2015:  May It Be A Year Of Self-Examination

January 1, 2015

 

 

The Gospel is the foundation of Christianity. 

 

What is the "Gospel"?  The word "Gospel" is a translation of the Greek word "euangelion", which literally means "good message".

So what is this "Good Message" that your entire faith is based upon if you are a Christian?  The Apostle Paul tells us, "By this gospel you are saved...Otherwise, you have believed in vain. For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that He was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures.” (1 Cor 15:1-4)

 

Therefore, the Gospel is first and foremost about the sinful nature of all men.  Thus, the death of Christ on the cross to pay for those sins, the resurrection of Christ to provide life everlasting for those who follow Him, and the offer of the free gift of salvation to all mankind.  THAT is the Gospel message.  THAT is the "Good News":  that Jesus came to save us from the sinful nature that plagues us all and the inevitable result of that sin without Christ-- which is a place called hell.  Yes, I went there.  I said hell.  Not only that, I brought up both hell and sin in the same paragraph.  Not many Christians are comfortable with that nowadays.

 

I often ponder what America considers as "Christianity".  The reality is, Christianity is not a self-help religion.  It is not a politic-free religion.  It was never meant to be a comfortable religion.  It's not a social club, a music industry or a career.  It is, however, a lifetime of self-examination, personal sacrifice and submission.  It is a constant state of spiritual growth that leads you outside of your comfort zone.  The truth is, if you are comfortable in your Christianity, then you're probably doing it wrong.  If the primary reason you are going to your church is because they have a good band, a fun youth program or a cool preacher, then you are definitely doing it wrong.  Church is foremost a way of worship, and secondly it is a way for other Christians to keep each other accountable to the doctrines of our faith.  Contrary to what most Christians think, church is not a building, it is a group of people-- a group of people that God brings together to teach them how to get along with each other according to His expectations and His rules.  It is a group of people that God chooses to bring together to refine and coordinate to act as one body, each using their individual spiritual gifts, for the work and glory of HIs kingdom. 

Church can be conducted in a building, but it does not need a building.  Scripture tells us that Jesus is the Cornerstone of the Church (Eph 2:20) and that His followers are "living stones are being built up as a spiritual house." (1 Peter 2:5)

 

No doubt this is well-understood by the Christians who have been, and are being, displaced in the Middle East, Africa and Asia.  Christians who, at best, are being forced to leave their homes and, at worst, being slaughtered for their faith.  And at ultimate worst, being forced to watch their children martyred for their faith.  You want small peek at raw Christianity, replete with victories and failures?  Watch the movie "Machine Gun Preacher."  Yes, there are times when we will fail at dutifully representing our faith.  There are times when we will fall short, when we will have doubt and for some of us, even times when we backslide into parts of our sinful former selves we have tried so hard to walk away from and leave behind.  Every person's walk with Christ is different, but the doctrine it is based upon is the same.  A doctrine that promotes service to others over service to ourselves.  A doctrine that promotes self-sacrifice over self-promotion.  A doctrine that promotes going without in this life to build up what awaits us in the next.  God doesn't call us to be rich and comfortable, He calls us to be saved and carry a cross.  The only riches in the kingdom of God are spiritual ones.

 

The tragic reality is that what most Americans consider "Christianity" is something which has migrated so far from the Gospel, that it is not capable of carrying them through the storm of true persecution.  When the buildings are gone and the money has run out, when food is scarce and people are dying, when the music no longer plays and comfort is but a memory, when all they have left to hold onto is their faith....is that faith enough?  When the world is falling apart all around them, will their foundation of faith hold?  Probably not, because what America considers as "Christianity" has no substantial foundation at all.  America is a blood relative of Revelation's Church of Laodicea.  Of all Jesus' letters to the churches in the Book of Revelation, the letter to the Church of Laodicea is the harshest. (Rev 3:14-22)

 

Jesus describes the Laodiceans as neither cold nor hot in relation to God, just lukewarm.  The lukewarm are those who claim to know God but continue to live with one foot in the world and one foot pointed toward God. Most don't even go to church, but even if they do their religion is one of complacency. They may claim to be Christians, but their hearts and lives remain unchanged, and their abundance of self and lack of spiritual loyalty is sickening to God.  For a season in my own life, I was one of those Christians.  I was one of those of whom Jesus said, "..because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of My mouth.." (Rev 3:16)  That's pretty harsh.

 

So, my prayer for this new year is for all those who claim to be Christians to truly examine themselves, as Paul says, "Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you--unless, of course, you fail the test?" (2 Cor 13:5)  How would one test them self?  Perhaps one could begin by daily praying Psalm 139:23,24 with a sincere heart, "Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.  See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting."  And when God begins to answer that prayer by pointing out the things in their life that are not pleasing to Him, I pray that they will listen and act in obedience.

 

I pray for all my brothers and sisters in Christ to have both feet pointed toward God, for Him to correct our wrong ways of thinking and to give us spiritual eyes to see reality and spiritual ears to hear truth.  I pray for all those who are still hanging on to the things of this world, those who are blinded by personal desires, those who are plagued with complacency and continue to justify bad habits.  I pray for those who still long to be a friend to the world, not understanding that doing so makes them an enemy to God (James 4:4).  I especially pray against the stronghold of deception, and most especially, self-deception, which is worse than deception itself because it makes you your own worst enemy.  God have mercy on us in our ignorance and stubbornness, smelt our heart with your Spirit and refine us into a better reflection of You.  Lead us in building our faith on a solid foundation that will withstand true hardship and persecution and comfort those who already endure such hardship and persecution.  May You be glorified in us through this coming year, may we bear You much good fruit and may we be lights upon a hill for those who wander in darkness.  Amen.