The Heart of Christianity: A Call to a Relationship

The Heart of Christianity: Christ. A Call to an all consuming relationship with the Savior.

INTRODUCTION
I have found, over the years, a constant need to go back to the basics, to emphasize the fundamentals of the Faith. But I want you to know that I come not as an expert in these matters but as a fellow learner. Although I have given these matters considerable thought and prayer over my years as a follower of Jesus Christ, I find I have not yet outgrown the need for more of God's grace to prevent the inherent weaknesses that dog all of us in this mortal flesh and that cause me to stray from a life of devotion to my loving Redeemer. My hope is that by concentrating on this issue together, we will all grow stronger in our faith and walk with the Lord Jesus Christ - that we would all cling to the heart of Christianity: Christ.
1. Starlight vs Light bulbs - a Model for Spiritual Life.
Last week while at mens camp I noticed how beautiful the stars were at night. It was a moonless weekend, and we were far away from any city lights. Being an amateur astronomer I always find the stars brilliant and comforting. However, I noticed while we were attending the evening services that when I looked up for a glimpse of the stars, the sky only appeared a dull black w/ no stars in it at all. Then I took my hands and covered up the 2 lights that were shining down upon the concrete slab. The stars sprang to life again! And the thought struck me, the man made lights obscured my vision so that I could not see the stars of heaven. How like our spiritual life! Now there is nothing wrong with artificial lights but if artificial lights obscure my view of the heavens - under those circumstances, they are actually more of a problem than a help. And you know, I have discovered that this is a lot like our spiritual walk w/ Christ.
2. Wouldn't you agree that often, our earthly activities often obscure our view of heaven? Our earthly activities can often tug at the quality of our relationship with Christ?

Now we might all agree that certain kinds of activities definitely harm our relationship with Christ; gambling, drug abuse, greed, those sorts of things. But I have discovered, as I walk with Christ, that many things I would normally consider good things can also obscure my view of Christ because they can keep me so busy that if I am not very vigilant, I may actually neglect Christ. In fact, I would go so far as to say that Religious activity, in my opinion, can sometimes be the bane of true spirituality.
You see, Religion is man's efforts to reach and placate God. It is things we DO or DON'T DO in order please or earn favor with God. In and of themselves, many of these things are good. In fact, our obedience to God's moral commands is actually a necessity for a growing relationship w/ Him. But if any activity takes our eyes off of Christ then I put it to you that that thing is actually not being helpful to us - spiritually speaking. Now, I;m not going to call for a moratorium on church ministries & activities...

3. But it is my observation that Religion and religious activity tends to make "Marthas: out of us. But if you remember Jesus' words to Martha in John 10:38-42, though Martha's activity wasn't sinful it wasn't the best thing for her to have been doing. The Lord says that Mary got it right. Mary was filled up with Jesus. Her adoration and love consumed her so that while He was there, her eyes were only for Him and her ears only for His words. For her, life was all about Jesus. You see, as Jesus pointed out in that passage, Christianity is NOT about DOING things or NOT DOING things it is about Him. Quite simply, Christ is the heart, soul, reason and aim of Christianity. It's all about Christ. As we will see, true, biblical spirituality is a relationship with our Creator and Savior. Isn't that what Jesus told us in John 4:23-24, "But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers. God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth." (NAU) And He again points to the intensely interrelational aspect of salvation in John 17:3 where He declares, "This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.¨ (NAU)

4. One of the most important and fundamental truths for us to understand about genuine biblical spirituality is that it is NOT merely religious, it is intensely personal. Now this relationship will, by necessity, involve certain kinds of activities that help foster the relationship. Though relationships are more about BEING together, they do require that we at least do some fundamental things like; communicate together, spend time together, have common experiences together, even work together. So having a relationship with Christ isn't some kind of eastern mystic meditation - it is active and will involve some basic activities that sustain a loving relationship, and it will also involve various loving acts of service that we will do for the Lord in response to His love in our hearts (not to earn His love). Good works are always supposed to be about loving and serving Christ not about the work itself.

