6-25-12<\/p>\n
When you write books, or blogs, you never know in advance \u2013 and, usually, even afterwards \u2013 who your readers will be. In my Christian writing, I begin every work the same way I advise writers I mentor: pray that you honor and please God, but also lift up the readers you don\u2019t see and probably will never know. Our job is to plant seeds, not reap harvests. <\/p>\n
In this short piece, however, I DO target specific readers: not curious web surfers nor casual Christians; but rather the \u201csubset\u201d of readers who are committed Christians, on-fire believers, dedicated church workers, lay volunteers, teachers, missions workers, youth workers. You fit these descriptions, and perhaps you came to know Christ in a personal and powerful way many years ago. Your life has been changed, ever since.<\/p>\n
For those of you in this group, I have a question:<\/p>\n
Do you remember God?<\/p>\n
Is the God you serve, and to whom you pray, the same One you met when the Gospel miraculously and joyfully invaded your soul? Are you still surprised by Him every day? Is Forgiveness still something that you crave, and cherish, and share? Does the message of salvation astonish you, and humble you, every time you think of it? Does the sacrifice of Jesus\u2019s passion and death still grieve your soul \u2013 and does the miracle of Resurrection thrill you like nothing else?<\/p>\n
Did you once shout Hallelujahs in church, and now you merely say the word without passion? Do you shed tears, any more, of sorrow or joy like you once did? Is it possible that your \u201cfaith walk\u201d has become, not a challenge nor a privilege, but a habit?<\/p>\n
I am qualified to ask these questions because I have come face to face with them, often pleading Guilty. Many times do I MISS the early bloom of New Faith: the excitement, the spiritual hunger, the doubts and the overcoming of doubts, the really real realization that I am a new creature in Christ Jesus.<\/p>\n
How do we reclaim the exhilaration of becoming not just a Child of God but a Baby of the King? That is our task, and its answer is within our grasp; just because these pitfalls are common does not mean they are inevitable or incurable. Stay in the Word, and proceed on your faith walk, as it were, on your knees.<\/p>\n
But here are some factors I nominate as signals that very good Christian religionists might be slipping from the ranks of very good Christ followers:<\/p>\n
You love your church! But do you find yourself, when recommending it to others, talking about the programs and activities\u2026 and, less, how Jesus is mightily proclaimed?<\/p>\n
You love the worship team; maybe you are a part of it; you tell others about the awesome music. Is it possible, by the evidence of your testimony, that you are more in love with the worship than with the One who is to be worshiped? Do you leave church talking about a new revelation of Truth, or the awesome guitar solo?<\/p>\n
Does your pastor interrupt his own greeting with admonitions that the congregation didn\u2019t yell \u201cgood morning\u201d to his satisfaction; or that people aren\u2019t smiling enough? What about people who enter a church, risking the Cheerful Police, in order to lay in front of the altar, crying unto the Lord? Such hurting souls seem unwelcome in some of today\u2019s \u201cchurches.\u201d <\/p>\n
Your involvement in projects, in small groups, in kids\u2019 activities, even social and service work \u2013 is it all church-related? And is that good? Are we pulling up the blankets around us, creating a comfy Christian ghetto, when all is said and done? \u201cGo ye into all the world,\u201d Jesus commissioned. Not \u201cGo ye to other satellite home groups\u2026\u201d The world is full of clubs and groups; maybe we should compartmentalize, not blend, our social and our spiritual needs. <\/p>\n
I have a suspicion that the Lord grieves when our pattern of \u201creaching out\u201d to others, so called, leaves the nurture of our own souls behind. After half a millennium, the \u201cgospel of works\u201d is alive and well.<\/p>\n
This is not an \u201ceither-or\u201d situation for Christians, whether they are \u201cold\u201d or \u201cnew\u201d believers. Yet we tend it make it so. I suspect further that God is more honored, and likely is more pleased, that we cherish and cultivate our own spiritual needs first. Public libraries host book-review groups; neighborhood clubs go on day trips; and the Colonel is always there for the fried chicken. Let the church be used again for seeking, and worshiping, God Almighty, once in a while!<\/p>\n
Do you remember God? Remember this: He has never forgotten you, nor cooled nor changed. It is not in His nature, and should be resisted in ours.<\/p>\n
+ + +<\/p>\n
A song that many people cite as describing their initial, impactful, encounter with the Living God, is \u201cIn the Garden,\u201d sometimes called \u201cI Come to the Garden Alone.\u201d This year marks the centennial of several memorable events: the sinking of The Titanic, which will always be a compelling story; the exciting Bull Moose campaign of Theodore Roosevelt, a watershed in American history; and the composition of this precious gospel song. C. Austin Miles wrote \u201cIn the Garden\u201d in 1912, and uncountable people have felt an affinity with its beautiful tune and narrative, over the ensuing century. In line with today\u2019s message, note that the first line says, \u201cI come to the Garden ALONE\u2026\u201d Showbiz aside, the Lord wants to meet us one-on-one. Lilacs, lupine, hydrangeas on all sides.<\/p>\n