“Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.”
Revelation 21:1-2
Christianity isn’t about personal salvation any more than elementary school is about recess or nap time. Majoring on the minors and minoring on the majors is a guaranteed recipe for disaster. It might sound strange to refer to “personal salvation” as a “minor” or “byproduct” of being born-again, but that’s because it's so deeply ingrained into our culture. Personal salvation isn't the testimony or emphasis of Scripture.
Since the First Great Awakening (1730-1740 A.D.) Christian evangelists, preachers, pastors, authors, and speakers have been harping on the concept of a “personal relationship” with Jesus. While a profoundly intimate relationship with Christ certainly exists, the setting of its manifestation is revealed in Scripture as primarily and predominantly within the context of Christian community, i.e. the local church. Sadly, within the context of American Christianity and our misguided sense of independence, many have mistaken “personal” for “private.” Consequently, when they fail to experience their vision for the fullness of God’s abundant personal blessings, those who “tired Jesus on for size” end up feeling misled and disillusioned.
The root issue is, at least partly, one of improper vision.
“Where no vision exists people cut loose; but blessed is the one guarding God’s instruction.” Proverbs 29:18
Proverbs 29:18 doesn’t reveal humanity’s lack of having any vision, but rather our supplanting God’s divine vision revealed through Scripture with our own. That was the intent of the crafty serpent in tempting the woman to eat the forbidden fruit—so she could know both good and evil and then choose for herself rather than relying on and trusting in God Almighty.
Genesis 3:6-7 reveals, “The woman saw that the tree was good for food and delightful to look at, and that it was desirable for obtaining wisdom. So she took some of its fruit and ate it; she also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.” Her vision trumped God's. Similarly, the book of Judges summarizes the deplorable state of Isreal stating, “In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as they saw fit in their own eyes.” Humanity has never lacked the ability to imagine or envision our own subjective versions of a desirable future apart from God's design and desire for us.
In his extensive five-part literary work, Paracelsus, Robert Browning wrote:
I am a wanderer: I remember well one journey,
How I feared the track was missed,
So long the city I desired to reach lay hid;
When suddenly its spires afar flashed through the circling clouds;
You may conceive my transport.
Soon the vapors closed again,
But I had seen the city,
And one such glance no darkness could obscure:
Nor shall the present—a few dull hours, a passing shame or two,
Destroy the vivid memories of the past.
I will fight the battle out; a little spent perhaps,
But still an able combatant.
Being on a long and arduous journey and suddenly struck with the sinking feeling of having gotten off course and completely missed the destination only then to catch a momentary glimpse of it afar before it vanishes again… That's only possible if we: 1) have a destination, 2) embark on a journey, and 3) catch a glimpse.
DESTINATION: The misguided vision of “personal salvation” is nowhere revealed in Scripture. Yet it has become the convenient, palpable, and fashionable message conveyed by many preachers and the one adopted by many Christians. According to His own words, King Jesus came to seek and save the lost (Luke 19:10), but He did so in order to redeem them into His kingdom. The ones failing to invest the treasure He’s given them will lose it all (see the rest of Luke 19), just as the Pharisees and religious leaders did. Humanity, as God intentionally designed it, should reflect and reveal the eternally relational and familial nature of God as Father, Son, and Spirit. Our autonomy, egocentrism, selfishness, isolation, narcissism, manipulation, exploitation, and hyper-individualism are all evidence of our persistent rebellion and rejection of God and His vision. That’s why King Jesus said, “Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends,” and “If anyone wants to come after Me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me.”
JOURNEY: As the Apostle Paul notes in Philippians 1:29, the journey of sanctification is neither intended to be easy nor private: “For it has been granted to you (plural) on Christ’s behalf not only to believe in Him but also to suffer for Him.” The idea of setting out alone to encounter the fullness of the spiritual blessings God has blessed us with in Christ Jesus is infinitely more absurd than setting out to win the Super Bowl, Stanley Cup, or World Cup as an individual. Even if a “win” were possible, how incredibly empty it would be with no one else in the locker room to celebrate with! Ephesians 2:10 reveals, “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance as our new way of life.” Christianity isn’t an individual or “private” thing.
GLIMPSE: Sadly, because many have never heard the Gospel, never been told that Christianity isn’t about “personal” anything, and never been encouraged to set out and experience authentic Christian community… they’ve never had that Robert Browning experience:
So long the city I desired to reach lay hid;
When suddenly its spires afar flashed through the circling clouds;
You may conceive my transport.
Soon the vapors closed again,
But I had seen the city,
And one such glance no darkness could obscure:
If you’ve never caught a glimpse of that heavenly city, The New Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God prepared like a bride adorned for her husband dressed in the righteous acts of the saints, you can by reading Revelation chapter 21. If the vision and mission of your church sound more like slogans for a customer-experience-oriented theme park or program menu, then it’s time to reevaluate everything.
If your view and approach to church has always been that of a consumer showing up to get stuff whenever you need something, don’t feel bad (2 Cor 7:10). Now that you know better, do better. There’s a good reason why Noah built one giant boat for everyone rather than a bunch of individual rafts. There’s a good reason why the entire Old Testament tracks with a nation rather than a bunch of random individuals. There’s a good reason why the New Testament emphasizes King Jesus talking about His kingdom being established. There’s a good reason why the Lord said, “...and on this rock I will build my church, and the Gates of Hades will not prevail against it.” There’s a good reason why Paul told the church in Corinth, “All these things must be done to build up the church.” The reason is, as Rick Warren wrote in the first line of his book, The Purpose Driven Life:
“It’s not about you.”
In Philippians 1:27, the Apostle Paul wrote, “Just one thing: As citizens of heaven, live your life worthy of the gospel of Christ.” In Ephesians 4:1, he wrote, “As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received.” In Colossians 1:10, Paul wrote, “Live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way by bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God.” And in 1 Thessalonians 2:11-13, he wrote, “For you know that we dealt with each of you as a father deals with his own children, encouraging, comforting and urging you to live lives worthy of God, who calls you into his kingdom and glory. And we also thank God continually because, when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as a human word, but as it actually is, the word of God, which is indeed at work in you who believe.”
When we catch even the tiniest glimpse of God’s vision through Scripture, and, like Browning, refuse to allow the darkness to obscure or the dullness of the present hour to destroy the vivid memories of that divine encounter, then we too will fight the battle out! We too, though at times a little spent perhaps, will find ourselves supernaturally strengthened by the Spirit of God as we stand firm in the full Armor of God—unwavering and united as partners in the Gospel of Jesus Christ!
We can either choose to embrace our vision or God’s. “Where no vision exists people cut loose; but blessed is the one guarding God’s instruction.”
Blessings and love,
Kevin M. Kelley
Check out my children’s book UNSTOPPABLE! >HERE<
Bình luận