You know, it's amazing how much people in the church say things without even realizing what they are saying. There's something about church culture that makes people think that they have to speak in some magic lingo to be Godly. Is there something about saying "thee" "thou" and "art" in our prayers that makes it easier for God to hear? Maybe God can only speak in 19th century english, and has no idea what we say if we don't speak that way.
I know, a lot of you are probably thinking, "Thank goodness I don't speak like that. That's for the old people. I talk normally when I talk about my Jesus." and for the most part, you're right. In our little town, most Christians have gotten out of that mentality of thee's and thou's, but I still think that there is a form of "Christian lingo" that many people haven't thought much about.
It's this idea that Christians have to be eternally happy. I guess with guys like Joel Olsteen and other "prosperity-gospel" preachers on t.v. who do nothing but smile incessantly, we get this idea that in order to be a good Christian, we have to smile, have 2.4 kids, tithe every week, pray 14x a day (cause you would do seven, since it's God's number, but since you want to make sure you cover it, you double the lucky seven), have a great home life, never yell or get angry, and always say "bless their heart" when you say something even questionably mean.
Sadly, this has been my experience with the church of America for the most part since I was a kid. Maybe you've experienced the same thing I did, or maybe you were around parts of it or, God forbid, even something worse than this. Well, whatever the case, this is a major problem facing the Church, and I think there's two reasons for it.
1. Authenticity
When was the last time that you saw a televangelist you could relate to? Or what about a pastor of the local megachurch? They always seem to be so happy and so incredibly perfect, like if you breathed on them, you'd be afraid they'd crack. So, you figure, "Church is for perfect people who have it all together. I wouldn't fit."
Hmm.... well, let's put it this way. Pulpits have never been good for humility. Something about getting paid $120,000 a year somehow makes you say things you know are false just so you can keep your check. Pulpits tend to make people say things that people want to hear. It's rare to find anyone who speaks what they actually think, especially with any kind of excitement, but there are a few. Some of my favorites are Mark Driscoll, Rob Bell, and Erwin McManus.
I love listening to these guys. They say things that aren't meant to make you feel good, but they're honestly just trying to figure out what it means to live out what Jesus teaches in the world we live. Of course, not everything they say is right or true, but nothing anyone says ever is. I certainly don't get everything right, I know that much.
But the thing about authenticity is that it involves work. It involves creativity. It involves the danger of losing--of losing that pay check, losing people from the church, and even, heaven forbid, losing their perfect reputation. Honesty is tough, but if we're serious about following Jesus, we should be as honest and blunt as He was. 'Course, there's a difference in honesty and brutality, but that's another issue entirely....
2. Religion vs. Jesus (Rules of the Pharisees)
The second problem we have is that for some reason, we can't get over this idea that we have to do things to get to heaven. Heck, we even think we have to do things to be a good Christian. Well, call me a heretic if you want, but I think God doesn't want us to be good Christians. I don't even think He wants us to be Christians.
At least, not in the sense of today's Christians. Today's Christian is focused on doing the right things, saying the right things, tithing enough, praying enough, and burning enough heretics to cut the heating bill in half for the next general budget. Christianity today has become no different than the other religions around it, and that's not what Jesus was about.
Jesus was authentically about something other than what this world and its religions offer us. He didn't come to make a new institution (although I'm sure some would like to debate that one), He didn't come to help you pay off your debts and get out of hell free. He came to give grace, something that we can't earn by our actions, but something that leads us to want to change, to be renewed by Him, and to obey Him.
It's all about your heart.
Religion says you have to do these things to be a good Christian or get to heaven. Jesus says you get to do these things out of joy because I love you and you're free.
God knows that if your heart truly is about loving Him and loving others, that everything else will follow. It's only natural. You can use all these big nice church terms, go every sunday, and even play in the praise band and still not follow Jesus.
It's not about acting a certain way. It's about a wholesale change of our hearts by surrendering them to Jesus and allowing our pitiful excuse for a good life to be completely transformed from something dented, bruised and with a few band-aids, into a brand new, beautiful, and clean. It should drive us to long to be more like Him and to share His heart.
Once our hearts are in the right place, the rest will follow. Just check out Luke 10: 25-37, James 2:14-26, Isaiah 58: 6-12. There's all kinds of verses about this.
I leave you with a passage from one of the aforementioned references from a version many of you may not be familiar or comfortable with:
"Not so fast. You can no more show me your works apart from your faith than I can show you my faith apart from my works. Faith and works, works and faith, fit together hand in glove. Do I hear you professing to believe in the one and only God, but then observe you complacently sitting back as if you had done something wonderful? That's just great. Demons do that, but what good does it do them? Use your heads! Do you suppose for a minute that you can cut faith and works in two and not end up with a corpse on your hands?"
Today, that same church lingo that was used 200 years ago is a symptom of either inauthentic faith, or religious piety through feeling the need to follow the rules of what Christian culture dictates is a good Christian. I don't know about you, but I'm tired of religion and inauthenticity.
But that's why there's Jesus.