In my life, I like to set aside some planned times to reflect on life, and to think about ways God is revealing sin in my life and how He wants me to grow. A few months ago, in my reflection time, I was convicted of my impatience in many different areas of life. So, I wanted to spend a season seeking to understand my impatience and my heart and motivations behind it, and to grow in putting off this sin and putting on righteousness.
There have been many other thoughts and reflections as I have prayed and sought to understand my heart in this area. But, there was one theme that seemed to continue to pop up where my mind and heart needed to be reformed and conformed to the Word of God, and that area was the “Picture of the Christian Life.”
Simply put, the only picture that Jesus gives in explaining discipleship and following Him is the picture of a cross – denying ourselves, picking up our cross daily, and following Him. The cross pictures the truth that in our temporary life, there may be trials, sufferings, and unexpected and undesired things that happen. But, God is still sovereign and through the cross, God accomplished the greatest good. God is in control. The cross does not hinder or thwart God’s plan. The cross is God’s plan. And it is when God’s people understand this truth and take up our cross, that when trials, suffering, and unexpected things come, that we realize that everything is still okay and God is still in control. I don’t need to be impatient or frustrated or complain. I can trust God and for the joy set before me, take up my cross and follow Jesus in any and every circumstance.
As I thought about this predominant picture of Christian discipleship, I began to think about why it is so easy for me NOT to want the Christian life to be like a cross, but more like a couch or a car or a fun entertainment center. There is a LOT in the world that wants us to pursue our own selfish dreams, to pursue health, wealth, prosperity, comfort, ease, pleasure, entertainment, and fun. However, I wonder whether our Christian gatherings, ministries, and churches are conveying anything dramatically different (ie: the cross).
I remember my years in high school (though I was not a Christian), and in college (when I became a Christian). And in both stages of life, though I was taught good theology (in very small chunks of time – 1-2 hours in a week of 168 hours is really not that much), but most of the other time, the “picture of the Christian life” that was often conveyed seemed far from a “cross.” Often times, being surrounded mainly by youth, or primarily with other college students, if it was a Christian group, it was really just a “cleaned-up” version of what the world offered. Cleaned-up Christian entertainment, pleasure, fun, hanging out, health, living a fairly comfortable, easy, fun life. But for the most part, I got to hang around with people just like me, going through the same things as me, and who were easy to love and comfortable to be around.
In reflecting back, many of the planned programs or activities were simply focused on me – which, as I reflect back, often reinforced my self-centered, selfish attitude and heart. Even the way I was encouraged to “evaluate” groups, ministries, and even churches, was often, “What’s the best one for ME? How can I grow the best?” Yet, reflecting on this, I wonder whether the “picture of the Christian life” we often portray is wrong. Are we theologically teaching that the path of discipleship is the Cross of Jesus Christ and giving up our lives to love God and serve others in love? But then, functionally, most programs and ministries are designed to reinforce our natural instinct to live for self and only do what is best for “me” (in my perspective)?
So, if in reality, the BEST way for people to grow personally is for them to die to self, take up their cross, and give up their life for the good and growth of others (it is more blessed to give than receive), then how do we reinforce this imagery of the cross in the practical and functional ministries we do and have in the church?
Maybe some good questions to ask and consider are:
- Is this ministry or program set up to make the Christian life more comfortable and easy for those who participate? Or, is the natural make-up of the ministry and program going to draw people out of their comfort zone to love and serve people not like them (and in the process – they will grow even more rapidly to be like Christ)?
- If this ministry is geared more towards a homogeneous subset of people – is the reason for homogeneity dealing with a certain struggle or sin, or simply to attract and make people more comfortable? (Ie: I am thinking of starting a reading, discussion, and application group for men in dealing with the area of sexual sin and lust – but the biblical model of change is not just putting OFF sin (ie: lust), but putting ON righteousness (for all those men who come to the group to find ways to deny themselves and to serve others in love))
- Are most of the activities of the group or ministry seeking to bring people out of their comfort zone to serve in uncomfortable and new ways? Or are most of them “fun” activities in the world’s eyes? (definitely not saying fun is bad – trying to redefine the term where fun has an outward, other-centered, self-sacrificing bent toward it)
- There is time for rest and rejuvenation and being refreshed with those like us – ie: corporate worship of the local church. But, are the “bulk” of our activities fostering the members’ selfish, me-centered, non-cross desires, or are they challenging them and pushing people to the joy and call of taking up our cross to follow Jesus?
These questions are challenging for me as I lead and pastor a church. I want to lead a church that functionally portrays the joy of the Cross as the norm of the Christian life. Life is not about me. Life is not about each of the church members. Truly loving my church members and their growth will be doing whatever I can to remind them that life is not about them, but dying to self and giving up their life for the good of others (and IN living the cross, they WILL grow more than if I just tailored things to suit them in a short season).
We can still teach good theology and train and equip people well, but it is so much more powerful when we do it in a context of the cross – of people dying to self and using whatever they are learning and being equipped by to love and serve others and train other disciples to die to self, take up their cross, and love and serve others, etc.
My prayer is that my life, my family, and the church of God would increasingly portray the picture of the Christian life accurately, for His glory and the good of His people!
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