If I AM, You Are

            This is not an assault on the Church. This is not a Bellian approach to reform the Church. I am not writing to tear down the institution. We have heard enough about how the Church at large has failed and how the flood of "Moralistic Therapeutic Deism" has drenched the carpets of our churches. Enough is enough. Okay. The modern Church has missed the point. Got it. Enough whining. Among the last things God needs is a bunch of whimpering, pharisaical freaks who refuse to stand with His authority. So, no, I'm not bashing the Church here. Instead, I'd like to explain the simplicity of the Christian life. If we understand the simplicity of who we are personally then we will have no choice but to paint it, to proclaim it, to cultivate it, to promote it, to spread it, to sing it. It'll simply fall out of us.

            The change starts personally before it wets the entire playing field.

            Last week I was at church and found myself utterly distracted during the worship set. I couldn't focus my thoughts. I closed my eyes and asked God to "distract me from my distractions." The very asking became my distraction. Before I knew it, I was analyzing the snare tone, thinking about an upcoming trip, wondering about what I was going to eat for dinner, planning a drum lesson, and poking at deep (though peripheral) theological issues. For whatever reason, I was jolted out of my strangely hypnotic "prayer." I opened my eyes. It was a new beginning. I again asked God to take over. Knowing that it is counterintuitive to ask God to make me pray an earnest prayer, I began to simply worship Him. I began to tell Him who He is. God, you are the Redeemer. You are Lord. You are the King. You are the Creator. You are Love. You are all knowing, all loving, all encompassing. My prayer went on and on with simple declarations as I told God what He tries to tell me all the time. Eventually, my prayer ended. I sat in silence. I felt like it was time to listen. What is it you want to say to me, Father?

            I heard Him say in a clear, uninhibited whisper, "My turn. Let me tell you who you are…" Just feeling His voice was enough to shake me up. I had to sit down. Check this out, Reader. I'm not making this up. The way He decided to romance me was beautifully unique. His words consumed and stung like fire but replenished and lingered like water.

            He whispered, "If I am the Redeemer… you are redeemed. If I am Lord… then you are a serf. If I am the King… you are my servant. If I am the Creator… you are my creation. If I am Love… you are beloved. If I am all knowing, all loving, all encompassing… then you are safe and secure in my love." He didn't stop there! "If I am the Builder… you are my temple. If I am the head… you are the hands. If you are the Bride… I am the Groom. If I am the Savior… then you are saved. If I sanctify… you are sanctified. If I am Life… then you live abundantly." He went on and on almost simultaneously. I couldn't keep up.

            My point is simply this: If we know who God is, we know who we are. Period. That is ALL we need to know. Everything else falls into place. After we understand God's definition for us, all the questions… all the questions about how the Church should operate, what songs we should sing during worship, if we should elect a Christian president, how we should treat a fallen pastor, whether speaking in tongues is appropriate, how we ought to pray, or how we should conduct meetings… seem to look an awful lot like heresy.

            How do we answer life's questions? Who sends us out to be the Church? "Moses said to God, 'Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, 'The God of you fathers has sent me to you,' and they ask me, 'What is his name?' Then what shall I tell them?' God said to Moses, 'I AM.' This is what you are to say to the Israelites: 'I AM has sent me to you.'" (Exodus 3:13-14). So, why does God refer to Himself as "I AM"? Because if He is, then we are. His life is our life. He brings is-ness where there is nothingness (1 Corinthians 1:28).

            What made God's revelation to me so brilliant was all in the way in which He chose to phrase it. He didn't simply tell me who I was. He told me who I was in relation to Himself. His phrasing implied action. In other words, He didn't say, "I am Love so you are beloved." Instead He said, "IF I am Love… then you are beloved." The operative word there is IF! It was as if He was asking me what I believe. "Who do you say I am?"

            So, I'm asking you, Reader. What do you believe? Do you call yourself a Believer? Do you believe that God is all loving and is omniscient as well as omnipotent? God defines us. I dare you to believe that! Watch what happens when you truly believe who God is and what He says about you. It changes everything. It ironically simplifies everything.

            If thousands upon thousands of us take on God's definition for us, the Church will no longer be probed by seething "atheistic Christians."

           

           

           

            

Luke 14, Part II: Discipleship

"Hence today I believe that I am acting in accordance with the will of the Almighty Creator… I am fighting for the work of the Lord."

            -Adolf Hitler, Mein Kampf

Unbelief As Idolatry

            Needless to say, humankind has always come up with our own analysis of what God's will is. Obviously, Hitler was completely insane and all we can draw from the above statement is that he was utterly debased as he knew nothing of the true God. He wasn't alone, though. Since Adam and Eve, mankind has tried to hypothesize and theorize who God is and what He wills. Even today (or should I say especially today) we formulate our own personal philosophy of what the "work of the Lord" really entails. What does it mean to be God's disciple? The ironic thing about this "mystery" is that we don't have to guess. It's not as esoteric as we make it out to be. God's will is written out plainly in the sixth chapter of John's gospel account (apparently, Hitler missed that):

            *"The Work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent." (v. 29)

*"For my Father's will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life and I will raise him up at the last day." (v. 40)

Something, then, has clearly gone wrong. The gears and pinions of this world are misshapen and rickety to say the least. The world has bastardized God's design with futile, erratic mechanizations that differ greatly from His work. Why, if God's will is clearly spelled out for us, are history books full of bloody crusades, religious intolerance, slavery, genocide… hate, deconstruction, and war? What happened?