5. So I want us to dwell upon and understand the personal implications of the differences between Religion and a Spiritual Relationship w/ Christ (which I would call genuine Biblical spirituality). In spiritual things, as in life, it's important to put first things first. In fact, I would dare say that if we don't master the first things first, we are not even capable of making much progress in other things no matter how hard we try. Being a basketball star requires mastery of the basics of dribbling, shooting, running and jumping. Even Michael Jordan had to master the basics before he could fly across the court. If we would master the basics too, then let us look in God's Word to see how He describes the Christian life. It's good to turn to God's Word for wisdom because

When I look at much of Christian TV, radio and literature, much of what I see (though thankfully not all!) disturbs me with what I see is a lack of a proper spiritual orientation.
What do I mean? Well, it seems today, that for many, the Christian walk is all about us. So much of our focus seems to be about what we can GET from God, or how we can use God to better our lives, or to kick our sinful habits or to put our earthly relationships back together. And I'm not just talking about the Health & Welfare / Name it and Claim it crowd. Are those desires wrong? Some of them aren't - but if that¡s all the Christian life is, we have a warped view of the true nature of Christianity. I have been seeing for two decades now, this self-absorption subtly creeping into so many areas of Christian activity.
But it was not always like this! Christians, from the Apostles until recently, have always taught that we ought to be selfless like our Master, focusing on God and others not ourselves.

LET'S TURN TO THE 2ND CHAPTER OF PHILIPPIANS
Phil. 2:3-3:21 speaks of this when it says, "Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; 4) do not {merely} look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. 5) Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, 6) who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7) but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, {and} being made in the likeness of men. 8) Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out [THIS TERM COMES FROM KATERGAZOMAI MEANING: TO EFFECT, ACHIEVE OR COMPLETE BY TOIL. IT IS NOT REFERRING TO PAYING FOR OUR SINS - EARNING OUR SALVATION - THAT IS AN UNBIBLICAL CONCEPT, BUT IT IS REFERRING TO THE NECESSITY WE EACH HAVE TO TAKE OUR SALVATION ¡V OUR NEW NATURE IN CHRIST AND MAKING SURE WE HAVE APPLIED IT TO EVERY ASPECT AND CORNER OF OUR LIVES ] your salvation with fear and trembling; 13) [WHY?] for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for {His} good pleasure. [SINCE GOD IS AT WORK IN OUR LIVES WE OUGHT TO BE SOBERLY AND EARNESTLY COOPERATING WITH HIM DON'T YOU THINK!?] 14) Do all things without grumbling or disputing; 15) so that you will prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you appear as lights in the world, [NOTE: it is when we are selfless & sacrificially loving like Christ that we are lights in the world. Conversely, if we become self-absorbed and preoccupied with ourselves, our light will grow very dim indeed. PERHAPS THAT'S WHY WE AREN'T MAKING AS MUCH OF AN IMPACT ON OUR CULTURE ANYMORE - WE HAVE LOST OUR GLOW AND OUR SALTINESS] "

Likewise, we read in Rom 12:10, "10) {Be} devoted to one another [THIS TERM IS ONLY USED HERE IN THE NT WHERE IT REFERS TO THE TENDER AFFECTION THAT IS TYPICAL BETWEEN PARENTS AND THEIR CHILDREN] in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor..." So no one really has an excuse for being a self-absorbed Christian - the Scriptures certainly don't teach us to be that way. Our culture does that for us. If we try to walk w/ Christ with the values of the world as our rudder we will run aground for sure.

What we find in Scriptures about the kind of heart a follower of Christ should have is very different from what the World would tell us. It is found in Technicolor in Philippians 3:7-21 where we read of the Apostle Paul's example," 7) But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. 8) More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ 10) that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death; 17) Brethren, join in following my example, and observe those who walk according to the pattern you have in us. 18) For many walk, of whom I often told you, and now tell you even weeping, {that they are} enemies of the cross of Christ, 19) whose end is destruction, whose god is {their} appetite, and {whose} glory is in their shame, who set their minds on earthly things. 20) [BUT] our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ; 21) who will transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory, by the exertion of the power that He has even to subject all things to Himself." (NAU) Modeled here for us is a heart that beats for Christ and a soul that is focused on Him and Him alone! Where is that kind of passion now among us? It seems so rare now?

Again, the Scriptures give us powerful instruction about this in Rom 14:7-9 where we read, "7) For not one of us lives for himself, and not one dies for himself; 8) for if we live, we live for the Lord, or if we die, we die for the Lord; therefore whether we live or die, we are the Lord's. 9) For to this end Christ died and lived again, that He might be Lord both of the dead and of the living." Christianity has always taught that Christians are not their own Masters.
The people of this world believe that they are captains of their own souls - that they are free. But my Bible tells me that we are all born slaves to sin and death. Only Christ can redeem them from that eternal slave pit. But once He does that- it isn't so that we can be independent of and separated from Him. He saved us for Himself - that He might love us and spend eternity with us!
Consequently, 1 Cor 6:15, 19 & 20 puts it quite plainly for us as followers of Christ, "15) Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ?19) Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? 20) For you have been bought with a price [the precious blood of Christ shed on Calvary]: therefore glorify God in your body." (NAU)

