Empty Mansion

There are no perfect persons and no perfect relationships. We all struggle. We all must work hard to keep relationships viable. There are no perfect matches. We are merely different persons with different needs and struggles.

Some persons bring wounds from former relationships. They expect the person in their current relationship to “fix” them. They quickly learn the other person is just as wounded as they. This places extra strain on an already difficult situation. Complete healing is only possible through the total forgiveness and rebirth God alone offers.

Some persons are born with low self-esteem and struggle with this issue all their lives. This makes them particularly easy to wound unintentionally. Without the constant love and forgiveness of a perfect God, they rarely feel worthy enough to be loved. With God’s unconditional love and acceptance, they are able to form healthy relationships with other persons.

Some persons are bottomless pits of need. They search all their lives for sufficient love and attention. The love and recognition received one minute dissipates in the next. Only the continual affirmation and constant companionship of God can fill such deep need. Without God, they are doomed to suck every person dry that has contact with them.Some persons are users and abusers. Without God, they simply use up and discard persons like empty containers.

A house that sits empty will quickly fall down when no one is resident to maintain it. We are equally empty and in disrepair without God resident in us and our relationships.

Culture's Christianity

I was addicted to church. When I got away from organized religion, Bible studies, mid-week meetings, worship teams, I experienced withdrawal like any common addict. I discovered I was addicted to a culture of “churchism”.

Disconnecting from cultural Christianity, including years in professional Christian ministry, brought me to discover my own faith and role in Christ’s universal body. I stopped playing church to become Christ's church.

True Christianity is a community of believers following Christ into a lifestyle that imitates his own. It is a slow transformation into what Christ is by nature (Philippians 2:5-16; Colossians 1:19; Romans 8:19-21).

American Christianity is mostly a pre-packaged consumerist counterfeit. Being churched in the United States is mostly being a consumer of religious goods and services. You are expected to participate in church programs chiefly to receive and consume. The church takes responsibility for programming, coordinating, and providing what you need for spiritual growth. This is a shameful departure from what Christ intended!

Being Christ’s church requires me to take personal responsibility for learning directly from Christ and his Holy Spirit. Jesus did not promote (nor create) some human organization. His church is more organism than organization. He opened “The Way” for all to enjoy a personal relationship with him and God. He provides his Holy Spirit and spiritual gifts to each believer. He instructs all while we enjoy mutual intimacy with each other and God, Matthew 11:27-30. The true community of Christian faith spurs one another to love and good works.

I still worship with other believers, but I worship as an individual and daily follower of Christ. I worship with others who are themselves priests. I worship out of the overflow of a daily walk with God. I worship more like "living room" than liturgy.

Christ is the only source for living the divine life. True Christians follow Christ alone. They learn personally from him. They shoulder responsibility for working out their own salvation. They never permit community or personal conscience to dictate how they should worship or follow Christ.

In Christ, he alone is our head. In Christ, we follow him into his life. In Christ, we abandon all modern versions of culture’s Christianity.

Life Storms

Violent storms on the Sea of Galilee were quite common, but this storm must have been terrible. It stirred deep fear in these experienced fishermen while the Master slept. They awakened him and he calmed the storm and the angry sea. He then asked them, “Where is your faith?”

Sounds a lot like a conversation I had in the middle of my life storm.

God: “Where is your faith?”

Me: “I think I lost it.”

God: “How did that happen? No one can steal your joy without your permission.”

Me: “What do you mean, Lord?”

God: “Do you still think you need them more than me?”

Me: “I thought I couldn’t live without them.”

God: “Can you live without them?”

Me: “I’m hurt. I want you to fix it. Can you fix it?”

God: “Will that bring you peace?”

Me: “Sure! I’m sick of crying. I want the pain to go away. Will you take it away?”

God: “Are you implying that MY peace comes in the absence of your pain?”

***long pause***

Me: “No, I guess not. I didn't have this pain before my life storm and I didn't have your peace.”

God: “Exactly.”

Me: “Are you saying you can give me a peace that no life storm will take away?”

God: “That’s why I’m here.”

Me: “I’m glad you’re here.”

God: “I never left.”