Authentic relationships v. Keep it to Sunday

The Ten Commandments themselves are all about relationships with God and others. If you lie, steal, murder, etc., you’ll quickly ruin any relationship. But good relationships aren’t created simply by the absence of wrong behavior; good relationships require the doing of good.

This is what New Testament Christianity is all about. The seeds of this concept were planted in the Old Testament, and quoted by Jesus in answer to someone’s question:

One of the scribes came and heard them arguing, and recognizing that He had answered them well, asked Him, “What commandment is the foremost of all?” Jesus answered, “The foremost is, ‘Hear, o Israel! the Lord our God is one Lord; and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ The second is this, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” (Mark 12:28-31)

Please answer each of these questions: How do you love God with all your heart? How do you love God with all your soul? How do you love God with all your mind? How do you love God with all your strength? And if you do all that, how do you have any love left for your neighbor or yourself?

We love, because He first loved us. If someone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for the one who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen. And this commandment we have from Him, that the one who loves God should love his brother also. (1 John 4:19-21)

Loving God doesn’t mean hiding out in a monastery, secluded from people. Quite the opposite:

We know love by this, that He laid down His life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. But whoever has the world’s goods, and sees his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him? Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth. (1 John 3:16-18)

Jesus put it this way in Matthew 25:40, “To the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.”

Jesus led by example. He denied every worldly desire, choosing instead to serve others; personally teaching them about the kingdom of heaven and training each one to do the same. You can read about the results in the book of Acts. And the rest of the New Testament is filled with instructions about having good relationships with one another.

Institutionalized Love

The institutionalization of anything always diminishes personal responsibility and initiative. Anyone who’s ever experienced a spontaneous outpouring of love from Christians has benefited a lot more than someone who’s gotten an obligatory visit from the clergy.

Many think Christianity is keeping some rules and attending some ceremonies. Organized religion promotes this idea because it keeps them in business. Don’t be deluded. Dressing up and playing church every Sunday is not New Testament Christianity.

We have received a higher calling! Love takes all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength. The result of true worship, transformation of character, and becoming a new creature should be authentic relationships.

It’s not the job of ‘the church’ to love people and spread the gospel. If you are a Christian, you are the church. It’s your job! Jesus rolled up His sleeves and got His hands dirty (so to speak), and He expects us to do the same. What does being a disciple of Jesus Christ really look like? Read this very slowly:

Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus. (Phil 2:3-5)

Wouldn’t it be easier to just ‘go to church’ on Sundays, split hairs over inconsequential stuff, and pat yourself on the back for paying an institution to do good to others, while living the rest of your life like the rest of the world? Yes, it’s easier to be a hypocrite than it is to be authentic, but the reward isn’t as good.

Will you accept Christ’s higher calling of taking up your cross daily, getting the word of God into your heart, soul, and mind daily, and considering how to apply each verse with all your strength to each of your relationships?

By this all men will know that you are My disciples, [if you warm the seat of a pew once a week? no...] if you have love for one another. (John 13:35)

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Saints are holy new creatures v. Sorry sinners are nothing but forgiven

Christians are called saints 60 times in the New Testament, and they’re only called Christians three times. Saint is the Greek word hagios, which means sacred (physically pure, morally blameless, ceremonially consecrated). Hagios is used in the New Testament 219 times, but is mostly translated holy.

What separates saints from sinners is the Holy (hagios) Spirit. If you don’t have the Holy Spirit, you don’t belong to Him (See Rom 8:9). Did you receive the Holy Spirit? If you did, you’re a saint. How empowering!

Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God. Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God. (1 Cor 6:9-11)

When the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared, He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by His grace we would be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life. (Titus 3:4-7)

Not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith. (Phil 3:9)

We walk by faith, not by sight. (2 Cor 5:7)

Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. (2 Cor 5:17)

God has given us a new self image: His righteousness. Saints are holy new creatures whose character is transformed as they worship in spirit all the time. Please read the two previous lessons, if you haven’t already, because this is all tied together.

Therefore, prepare your minds for action, keep sober in spirit, fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance, but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior; because it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.” (1 Peter 1:13-16)

As you read your Bible and read innumerable statements like the one just quoted and read 60 times that you are a saint, you get the idea that God is trying to impress something on your brain. There is a spiritual battle going on for your mindset.

The Other Side of the Coin

We’ve been looking at the positive, but we’ve all heard the voice of the enemy as well. “You’ve always been a sinner and you’ll always be a sinner.” Every time you look at some of God’s positively motivating principles of transformation, someone parrots this defeatist mentality. It’s repeated so often you’d think it was Scripture, but it’s not!

Saints aren’t just a bunch of sorry sinners who are nothing but forgiven. We’re not doomed to spend the rest of our days continuing to ruin our relationships while we mechanically go through the motions of so-called worship services. Sadly, this dismal description is the reality for many deceived believers.