            Well… in a word… unbelief happened. An unbelief in God means that only one umbrella sin has occurred: idolatry.

            The world has fashioned it's own definition of the words of God. That is, we've  made other things by which we live, worship, and obey. The culmination of which constitutes idolatry.

For instance:

Hate. The world says that we should hate those who hate us; we should hate those who wrong us. The world says that we should hate immorality, injustice, weakness, and narrow-mindedness. We should hate sinners.

Deconstruction. The world believes in the destruction of monotheism, of monogamous and unconditional marriage between a man and a woman. The world believes destruction should be used to rid our world of something; it should be part of a cleansing process. In the physical sense, destruction is a form of construction; it makes an opening. (For that reason, I've referred to it as deconstruction.) 

War. This world has seen war as a necessary means to settle arguments. War is declared as a means of progress, nationalistic pride, stability and sustenance. The world believes that war is an evolutionary process that siphons out the weak from the strong.

            These three words (hate, deconstruction, and war) were building blocks in Hitler's speech. He built an army. He adopted disciples. He created a fellowship, a dynasty, a family off of words like these. Hitler's motivation was derived from a beastly interpretation of the true definition and application of hate, deconstruction, and war. All of which he idolized as the "work of the Lord."

Original Definition

In front of a large crowd Jesus turned around to them to describe what being his disciple was all about. In Luke 14, Jesus describes the beauty of a life spent with him in an inverted form. He explains self denial, but then he uses two examples that are unique to Luke's account. He warns of the cost of discipleship. It says (with my emphasis added):

25Large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and turning to them he said: 26"If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters—yes, even his own life—he cannot be my disciple. 27And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.

28"Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Will he not first sit down and estimate the cost to see if he has enough money to complete it? 29For if he lays the foundation and is not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule him, 30saying, 'This fellow began to build and was not able to finish.'

31"Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Will he not first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand? 32If he is not able, he will send a delegation while the other is still a long way off and will ask for terms of peace. 33In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple.

Let me get this straight. Jesus spoke of hate, deconstruction (the cost and labor of building) and war, too. Jesus has disciples. He also created a family.

So… what's the difference between a disciple of Jesus and a disciple of Fuhrer Adolf? (I'm only using Hitler to represent the world because it is an extreme example. Replace his name with any more relevant name you wish to use. In any case, the unbelieving world has a completely different and, in some cases, opposite set of definitions.)

Though there are many, many, many obvious differences, I'd like to point out one significant difference: Definition. It doesn't take long for a new believer to discover that God gives us true definition. This is one of the most profoundly intimate acts of God. Do you see, Reader? Like a Bridegroom to his Bride, He gives us a new name… or should I say… He reminds us of our original name.

Instead of Sinner, I am now called Son,

Instead of Saul of Tarsus, he is now the Apostle Paul,

Instead of Simon, he is now The Rock,

Instead of ashes, I have beauty,

Instead of mourning, I have the oil of gladness,

Instead of asking why, I can now worship,

Instead of being crippled, I can now walk

Instead of being blind, I can now see

Instead of fearing death, I can live life abundantly.

Humanity's common beliefs about who we are and what it means to be a disciple are, for the most part, misinterpretations. They are at best skewed versions of God's intentions. We were not given what the world offers us; we were given God's gifts (Rom.8:15, 1 Cor.1:12).

            When Jesus spoke of hate, deconstruction, and war, he meant them in a completely different, other-worldly context.

Hate: God says that we should "hate" (or love less) everyone around us so that we may love him more. We must hate the sin, not the sinner. Hate what is evil and cling to what is good (Romans 12:9). Hate is designated by God for the contempt of the flesh. This is a word that should never apply to other humans, but only to the dark, lustful nature of mankind.

Deconstruction: When God speaks of deconstruction, He is referring to the clearing out, the sanctification (the set-apart-ness) of our hearts. In order for us to live, something must die; in order for construction to take place, there must first be some form of deconstruction. Therefore, count the cost. There will be a cost to serve our God. But what a glorious home He will build in place of our tattered hearts. The stability of His foundation will far outweigh the cost.

War: "For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not of the world…" (see 2 Corinthians 10:3-5). When God mentions war, it is aimed at the things which are not seen. Our father fights for us on our behalf! Oooh… don't you see? He loves us! "With justice he judges and makes war" (Revelation 19:11). We must have a belligerent, warlike abhorrence for sin. As Paul says, we do not fight against flesh and blood, but the principalities of the unseen spirit (Eph. 6:12). Therefore, we shouldn't compromise, strategize or "ask for terms of peace." No, we need to fight. Jesus told us plainly that he "did not come to bring peace, but a sword" (see Matthew 10:34-38). God has already won the war, anyway! Passivity is reserved for the unbelievers who live by the old, illusory and dead-end definitions slathered on them by the world.

By whose definitions will you choose to live, Reader? Of whom are you a disciple? Do you follow Truth or liars?

Jesus said that the will of God is that we believe. If we believe, then we are his disciples. This discipleship resurrects our original meaning and deconstructs the world's confabulations and distortions of God's perfect and pleasing will.