Good Isn't Grace Enough

YouTube can educate, entertain, elate, and frustrate. It is the visual branch of the internet in its purist (or not so purist) form; it contains anything you can think of. Want to find out how to change a battery on a 2014 Chrysler 200? YouTube it. Want to see if Michael Moore ever made a documentary on Disco? YouTube it. I was surfing YouTube one day and came across something that was a few years old but it piqued my interest: a message to Christians.

The message was honest, sincere and forthright. Simply produced and well done. The main concern and motivation for the post seemed to be the judgmental attitude Christians. Well, here, I'll let you decide what you think then I'll comment.

Here's the transcript:

<A Girl's Message To All Christians

Hey there! I'm Emanuella. I'm a Christian. I have been a "good" Christian most of my life. It was my identity. I used to like to tell people how "good" I was, how I kept all the Commandments. I thought that was "Good"......

Then I realized something...I Failed!!! "Christian" was just a name I wore...kind of like a pretty coat over a dirty body...It didn't match my heart. Here's why:

If you were an Atheist or Agnostic or anything else...And if you didn't agree with me...I would disdain you as a person. I feel like a hypocrite! I feel disgusting! And I can't take it anymore! I wasn't interested in being your "Friend". I just wanted to change you. I thought that was my job. 

Christianity is about being like "Christ". Jesus loved everyone, First. If they didn't accept what He said, He still loved them. Its not my job to change you, I can't. But its my job to love you. That I can.

So this is an appeal to my Christian Brothers and Sisters, not all but some... stop the Damnation. Stop the Judgement. Stop the Religism. Thats not our business. 

It doesn't matter how well you can preach...How many Bible Verses you've memorized or How many people "think" you are all that. If you don't have love, you're nothing. Love is not a chore. Its a revelation. The Christ you serve revealed it in its purest form.

Gandhi said: "I like your Christ, but I do not like your Christians." 

Don't be one of "those". This is an invitation...Start the LOVE...Join the movement...>

This is an age-old problem with Christians; we do tend to overstep our boundaries. The fact that it is not within our power to save the world bothers us to some degree. We want to be the saviors of the universe, not merely His ambassadors. Humble servants who carry messages don't usually get much of the credit. Matters of eternity are, indeed, above our pay-grade. And, for some, it sticks in their craw; creating a bit of false piety and arrogance among the ranks giving us a bad reputation in some circles.

I wish I could take back the Crusades, the Spanish Inquisition, the Dark Ages, every genocidal slaughter and unspeakable atrocity that has been carried out in the name of God, including wiping out vast populations of native Americans and enslavement of fellow human beings right up to this present madness of intolerance on all sides, racial and civil hatred with violence; but I can't. (And I say that with tears) The truth is, I don't know what they were thinking, and I have no way of undoing those actions. What I can do is live for Jesus here and now. Live according to His grace. Focus my life on Him and not on me.

Living for Jesus is a life of love lived in grace. That doesn't give me a pass on living like Jesus lived. Christians walk individually daily in His footsteps. His path followed the 10 Commandments; not to rub it into to the rest of us, but to please God. He memorized tons of verses; not to compete with the rest of us, but to win over temptation when it came his way. Jesus preached well; not to impress people with His speaking, but to give them words of life.

Something Emanuella may have missed is that Jesus didn't come so that we could live good lives. Good isn't even on the table. Perfect was the goal and nobody hits that except Him. Anything short of that is condemned, but not by Christians. No, we're just as guilty as everyone else. It's God alone that pronounces that judgement.

The point is: we fail... a lot. With Jesus, it's a done deal. Doing good doesn't earn anything. Doing good doesn't pay back, forward, sideways or anything. It's called grace. Doing good has to be on the basis of grace or don't do it at all. Doing good is a response to grace not a demand of grace. It's a difference in attitude and action.

Maybe that difference can be illustrated by observing the difference between the two brothers in the Parable of the Prodigal Son. The lost son who returns to the father humble and ready to take on the chores of a field hand just to be able to stay on the father's ranch. While his older, jealous brother complained about never getting to have a party despite his loyalty to that same father despite the fact that, in the end, he inherits everything.

Grace approaches everyone the same: just another person that God loves so much that He let Jesus die for them. Following the 10 Commandments and memorizing Scripture are a way to discover more about this God that showers such unbelievable grace on me. Why wouldn't I want to live that way? Jesus did. He loved everybody because of those things in his life not despite them.

