Galations 3: 26 - 29 NKJV
I happened across a post by Wayne Jacobsen this week of his discussion on managed spirituality. Now, every time I hear of an institution that is in the habit of telling people just "How" to follow Christ Jesus I immediately become leary of said institution. I believe that taking the path where we need to show others a how to manual of just how to worship, praise and believe in Jesus is not what was intended when Jesus promised His Spirit within us. For that Spirit of Christ within is not given to us by God with any stipulations or burdens upon us. Indeed, as the apostle Paul tells us in Galations 3, as believers we are all sons of God and are now one in Christ Jesus who is in us. We have no need to try harder, to work more or to believe stronger that we are in Christ Jesus. I have heard many a pulpit pounder claim that others need to "Be more" like Christ Jesus in order to be closer to Him. I find it interesting that Jesus never asks us to be more like Him, only that we believe. When we go down that road of thinking that we can do it better than everyone else to gain Gods favor, then the free gift of Christ Jesus becomes more of a transaction we purchase. This is not what was intended. As followers of Jesus, His spirit is ALREADY within us, there is absolutely nothing we can do to earn this free gift for ourselves.
4But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9not of works, lest anyone should boast.
Ephesians 2: 4 -9 NKJV
One of my favorite scriptures is found in Ephesians 2. Here, the apostle Paul tells us of the free gift of God which we who follow Jesus have received. To that pulpit pounder who stakes claim that it is we who must work that much harder in order to achieve the indwelling Spirit of Jesus, I present to you Ephesians 2 and the apostle Paul. You claim that we as believers need to somehow try harder in order to be closer to Jesus? For by grace we have already been saved through faith, yet NOT of our own efforts! You preach that it is our own efforts that will draw us closer to Him? By our Lords grace have we already been saved! Can you imagine the one who worked hard enough through his own efforts to secure his own salvation? I am sure this person would indeed be the poster child for arrogance. Indeed, this is how I sometimes view a pastor who admonishes his flock that they need to try more, to work harder to experience the very presence of Jesus in their lives. As if our own efforts will bring forth that much hoped for result. I am not ashamed to say to call such pastors arrogant in their teaching. Placing themselves upon a pedestal, they continue to tell others just what they should do to get there. I believe that Wayne Jacobsen refered to this a managed christianity. I tend to refer to it the same way Jesus did when dealing with the Pharisees of His day, of the blind guides leading the people. We do well to remember the words of Paul, in that while we were dead in our trespasses and sins that our heavenly Father loved us enough to save us. It is a gift available to all who seek it.
~Scott~
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