. We haven’t claimed the treasure God has buried in our lives. But it’s time we did.”
ReplyDeleteYou are correct. The old ways of evaluating how the church is doing will have to be replaced. Religious faith leads us in asking evaluative questions such as: # of baptisms or average Sunday School attendance. Relational faith will require a different set of evaluators.
ReplyDeleteRegarding the quote from Connecting: the only warning I would sound would be not forgetting the importance of the local New Testament church. The church is the proper place for such connections between the "hearts and souls" of individuals. In the postmodernist world of America today, relational faith is understood to be that which connects an individual to God. There is no need for the church. However, in scripture, it is understood that there is both a vertical and a horizontal component to one's relational faith. And the church is vital to the strengthening of both aspects.
While I view SSA and #baptisms as 2 valid indicators of church health, they cannot completely address how well a church may or may not be doing in terms of developing redemptive relationships; they certainly cannot be held responsible for defining the depth of a church's sense of mission, connection to the community, Christian maturity, etc. They cannot totally answer the questions I posed in my last post. For instance, I have friends with whom I have shared my faith that simply could care less about Christ or the church (yet, at least) and, as a result, do not show up in the SS numbers. But I consider the friendship that we have developed one of "redemptive cultivation" (not in the sense of viewing them as my "projects", but in the sense of developing a friendship through which God can reveal Himself). Bridging them to the church is essential, but I think all too often we equate this with bridging them to the building when, with many people, this is not a first step. If a church is truly the church, then it will be the church outside the walls as well as inside the walls. This is why we need to include other indicators in our evaluation of church health.
ReplyDeleteSteve, I could not agree with you more. Current evaluators (such as # of baptisms) do have their purpose. However, measuring relational faith within the body of Christ will take the development of new evaluators. The question is - What will they be?
ReplyDelete