It all started with a desire for a connection that was quick
and convenient. Smart phones, social
media, all the latest hype has filtrated our everyday and become custom. It’s accepted as ordinary and possibly even necessary
to follow suit and follow statuses. We
turn to one device to do it all, a single station that goes with us anywhere
and responds at a moment’s notice. Friend request and group approval.
The weather report. Mail. Favorite Book. Calendar.
Planner. Devotions. Games.
How-to videos. Banking. Bible.
Sure it’s simplified our lives and connected us in a
superficial way, but every extraordinary thing has its downfall.
Our relationships are…
Our view of God is…
Our witness is… all
falling and failing.
This so-called Jesus extending his hand that says “like if
you need prayer”, or one of the more popular images that say “Comment Amen if
you love Jesus, ignore and keep scrolling and you don’t!” Us Christ followers are quick to to click and
“like” and share and scroll. But do we
realize that by clicking “like” and sharing these silly things, we are handing
that example of shallow religion down to the next generation?
How often does a person who is in our realm of influence
reach out for help through a post and we simply type “Praying for you” or
“Prayers sent” and continue scrolling or move right along in our day? It’s
almost as though prayer has become more of a catchphrase than a commission.
It’s this shallow religion that has plagued Christianity and
created a people who have strayed far away from the true meaning of church, of
following Jesus, and of what it means to carry our cross. Unfortunately so many of us have conformed to
it, that we no longer discern a
Truth-founded, holy, good thing from a world-created, distracting,
seemingly-good thing.
We readily stare at our screens when life is moving forward
around us and we are quick to “like” and “share” and type a quick “praying for
you.” But is that enough?
Does that really reach the person who is desperate for a life-line?
When a
mother is holding her dying child.
When a
son just said goodbye to his father.
When a
marriage is falling apart.
When
the disease is diagnosed.
When a
home and safe haven is lost in the fire.
When the
provider of the family is without a job.
When
help is being begged through body language and verbal clues.
All of these things and more that are normal experiences in
this earthly life that have the power to either utterly destroy us or lead us to an undeniable faith. I don’t know that a simple “Prayers sent”
reply is just enough. We are to be the
salt of the earth, a light on a hill, a people who are sent to break chains and
shatter darkness, but are we walking out our purpose?
Are we allowing the
purpose of Christ to inconvenience us?
Are we allowing His
love to freely flow through us, undisturbed by our distractions?
I’m certain that when Jesus called the 12 disciples, who
were ordinary guys just doing what they knew to do and living pretty typical
lives, when Jesus said “Come, follow me,” that it was not a convenient
thing. It wasn't a simple click of a button and they'd be following the King. I’m certain that it wasn’t
comfortable or anything they could have expected to happen to them that
day. When we read the stories of where
it was that they followed Jesus to, how he worked through them, the miracles
that they were a witness to, the life-breathing words that they spoke, the
dusty roads that they walked and the messed-up people that they encountered.
I’m certain that it wasn’t anything they could have predicted. People talked, people misunderstood them and
criticized them – it wasn’t easy. It
wasn’t safe. It wasn’t hidden. It wasn’t edited. It could not be filtered. They were far from perfect. Jesus said to follow and they did.
Now we’re able to hide behind a screen, we’re able to scroll
further or sit down our devices and forget, we’re able to walk out of the
building Sunday morning and go back to what’s comfortable. We juggle our busyness to keep things most
convenient for ourselves, and we’ve become masters at performing and pretending
that we are okay and that we’ve got this.
When we look at Hebrews 11 which is known for the pillars of
faith that it highlights, could our own names be written at the end? Does
our character and the way we surrender our lives to follow Christ fit alongside
these faith-filled people that changed history for us and generations to come?
Read Hebrews 11
40 verses testifying to the pillars of faith, the
characteristics of their life. Faith
that in some cases enabled them to endure the most horrific torture, hardships
and trials; and in others a faith that delivered them from afflictions. The same faith that delivered some from
death, allowed others to die victoriously.
Faith that didn’t guarantee a
certain outcome but that did guarantee victory over sin and grave. Faith that required aggressive prayer and
worship, which focused on the ultimate reward and that is the promised
Kingdom.
Could we include ourselves in these pillars of faith? “vs 41: By faith_____…” not to add to the Scripture, we know we
cannot do that, but to serve as a reminder of the faith we are to have.
Will your life be characterized as a verse 41 life?
Will we be known as a people who proclaimed the name of Christ?
Are we settling for a shallow religion of going through the motions and
saying the right things?
This isn’t meant to make you feel guilty or make you feel
like you may not be good enough or that you haven’t done enough. No matter where we are at in our walk of
faith, we all have room to grow. We
should always take time to step back and check the condition of our hearts and
lives, to really buckle down and consider the areas that need our attention and
Christ’s redemption. As long as we are
on this earth, He is not finished yet. Don’t feel guilty.
But don’t be afraid to look at reality.
God has called us to follow Him. Even more importantly He has equipped us to be His disciples and to
reach a lost, dying world of people desperately in need of a life-line which is
Christ. Through the next few weeks together, we will be taking into
consideration the areas of our life where we have conformed to a generic
Christianity.
What are the areas
that we need to surrender to the transformative power of Christ, where we walk
as disciples who follow Jesus and lead others to do the same? Like the faith-filled ones whose lives are
marked in Hebrews, will our lives be leaving
an impression for the sake of Christ even once we’re away?
Jesus is asking us to come, follow Him. We can be sure that as we do – it will not be easy. It may
not be safe. It cannot be hidden. It won’t be edited. It will not have a filter. Jesus asks us to follow.
To leave our past behind, to go where He leads, to give up our lives and our selves for to sake of His Kingdom. Not to just simply like him and superficially follow him, but to love him and really follow - the surrendering, sacrificing kind of following.
It may not be quick, I doubt it will be convenient.
But I do know it will be good and that He will never fall,
never fail.
*This post was part of the “Proclaim!” RE:vive Retreat 2017 | Session 1: Forward by Faith. All retreat posts can be found in the “Blog Archives” to the right of the screen. If you would like more information about our annual ladies retreat, please email me at: arburk25@yahoo.com or request to be a part of our Facebook group.
