Why is it there is such resistance to God....by Christians? I'm perplexed. The church has always talked in code to one another. Auditorium. Separate and apart. Invitation song. When I was first converted my Baptist aunt asked if we believed in Monday-Thursday. I told her no that we believed in Sunday. Later I learned she was referring to Maundy Thursday. But it made no difference, I still didn't believe in it.
Ask a few here and there and they believe me to be teaching false doctrine about God. Of course I resist the accusation. I believe it has been acceptable in the church to live afraid of God yet have so much company such a system feels safe.....and right.
Members of the church are afraid of God in Spirit form (and He is in no other form). As long as He stays "up there" and the Son stays "up there" and the Holy Spirit stays "up there", all theory to the fearful is well aligned. But find the man or woman who believes God is "down here" in Holy Spirit indwelling and the same members become nervous of such proponents.
Believing the Holy Spirit lives and works in a Christian's life is far too elementary to be having modern day battles over such biblical truth. But Christians are afraid; afraid of what they don't know, afraid of what they can't explain, and afraid of what might leak into the church so it is just safer to them to leave the Father, Son, and their Spirit in tact.....in heaven. Safety for all.
Why is it so threatening to begin to believe the Holy Spirit bears His fruit from the inside of us; that fruit of love, joy, peace, patience, etc.? Why is that so threatening? It is because God is bigger than man. Man likes to have a distant God with the remote in our hands so we can do the saying and the leading and the directing.
Why is it so terrifying to be under the control and influence of God? Is it because we can identify random kooks who claimed God causes irregular or hokey actions so we best keep such silliness from approaching and the best way is to make Him illegal from entering His own church? Oh, I think that's precisely it. Plus, it just feels good to go out after church with unbelieving believer cronies and discuss the ridiculous assumptions of what "those Christians" view as the present day activity of the Spirit among us.
Too many who talk a big talk of following the Word are clueless about the Holy God working in one's life. If our people ever learn to read the Bible in a fashion where it gets to tell us what it wants, we will be forced to believe the Spirit's participation. However, if we keep reading the text from the position of we will tell it what we believe, the Spirit will remain in the background.
It's just easier to be "agin" it. It's just much easier to live acceptably afraid of the Living God.
We better get over it.
3 comments:
I really like this statement Too many who talk a big talk of following the Word are clueless about the Holy God working in one's life.
As well as your follow up about people not reading/living the Word.
One question, I am curious. Are you saying you don't believe that Maundy Thursday exists?
I assure you, it certainly does, in fact my Parish as well as millions of others conduct services then. It is one of the most profoundly moving services of the year, to me.
M-i-T,
Oh friend, I believe Maundy Thursday exists and is extremely meaningful to many. I was making fun of myself for thinking my aunt referred to Mondy-Thursday.
You just experienced one of my tongue-in-cheek comments. Nothing offensive intended.
Ok, that helps me to understand. thx
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