Are we leaving Jesus at Church?
First of all.. Merry Christmas!
It's been really fun this year to celebrate this season with a lot of different groups of friends, in many different settings. The Christmas season is always a great time to see old and new friends and catch up in many ways.
You know, at a lot of these events I see people from church and in a "party" context you see them in a different context then you see them at church. It's not about what they're consuming, but more about the character of what's flowing out of their actions when I see them. I say this and hope that I'm speaking with integrity on this because I know that I'm not by any means a perfect follower of Christ myself, but it's almost as if I'm seeing a person that has left Jesus at Buckhead Church and leaves Him at the door and does their own thing at the party. In many cases, I'm actually a little shocked because I've heard some of their stories and believe with all my heart that God is at work in their lives.
Believe me, I don't believe that having a drink is a sin. Jesus turned water into wine, he went to parties at the houses of tax collectors and "sinners" that He knew and loved, and he served wine at the Last Supper. However, in everything Jesus lived in perfect obedience to the Father and exercised self-control. People knew that Jesus was different, not only because He is who He is but also because He lived it out in His actions.
I think about this a lot... because I am in a relationship with Jesus, He is with me 24/7 and is in a love relationship with me. This doesn't get stronger when I am at church and weaker when I am in a place like East Andrews. Jesus is with me and in relationship with me in both places. I can't leave him at church, because He isn't contained to my church or anyone else's... He lives in the hearts of those who love Him and have asked Him to be their life. So - the question I need to ask myself is: Would Jesus be pleased to be with me when I'm at this party? I would truly hope that the answer is yes.
Now, there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ (Romans 8:1), if we are in Him then we are forgiven of the stuff we've done in the past, the stuff we're doing now, and the stuff that we haven't even thought about doing in the future. When Christ saved us, He saved us completely and changed our inner nature, and for whatever reason in some areas it takes some time and chiseling to get our actions to align with that. Can I get an amen?
The good news is that Christ has set us free from Law... we don't have to feel condemned and that is good news because none of us can be good enough to keep up with God according to a standard of behavior. However, the best news is that in our freedom God has given us a spirit of power, love, and self-control, and that we are not to use our freedom to destroy ourselves in sin but to pursue God. And sometimes, I think we can take for granted that God has set us free from our guilt and can forget that He doesn't ever leave us.
Ever.
I wonder, because He is uncomfortable with what's coming out of our lives at the time, that by taking advantage of His grace in those times that we are losing the benefit of relationship. I don't really ever want that... my relationship with Jesus is the one thing that gives my life meaning. And while I do believe Jesus would be at the party, I think people would look to him to help a friend that got in trouble at the party rather than the one that was in trouble. That's where self-control comes in... because when you cross the line and go past your guardrails, you lose your ability to represent Christ in this way, and instead you've become a great candidate for grace. Thankfully, He is full of grace, but by living in synch with Him in the first place, He can give us something better... He can let us be a conduit of grace (which we have all received)... and honestly I can attest that is a MUCH cooler experience :-).
Just my $0.02. I'd love to see us be a community that is a conduit of grace, and represents our Savior well. Everywhere. :-)
It's been really fun this year to celebrate this season with a lot of different groups of friends, in many different settings. The Christmas season is always a great time to see old and new friends and catch up in many ways.
You know, at a lot of these events I see people from church and in a "party" context you see them in a different context then you see them at church. It's not about what they're consuming, but more about the character of what's flowing out of their actions when I see them. I say this and hope that I'm speaking with integrity on this because I know that I'm not by any means a perfect follower of Christ myself, but it's almost as if I'm seeing a person that has left Jesus at Buckhead Church and leaves Him at the door and does their own thing at the party. In many cases, I'm actually a little shocked because I've heard some of their stories and believe with all my heart that God is at work in their lives.
Believe me, I don't believe that having a drink is a sin. Jesus turned water into wine, he went to parties at the houses of tax collectors and "sinners" that He knew and loved, and he served wine at the Last Supper. However, in everything Jesus lived in perfect obedience to the Father and exercised self-control. People knew that Jesus was different, not only because He is who He is but also because He lived it out in His actions.
I think about this a lot... because I am in a relationship with Jesus, He is with me 24/7 and is in a love relationship with me. This doesn't get stronger when I am at church and weaker when I am in a place like East Andrews. Jesus is with me and in relationship with me in both places. I can't leave him at church, because He isn't contained to my church or anyone else's... He lives in the hearts of those who love Him and have asked Him to be their life. So - the question I need to ask myself is: Would Jesus be pleased to be with me when I'm at this party? I would truly hope that the answer is yes.
Now, there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ (Romans 8:1), if we are in Him then we are forgiven of the stuff we've done in the past, the stuff we're doing now, and the stuff that we haven't even thought about doing in the future. When Christ saved us, He saved us completely and changed our inner nature, and for whatever reason in some areas it takes some time and chiseling to get our actions to align with that. Can I get an amen?
The good news is that Christ has set us free from Law... we don't have to feel condemned and that is good news because none of us can be good enough to keep up with God according to a standard of behavior. However, the best news is that in our freedom God has given us a spirit of power, love, and self-control, and that we are not to use our freedom to destroy ourselves in sin but to pursue God. And sometimes, I think we can take for granted that God has set us free from our guilt and can forget that He doesn't ever leave us.
Ever.
I wonder, because He is uncomfortable with what's coming out of our lives at the time, that by taking advantage of His grace in those times that we are losing the benefit of relationship. I don't really ever want that... my relationship with Jesus is the one thing that gives my life meaning. And while I do believe Jesus would be at the party, I think people would look to him to help a friend that got in trouble at the party rather than the one that was in trouble. That's where self-control comes in... because when you cross the line and go past your guardrails, you lose your ability to represent Christ in this way, and instead you've become a great candidate for grace. Thankfully, He is full of grace, but by living in synch with Him in the first place, He can give us something better... He can let us be a conduit of grace (which we have all received)... and honestly I can attest that is a MUCH cooler experience :-).
Just my $0.02. I'd love to see us be a community that is a conduit of grace, and represents our Savior well. Everywhere. :-)
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