What Emanuella suggests is essential to walking in Jesus' steps. He gave us a plan to do this. Step one: Love God. Step 2: love your brothers and sisters in Christ. Step three: go teach others to do steps one and two. With Christ - it's not about good, it's about grace. 

Limitations

You know what the last thing a kid thinks before he jumps off the roof of his house with a bath towel draped over his shoulders? “I really am a super-hero! I can fly!!” From that moment on, no matter what he encounters in his life, he measures his limitations. He calculates the risk. He looks for success and braces for failure.

I’ve learned the hard way that I have limitations. That’s not a sign of weakness or failure but instead a reminder that I am gloriously and imperfectly human. While I may roll my eyes and wish I could banish those limitations, they play an important role: to remind us that I’m not God.

Know your limitations. Embrace them. Then use them to get to your God-sized dream on.

God can and will accomplish all he wants to do in and through you. Your limitations won’t prevent that. Remember that in your weakness he is strong. Being used by God in his big, big plan can be as exhilarating as roof diving with a bath towel cape!

Follow On

You have been asked the question, “Are you a fan, or are you a follower?” Hopefully you have taken the time to consider your answer carefully. Denying yourself and picking up your cross daily is not for the faint of heart. And yet, if I am to do this, I must die and therefore my heart would stop. Maybe Paul said it better when he wrote, “I am crucified with Christ. It is not I who live, but Christ who lives in me.”

But in our humanness, we fight and struggle to stay alive. We have this innate ability to sense when something dangerous enough to end our life is near and either resist it or run away. So, looking at the cross with our eyes open to the inevitable ending of death, we size the situation up and ask, “Can I survive this?” The short answer is, NO. You are not supposed to survive it. You are to die to self and live in Christ. As you were lowered into the watery grave of baptism, your old self died. Coming up out of that grave, you are a new person; a new creation. Created for good works that the Father has already planned for you to do. That’s the beginning of the journey. That’s the daily path we follow.

I look forward to celebrating the Lord’s resurrection with you on March 31. We’ll start a new sermon series that day called “Raised to Walk”.

Not A Fan

Are you a follower of Jesus? Don't answer too quickly. In fact, you may want to wait until the end of the new 6 week spiritual growth series Not a Fan before you answer at all. Consider it a 'Define the Relationship' conversation to determine exactly where you stand. You may indeed be a passionate, fully devoted follower of Jesus. Or, you may be just a fan who admires Jesus but isn't ready to let him cramp your style. In any case, don't take the question “Are you a follower of Jesus?” lightly. Some aren’t clear as to what they said yes to. But Jesus is ready to clearly define the relationship he wants with his followers. Not a Fan calls you to consider the demands and rewards of being a true disciple. Together we will explore how to live the way Jesus lived, love the way he loved, pray the way he prayed, and never give up living for the One who gave his all for you. We will do this in large group settings (Sunday AM church), small group settings (sign up soon for a small group), and individual readings Not a Fan starts February 10.

Doubt Your Faith

Doubt is good... I think. When we doubt our faith we have an opportunity to scrutinize what we believe. Faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. Faith is not this ambiguous fog that we exist in as believers. Doubting our faith, when handled correctly, leads us to scripture because it has everything we need for life and godliness. Conflicts in our belief stem not from failure to know but reluctance to process. Thinking through what you believe is not as risky as being blissfully ignorant of what the Bible says you should do in any given situation or how transformation of your minds by the Holy Spirit will effect you in everyday life. Doubt is good as long as it is addressed rather than embraced like a pet rat in the attic. No matter how much you love and care for that rat, it’s still a rodent that will destroy everything you own. It is not a sin to doubt but doubt should always drive us to find answers in God’s Word.

We are Family

We are family. It may be trite and misunderstood, but we have an obvious bond that cannot be broken with trial or error. Christ binds us in his love and care. The Holy Spirit lives in each of us and blends us together so that there is no distinction between one Christian and the next. We are one in Christ. In the words of Juan Carlos Ortiz, we are like “mashed potatoes” because of the Spirit of Christ.

Because we are family we are accountable to each other. This accountability is often misused and sometimes abused. As I understand it, we are to advocate for one another on all occasions. Towing the line in the Christian walk is a difficult task. When we support one another through trials we show the love of Christ. When we seek to restore someone who is in error we show the compassion of a family.

This kind of advocacy makes us accountable for one another rather than to one another. This grace-based advocacy provides trusted allies in struggles rather than dreadful accusers. Remember that each one of us is a sinner-saint and therefore have received immeasurable amounts of grace from The Judge.

As you gather this week with your family to give thanks, take time to be thankful for your family in Christ.