Apprentice 2 Jesus

Why Christianity does not work…

Bear with me on this. Too often we are quick to read the first couple of paragraphs and jump to our own conclusions. That’s why journalism teaches journalists to put pertinent information up front, or at least the information you want the readers to grab, up front. They know our attention span is short! I digress.

Why Christianity does not work…

Jesus seemed to change lives when he was on this earth. Even in Acts, lives were changed. Peter stands up to a huge crowd and preaches boldly. He couldn’t stand up to a little slave girl the night of Jesus’ trial! Saul persecuted the church, then is radically changed. In Acts 19, 12 men full of the Holy Spirit change the economy of Ephesus.

That’s the Bible.

What do we see in America? Set aside the political arena, which is tough for me to do. (Do NOT get me started on how the Republican Party made conservative Christians their water boys for 14 years, then did NOTHING with key issues they PROMISED to deal with…)

The Church in America. Is it changing people? Are people LESS selfish than people in the world? Are people LESS likely to get divorced in the church than in the world? Are people LESS likely to gossip in the church than in the world?

We have not removed the SELF from the center in American Christianity. We have put it dead center. Our churches that “grow” market themselves to serve every need an American Christian could want. In the South, they have whole Christian mini-cities where you can belong to the church health club, have a latte at the church coffee bar, go bowling in the church bowling alley… WOW! Everything for … ME!

We have created niche market churches. We have 20-something churches, 30-something churches, even 60-something churches. Why? To serve… ME!

We have put the self dead center.

When the self is dead center, you don’t care about the other… at least I don’t. If I am consumed with my needs and wants, I certainly don’t want to spend time with someone else and listen to THEIR WHINING about their selfish needs! Especially if they are not Christian! Come on! I have a LIFE, you know!

Thus, my contention. Christianity is not working. We are not really seeing change. We are not even seeing growth. We see shifts of people from one church to another, but people coming from darkness to light? That’s hard work! Who has time for that? I have a job, a family, weekend cabin retreats, a boat, lots of fishing to do…

When the self is at the center, Christ is on the periphery. That is not Christianity. This is not working.

Hopefully I am deep enough into this tirade I have sufficiently ticked enough people off I can now continue. Perhaps I have even put my own ministerial credentials in jeopardy. That may add some long needed excitement to my life.

Now…Why Christianity WORKS.

Unfortunately, we simply have few models of this in the United States. So much of it is overseas in refreshing areas of the world where situations are so desperate they MUST have Jesus work! But, oh! Those stories!

Jesus DOES work in the United States. It is just not easy! We want it easy. I want it easy! I want cruise control!

Jesus works in Brooklyn, New York. They work their tails off at Brooklyn Tabernacle, but drug addicts are set free. Prostitutes come to Jesus. Gang members find new life in a REAL family. They sing from the HEART. (GOD! How I miss that singing!)

Grace is not easy! Grace demands effort. They give themselves daily to the work of the gospel in Brooklyn. They pour their lives into people strung out on drugs, young single mothers, gang members, and more. They see too many slip back into the destructive cycles. They also see Jesus radically change lives.

These believers do not have their own lives at the center. They have JESUS at the center. It is a PLEASURE for them to serve their church. They see changed lives.

Their lives changed. It was not overnight, and it is still ongoing, bu CHANGE THEY DO! They LOVE Jesus and they LOVE what Jesus does in the lives of others. It wakes them up in the morning and gives them sweet rest at night.

Jesus works. Christianity works. I am tired of it NOT working. How I need that change!