Cluttered Lives

Church today seems to be in a state of disrepair. Makeovers seem to be what is on the menu. Clutter abounds in the many programs and opportunities churches offer today. What is funny is that it is not in the amount, but in the placement of them that creates or clears clutter. I have seen churches with few things that are cluttered, and churches with many things that are simple.

It seems counter-intitutive but it just is a clue to a deeper principle. The principle is that in God’s kingdom process reigns. There is a guy you need to get to know, his name is Hezekiah. He is a process guy. Called by God to lead the Israelites back to the God’s heart he had to start by getting rid of the clutter in the kingdom. His story is recorded in 2 Kings chapters 18 -20, 2 Chronicles chapters 29-33. In 2 Kings chapter 18 he starts off by throwing out the pagan idols (I can already hear the church leaders giving a rebel yell). He takes out the godless clutter better than any first person shooter game of today. He removes the competing objects of attention and affection. And all the church leaders where happy he had the guts they did not have.

But the next part of the process was shocking. He broke the bronze snake Moses held during their exodus.

(2 Kings 18:4) “He removed the high places, smashed the sacred stones and cut down the Asherah poles. He broke into pieces the bronze snake Moses had made, for up to that time the Israelites had been burning incense to it. (It was called Nehushtan)”

He did not just accidently break it or lose it he shattered something that God had instructed Moses to make, something that had been a symbol of their freedom, of God’s provision and protection. It was the source of the salvation from the snakebites recorded in Numbers 21:6-8.

“He got rid of it because it was clutter. It was clutter because people worshiped it. It took attention away from the real savior. Bronze was worshiped. A fake snake was adored. What was once a good thing became an idol. It got in the way of their worship to God. The tool for worship became the object of worship.” (Simple Church Book)

We have to be willing to let the things of our past go! Not just the junk that we disdain but also the things that brought us great memories. I am sure the Israelite's did have good times and good memories of Egypt. Most likely it was those good times that caused them to grumble against Moses when things got tough. They said “I wanna go back!!! I liked it better back there, I liked it better in slavery!”

What kinda crazy talk is that? It’s clutter talk, talk that says I like my clutter more than I like my God. So much I will offer my clutter to God instead of accepting His offering through Jesus Christ. I want my clutter more than I want God.

(Matthew 24:4) “Jesus answered: "Watch out that no one deceives you…”

BTW, that includes you. As you go through the Holy Spirit’ process of being made Holy we have to stay humble, pliable, flexible. Let Him remove the clutter from your life!

(Joshua 24:21) “As for me and my household, we will serve the Lord."

Money, Sex & Power

What are the things that trip you up in life? If you took the time to list them, what would they be? Would you be honest and list the really deep issues or would you just skip off the surface and take a casual approach? The reality of it is that even with the best intentioned approach we can find ourselves being tripped up, caught by an unseen enemy.

When the happens to me I ask myself, “where did that come from?” “Man that thought was random, that urge was totally wrong!” I begin to create my list and often fall short of getting the answers. I am so thankful that the ½ brother of Jesus figured it out.

(James 4:1-3) “What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don't they come from your desires that battle within you? You want something but don't get it. You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.”

Desires that come from within me, well that means that the majority of things that trip me up are my fault not others! So what is yours? Money, sex, power, addiction….

“The surest symbol of a heart not yet fully subdued to God and His will is going to be found in the areas of money, sex and power: in wanting these things for ourselves. The surest symbol of spiritual earnestness will be in the checkbook, the affections and the ego-drive surrendered to Him. A disciple must have discipline. He must not be afraid of being asked by God for some of the time, the money and the pleasure he has been in the habit of a calling his “own.” This does not mean that there will not be time for the family and time for some healthy diversion. But it does mean that we are never---on vacation, or wherever we may be—exempt form our primary commitment to Him.” Samuel Shoemaker

Many people mistakenly think that by going to church it will help them with their desires within. The problem is that church is only the mechanism brings out and enhances the Christian. It does not change the Christian, only Jesus changes the sinner to a saint. And only He can perform the spiritual surgery you need in order to overcome and be called one of His disciples.

“And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.” (2 Corinthians 3:18)

Church?

I don’t know about you, but I sure have had my share of church over the years (37 to be exact-yep I counted from birth!). I have been in small churches, big churches, churches with no purpose and churches with too much purpose. I have even been in a Cowboy church! I have been blessed to be under great pastors and leaders and damaged to be under the human condition of sinful leadership.

Ever ask yourself, “How did we get here?” Well, I won’t even try to explain the thousands of schisms and changes that have impacted the church since Jesus left. And I won’t attempt to state that I know which ones were good or bad. All I know is we are where we are and we can either make church community simple or complex. It either works or it does not, there is no middle ground. But as simple as that sounds, it’s not that simple. There are major differences between the two and what keeps them at arms is “reasons”.

We have our reasons as to why we have made “church” a place we “go to”. We have our reasons why we consumer shop the church. Those reasons keep us from commitment, from each other and ultimately from God. And these reasons have created a massive amount of spiritually disoriented Christians. Some can’t see straight, some are about to throw up, others are nauseated at the constant spinning. Few are unaffected, spiritual sickness is pandemic. Health is the exception, not the standard.

Over the years I have heard the cries, “lets return to the New Testament way of doing church”, or “we have never done that before”, or “its’ working”. Most just sit back and lob spiritual grenades from their grand stands of electronic anonymity, too consumed in their own pain, bitterness or hurt. Some do care and do their best, but it is all like rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic.

The answers don’t lie in others or in the institution, they lie in you! The answer lies in your understanding that church is not nor has ever been a man-made thing. Sure its run by mankind and has worn different clothes throughout the centuries, but so has your Bible and that book is not a man-made text! Church is a community of believers whose ONLY connecting point is Jesus Christ. Church is a “God we belong to” and people we live to serve. CHURCH IS A SPIRITUAL REALITY NOT A HUMAN IDEA. Until we understand that fundamental truth we will struggle with great disillusionment in others, ourselves and even in Jesus. Sooner or later our church will collapse.

We dream about what we think church should be, putting our message on Christ’s methods. This is especially true if we are hurt by it. Our efforts to change it, to attend it or stay away from it generate human ideas that actually cause more pain. Church will never be what God wants when the source of solutions comes from human ideas. Instead we are to get out the way and let that which is already there flourish. “He must increase and I must decrease” (John 3:30) is the cry of the spiritual reality.

“Every human wish, dream that is injected into the Christian community is a hindrance to genuine community and must be banished if genuine community is to survive. He who loves his dream of community more than the Christian community itself becomes a destroyer of the latter, even though his personal intentions may be ever so honest and earnest and sacrificial…By sheer grace God will not permit us to live even for a brief period in a dream world.”
Deitrich Bonhoeffer