This proper understanding of our place in the universe and of the nature of true spirituality is the very foundation of which our subsequent spiritual lives are laid upon. It's all about Christ isn't it! Our lives should be based upon this tremendously important and foundational truth. Our lives are NOT our own to live according to our whims and fancies. We belong to Him and He loves us more than we can possibly imagine! A life of devotion to Him will in no way be drudgery or dull. (And there are many of you who can testify to this with me) But Oh, how easily we get caught up in everything else BUT Him! Our hope is to be sure we understand this fundamental reality, and then come to see how all our other responsibilities and activities are either stewardships or usurpers.
If they are stewardships, meaning they are proper responsibilities, involvements and activities, then they should be seen as coming under the umbrella of our relationship with Christ never in opposition.
If they seem in opposition, then our thinking and our hearts are off base. These things are usurpers, meaning that they are not proper responsibilities, involvements or activities, and are spiritually harmful because they distract us from Christ. We have no business getting involved in such things.
Never forget that God gave us those stewardships to enhance our relationship w/ Him and to give us an opportunity to work together WITH Him in carrying out those things - Not to do them alone or to leave Him behind while we religiously take care of them w/out Him. And remember, we are NOT the captains of our own souls HE is! - And He desires to sit on the throne of our lives, not somewhere in a closet while we are out sowing our royal oats.

CONCLUSION
I know what you might be thinking at this point that I must not live in the real world to say such things. I understand why someone might think that. But I would say that Christianity has always taught that we are in fact, NOT citizens of this world. That we are supposed to see ourselves as pilgrims just passing through. That we are to consider our stay on this earth as only temporary and to live our life accordingly. This WILL make us VERY different from those around us.

Believe me, I know how difficult it can be to stay focused on Christ. I have 3 small children. And as I seek to provide for them, I find myself frequently consumed w/ that process and often feel pretty dry inside. But the inescapable truth is that I have allowed all of those things to take me away from Christ. He never changed or moved - I turned around and neglected Him to my own harm.

All of those times when I neglect my relationship w/ Christ rob me of the One I need the most. Friends, I see now more than ever, that this is what being a Christian is all about - walking with the Eternal God as you go through the toils and joys of each day.
No one gets to LIVE on the proverbial mountain top. We all have our crosses to bear. But the good news is that we were never meant to bear them alone. Christ is here to go with us & strengthen us with His power and grace. That's what I read in Philippians when the Apostle says that it is God who is at work in us both to will and to do His good will.

SO, I urge you to evaluate where you really are in your relationship w/ Christ today. You know, we all laugh at the Amish people because they are so paranoid and backward. But I think they DO properly understand the pull that life has on our souls. As a result of this understanding, they deliberately choose to simplify their lives - even if it creates some hardship because in doing so, they find their hearts stay closer to God and their eyes stay fixed on Christ.

Perhaps God is calling us to do something similar! Perhaps God is calling us to deliberately choose to live as simply as we can so that our hearts and schedules are not so cluttered that we forget God. The level of simplicity may differ from person to person and family to family but I believe it really needs to be there. Some of us may be able to juggle everything and still grow close to God. I suppose it's not impossible, but it must require a lot more discipline than I will ever possess! For the rest of us easily distracted folks, I believe God is calling us to simplify so that we can have more of Him. And if that seems a hardship, perhaps, we are forgetting that life is not all about us. It's all about Him!

This world is not eternal. One day it shall pass away and everything physical with it. The Bible tells us that this life is a testing ground to burn off our spiritual dross and imperfections. If that's the case I think I want less clay sticking to my ore - I'll spend less time in the furnace that way!

Once you simplify your life a little then fill up the gaps w/ Christ. Spend more time talking with Him, being with Him, reading His holy Word and sharing your life's experiences with Him - all the things you would do with another being you wanted to grow a strong relationship with - do those things with Him. Yes, It will take some effort but it is not as hard as you think, especially if you have simplified your life a bit and if you realize that this is the heart of what being a Christian is all about. Failure is really not an option.

The Heart of Christianity is Christ! I believe God wants to call us all to a consuming relationship with our Savior (who so wants to love us and be loved completely). Let us turn to Him w/ all sincerity and earnestness, letting nothing hold us back from this precious and eternal relationship we have been given the opportunity to enjoy.