faith

Idolizing Christianity

/ Neal Embry / Leave a comment

What if I told you that it was possible to know all of God’s Word, front to back, serve on church committees, even pastor a church, share the gospel with thousands of people…and still spend eternity in hell?  What if I told you that you could spend 12 hours a day in prayer, six sharing your faith, and the other six fasting, and despite all of the Christian conferences you went to and all the Christian music you listened to, still spend eternity in hell?

I shared this quote from a book called “Gospel-Centered Discipleship” by Jonathan Dodson last night on Facebook: “Jesus, alone, should take the center place in our lives, not our Bible reading, evangelism, character, or effort to be different or spiritual.”

At the end of the day, the actions listed in the opening paragraph amount to nothing, separated from a relationship with Christ Himself.  Because at the end of the day, what makes you a Christian is not Christianity.  It is not immersing yourself into a religious setting, simply trying to live life differently and hoping that being a part of Christian culture can do that.  What makes you a Christian is Christ.

I think it’s easy to forget that, especially in American culture.  American culture emphasizes being swept up in the latest and greatest trends and fads, and unfortunately, this way of thinking makes its way into our churches.  We have to have the newest worship music on Sunday morning.  Make sure everyone knows about the next big conference in town, because (insert favorite late 20s-early 40s-age speaker here) will be there!  Have you read the newest book from (insert favorite Christian author here)?

None of those things are bad.  We are blessed with Godly men and women that can write well, sing well and teach well, for the glory of God here in America.  And it is wise to take advantage of that, to listen to godly preaching, to read good books about God and the Christian life.

But if all of our Christian “things” are not driving us to boast and rejoice more in God, they are worthless.  If we do these things divorced from knowing and trusting and following Christ, it is worthless.

It is possible (I know because I’m guilty of it, too) to enjoy Christian things without enjoying God.  It is possible to idolize Christianity.  We consider ourselves Christian because of how much time we spend in Bible study, or how much time we spend in prayer, or because we read a certain author’s books.

All of the Bible reading, praying, fasting and mission trips in the world can never replace repentance and faith in Christ.  Ultimately, God will declare you righteous based on your relationship with Him, not all of the secondary things that accompany that relationship.

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever (Heb. 13:8).  We are not guaranteed that our favorite music, favorite speaker, favorite writer, will be here tomorrow when we wake up, much less in 30 years or more.  But Jesus Christ will reign as Lord forever, and His Word shall stand for eternity.

Are we caught up in Him?  Or are we caught up in Christian culture?  Do we love Him?  Or do we love the idea of loving Him?  Do we love knowing Him?  Or do we love Christian culture?  All of the things mentioned here that are associated with Christianity are just that.  They are things.  They are disciplines.  They are good things, gifts from God.  But they are not God Himself.

So, please, listen to godly music and preaching.  If you’re blessed to go to a Christian conference, go.  If you have a chance to share the gospel, by all means, do share the gospel, boldly!  But don’t do those things because you think that’s what makes you a Christian.  Read your Bible, pray to God, share your faith, because, God, in His amazing grace, has made you a Christian through Jesus Christ.

Let Jesus be at the center of your life.  Better yet, let Jesus be your life, period.  And let everything else that comes with a relationship with Him take its rightful place as gifts from God to help us trust Him, love Him, delight in Him, obey Him, and share Him with others.

Father, may we never confuse Christian culture or Christianity with Christ Himself.  May we never think that doing Christian things makes us a Christian.  May we remember and rejoice that we are saved through Christ alone, and may all that we do in light of that be for your glory.

God bless,

Neal E.

Receiving the Gift

/ Neal Embry / Leave a comment

I remember asking for a pogo stick when I was growing up.  I suppose I saw one on TV and thought it was the coolest thing in the world, since, at that age, anything that was expensive and on TV was the coolest thing in the world.

I woke up early on Christmas Day and ran into my mom’s room, yelling something about it being Christmas and wanting her to get up. 

Now, in case you didn’t know, there’s really not a good way to wrap a pogo stick.  So as I walked into the living room, my prize caught my eye.  There, by the corner of the couch, was a brand new, green and silver pogo stick.  I was so excited that I grabbed it and immediately started playing with it, trying to figure out how to bounch successfully.  After a few minutes, I figured it out and was ready to jump around my house.

Problem: We lived in the upstairs apartment.  And the downstairs neighbor wasn’t exactly sharing my holiday cheer.  Not 45 seconds into my bouncing, I heard three successive knocks on our floor.  From that point on, all my “pogo sticking” was down downstairs in the breezeway.

I think stories like this, stories that everyone has, show us an important point of receiving gifts.

Gifts are meant to be received with joy and with appreciation, with a respect for the person giving the gift.  We cheapen the gift when we question the giver’s motives, doubt that the gift is real, or try to pay back its price (for then it would not be a gift).

Christmas has never been about material gifts.  The giving and receiving of material gifts is a wonderful gift from God, an experience of His common grace, and, to be completely honest, I still enjoy making a Christmas list and ripping open gifts on Christmas morning.

But the point of these gifts is to point us to the greatest gift, Jesus.  Pogo sticks, video games, hand-knit sweaters and Apple products will all be gone when Christ comes back.  But Christ and His kingdom will last forever.  Our relationship with God will last forever.

There’s a flip side to this wonderful truth, though: We must receive the gift.  If we reject God’s gift, we reject God, and instead of being in relationship with Him forever, we will spend eternity in hell apart from God.

John 1:12 is one of the greatest verses in the Bible: “But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.”

The mark of a Christian is one who has RECEIVED Christ.

What does it mean to receive Christ?

We receive Christ as all that He promises to be.  John Piper defines saving faith in Jesus Christ as trusting Him to be all that He has promised to be for us: our Savior, our Lord, our Treasure, our Friend, our High Priest, etc.  We simply trust Him to be this for us and follow Him in faith.

This is why we need to fight against doubt and unbelief.  It does not honor God to doubt the sufficiency of His Son, His greatest gift.  We need to trust in this gift of salvation through Christ, receive it and follow Christ with confidence and joy.

Don’t miss this: This Christmas, God is calling you to receive, whether for the first time or the five millionth time, the gift of His Son Jesus Christ.  Christ is the perfect gift that will never fail to satisfy.  We will never grow tired of Christ and His gift of salvation.  We will never grow tired of being saved by His work and trusting Him as the Lord of our lives.  And one day, we will see Him face to face to thank Him for being that priceless gift.

So, if you’ve never received Christ, I beg you to be reconciled to God through Christ.  Turn from living for yourself and in sin, trust Christ to come be Lord and help you obey Him, and obey His first command by trusting what He has done for you in His life, death and resurrection.  He has accomplished a perfect salvation for “all those who receive him.”  If you will agree with God about your sin, and trust Christ to be your Lord, and trust what He’s done for you, you can know the peace and joy that goes beyond anything a holiday season can provide.  Lasting peace is found in Christ.  I urge you to consider Him this Christmas.

May we never forget your love for us, God.  May we marvel at the miracle of the incarnation, at the grace you showed in coming to live life for us and with us.  May we receive you as our Lord, our Savior, our Friend forever.  May we worship you for all that you are and for all that you have done.

God bless,
Neal E.