Complacent Christianity

"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!' - Matthew 7:21-23

Now that's something no Christian ever wants to hear! We often expect to just "get by" in our lives on earth, not listening to the call of the Lord, and definitely not utilizing the power of the Holy Spirit within our lives. We've become a generation of complacent Christians.

And on that day I imagine many of us will argue, much like is said in this passage, and say, "but Jesus, I went to Church for every holiday, prayed at Thanksgiving, and even gave an offering to the church every Easter! That should count for something." But God doesn't want the motions - he's not looking for "good people" that don't swear or gossip and who put in a hard day's work. No, what God wants from His children is for us to become more like Jesus in everything we do. And we can't be more like Jesus without relationship with him.

Christ should be the centerfold of every Christian's life. He should be the 1st person we talk to each morning, the person we run ideas and struggles by, the one who leads and directs our every step. However, in our society we're so overwhelmed with the "Noise" of the world that we often put Jesus in the corner and when the crap hits the fan we go and pull him out of the closet and beg.

Put yourself into that scenario. How would you feel if say your spouse, significant other, or parents would only call when they needed or wanted something? That's not really a relationship - and some would argue that it's a form of abuse. That't the same thing we do to Christ every time we say, "oh, don't worry Jesus, I've got my life under control, but if I need anything I'll let you know." That's a pretty bold, selfish statement.

There's this statistic that says that the top 5 people you hang out with most have the most influence on your life. Think about the 5 people you hang out with the most - is it a group of friends, family members, coworkers? Does Jesus even make the list?

The funny thing is that if we want to become more like Jesus, he should be in our top 5. He should actually be at the top of the top 5. We can't help but become better people when we spend time in the Word, prayer, and solitude/silence with the Lord. He speaks to us in the still small voice and reminds us what we're here to do. Instead of running to the friends when trials strike - what if we chose to run to Jesus?

So what's really being said here is if you know Jesus, faith is not about the motions or deeds you perform. No, it's about relationship. It's not being a good person, but becoming refined into Christlikeness. It's not arrogance or pride for being "better than so and so" (much like the Pharisee on the street corner in Matthew 6). No, when we really know Jesus - deeply, intimately - when he's our best friend - our hearts change. The needs and cares of others become important to us. We're suddenly able to see people as Christ does. We're finally humble and ready enough to ask God for His eyes as we look at the world and ask for His strength and provision for us to help those he lays in our paths. And soon we're able to see the needs of others as described in Matthew 25:

"Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.'"

So instead of being "lukewarm", why not take a chance with Jesus? What would happen if Christ was the center of your life? What would happen if the Holy Spirit became our guide? And what would happen if we started actually listening and responding to the call God has placed on our lives??