Jesus came to save us from our sin, not in our sin. He came to set us free! The Scripture repeatedly sets the expectation that we are to overcome as we walk in love:

Owe nothing to anyone except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law. For this, “You shall not commit adultery, you shall not murder, you shall not steal, you shall not covet,” and if there is any other commandment, it is summed up in this saying, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law… Therefore let us lay aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us behave properly as in the day, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual promiscuity and sensuality, not in strife and jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts. (Rom 13:8-14)

Sin and the solution were both explained in this Scripture. Jesus led by example. Focus on love, not on sin. Transformation of character happens as you daily put on the new image that God has given you. Practice the laws of the harvest and you will reap:

The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. (Gal 5:22-23)

Walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. (Gal 5:16)

It’s preposterous to think that as long as you have a body you have to be a lying, cheating, adulterous murderer. Those who hold this faulty view argue a cause that the Scripture does not argue for. Can you love without sin for one second? For one minute? One hour? One day? …

If anyone advocates a different doctrine and does not agree with sound words, those of our Lord Jesus Christ, and with the doctrine conforming to godliness, he is conceited and understands nothing; but he has a morbid interest in controversial questions and disputes about words, out of which arise envy, strife, abusive language, evil suspicions, and constant friction between men of depraved mind and deprived of the truth, who suppose that godliness is a means of gain. (1 Tim 6:3-6)

One thing I do:  forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Let us therefore, as many as are perfect, have this attitude; and if in anything you have a different attitude, God will reveal that also to you; however, let us keep living by that same standard to which we have attained. (Phil 3:13-16)

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Transformation of character v. Go through the motions

We’ve been contrasting organized religion with New Testament Christianity. Unfortunately, many who rightly reject religious bureaucracy mistakenly think they’re rejecting Christianity. On the contrary, Jesus came to set people free from collectivist religion by enlightening, empowering, and equipping the individual.

Robert Biggs sent me an email last week in which he said, “I’ve made the mistake of centering my life around O.R. instead of Jesus Christ. O.R. meaning organized religion. Yah it’s like an operating room [O.R.], but when you wake up from the anesthesia you still have the same old problems, nothing has happened, you’re not cured .”

Though genuine emotions aren’t excluded, Biblical Christianity is not a clergy-led, hyped-up, emotional experience. Nor did Jesus die on the cross so we would keep a bunch of meaningless rules and ceremonies and mindlessly go through the motions. External controls don’t transform the heart.

The Purpose of God

Transforming the character of each Christian into the image of Christ is the plan of God (See Rom 8:29). If you don’t know what this means, please stick with me for a minute because this is exiting stuff.

Like victims of O.R., many people spend thousands of dollars on personal development coaches and other gurus to transform their lives. Why go to the store and buy air if it’s available to everyone for free?

Jesus Christ already paid the highest price possible to make you a new creation through the forgiveness of sin and the gift of the Holy Spirit, and He wants to be your lifetime coach. Only God has the resources to accomplish such a feat for all who sincerely want it, and also include them as an heir of the riches of His glory! That’s my daddy!

Many think they’ve already tried Christianity and it didn’t work, while in fact what they tried was O.R., which doesn’t work. Entrusting your spiritual growth to a religious bureaucracy is neither Biblical nor profitable. They have salaries and overhead to pay for, which is part of the incentive for their infamous manipulative techniques. Power trips are the other source of their inspiration.

Transformation of character and true worship are part of the same package. You tend to imitate the one you adore. That’s why marketers plaster images of people’s idols all over their products. If your idol eats/wears/buys something, you’re likely to do the same. Imitating the One who defined love to the world produces love, joy, and peace. This is exactly what most people want.

Do You Get It?

Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. (Gal 6:7-9)

People are deceived who think the laws of the harvest don’t apply to them: each one will reap what he sows; there is a time delay between sowing and reaping; the harvest comes back multiplied; and the more you sow, the more you will reap.

Encouragement from others is great, but the laws of the harvest teach us that each individual is primarily responsible for his own spiritual growth. Transforming lives for the better is not accomplished through emotional hype, guilt-driven manipulation, or going through the motions. Do not be deceived, transformation only happens if you sow to the Spirit.

And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect. (Rom 12:2)

Learn how to worship in spirit and learn to love others enough to consider how to stimulate them to love and good deeds. The best way to learn something is to teach it to others. Dig deeper and revolutionize your life when you read the Transformation study guide.

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Worship in spirit all the time v. Worship in a building at designated times

What picture do you think the average person has of worship? A “worship service” led by clergy? (Where is that picture found in the New Testament?) Those who have that picture are also likely to ask: Should I worship at Church A or Church B?

A Samaritan woman probed Jesus in a similar way: Our fathers worshiped in this mountain, and you people [Jews] say that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship. (The whole discourse can be found in John 4:20-24.)

Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe Me, an hour is coming when neither in this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers. God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.

Old worship required you to physically go to a designated location; either the temple in Jerusalem or one of the competing idol temples if you were an idolater. Man has a body, a soul, and a spirit. (See 1 Thes 5:23) True worship is not done with the body; according to Jesus, it is done with the spirit!

True worship takes place 24/7, everywhere your spirit goes. The only question is whether you are worshiping God or idols. Ephesians 5:5 says that no immoral or impure person or covetous man, who is an idolater, has an inheritance in the kingdom of Christ!

Romans 8:6 says that the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life. A covetous or immoral mindset is idolatry. A mind set on Christ is true worship. It’s a simple life or death decision. Whatever you consistently set your mind on is what you consistently act like.

You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself. (Luke 10:27)

Christians want to act like Christ and love others just as He loved us; the new commandment (See John 13:34). This is why we assemble, considering ahead of time how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds through psalms (songs), teachings, and exhortations.

Organized religion depends on false ideas in order to stay in business. Instead of edifying each other and building the body because we worship God, they teach people to sit at their feet to worship God. But just because a body is sitting in a pew, it doesn’t mean the mind is engaged.

We need a massive reeducation campaign to help people see how they are being duped. First take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye. Dig deeper and revolutionize your life when you read the Transformation study guide.

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Meet in homes v. Maintain a building

Why maintain a church building? I’m not condemning those who do, I’m just asking why. Is it really necessary? Is it the best meeting environment for the Lord’s church? Why not meet from house to house as described in the Bible? I think these are valid questions as I don’t think God wants Christians to practice blind obedience to the traditions of men.

Those accustomed to modern denominations have a hard time imagining a highly relational home church because they imagine formal church in a home. Forget it. If you want authenticity, try turning off all of your preconceived ideas and taking a fresh look at the New Testament.

If holding title to property and maintaining a building were the ideal situation and best meeting environment, don’t you think God would have mentioned something to that effect in the New Testament, the blueprint for His church? Somebody help me out; I haven’t found any such idea.

Church Buildings Are An Unnecessary Expense

Jesus said to go make disciples, baptize them, and continue to teach them to observe all that He commanded. He did not say to go buy real estate, build buildings, put a sign out front, and entertain visitors in hopes they drop something in the offering plate.

Billions of people around the world lack nutrition and lack the gospel while churches keep their investments in real estate. Many do just enough good works to create a facade as they build their portfolios and legacies based on worldly wisdom. How many billions of dollars have been spent acquiring and maintaining church properties?

Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. Why not invest those billions in helping the 1/3 of the world’s population who have never heard the gospel? Did Jesus pay the ultimate price for acres of land or for the souls of men?

Why Won’t They Change?

Some wise guy once told me that reforming entrenched institutions won’t work because of the power brokers who have something to lose. What’s required is an exodus and a new start. With sincere intentions, I ran some experiments and found this advice to be accurate.

Look at Jesus’ example and how He exposed the Pharisees and Sadducees in Matthew 23 and other places and you’ll see that power and control is one of the biggest motivators of organized religion. They killed Jesus for it. Don’t be surprised when they persecute you.

God has always had more confidence in common people than any religious bureaucracy has ever had. The word of God was written for common people. Those who want to control people have a hard time with the idea of meeting from house to house. What really scares these guys is people discovering that they don’t need a ‘professional’ in order to connect with God.

Mega-Church Mindset

Churches get further away from an environment conducive to meaningful relationships the larger they get. Cramming lots people under the dominion of a religious bureaucracy is not the goal of Christianity. The professional entertainment system invented by church-growth gurus:

• Does not develop the priesthood of all believers
• Leaves most believers as a face in the crowd
• Requires lots of money for salaries and buildings

Compare this to the humble New Testament church that met from house to house in a simple, relaxed, real life environment. They spread the gospel all over the world. Each one had a psalm, a teaching, an exhortation. Mutual edification, accountability, and genuine relationships were expected.

Sanctuary Mindset

A formal, almost rigid atmosphere resides in church buildings. This likely has roots in the erroneous idea that the building is a holy place. It leads to a split lifestyle: holy in the holy place and profane everywhere else. Makes me think of the supposedly godly nations of modern America and ancient Israel. Jesus called the Israelites hypocrites. Hypocrite means actor; someone who puts on a show.

Anyone who’s honest will acknowledge that church as most know it is not producing the desirable fruit described in the New Testament. Continuing to practice church as most know it will only produce more of church as most know it. It has been tweaked, repackaged, and sold a zillion different ways, but the various brands of organized religion taste pretty much the same.

Christianity is a way of life, not a series of religious events. Life doesn’t happen at an orchestrated religious performance. Life happens every day and is composed of meaningful relationships. Instead of compartmentalizing it, why not bring Christianity home? You, your family, and everyone else in your life will benefit.

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