by Robert M. Smith
To some of us
“looking the part” means far more than actually being real with our
Christianity. In keeping with this thought – in another book called
Cross Examination, - I wrote a final chapter entitled “Being Real”.
Major portions of it could easily be utilized here as well because of
the pervasive mindset among many North American Christians which
goes something like this: “It matters not whether we truly are believers
as long as we look like believers.” The whole idea behind this
game is to put forth a good “front”; but one that is not too good lest
we become delegated to some involvement in a spiritual work that may not
be to our liking. The winner, as we often see it, is the Christian
character that can dupe other players into thinking that he/she is
what he/she is not! Innately knowing that spirituality is what
God is truly after many so-called Christians try to perform it as
they perceive it. Unfortunately for them, as Chambers writes:
“Spirituality is what God is after, not religiosity. The great snare in
religion without genuine spirituality is that people ape being good when
they are absolutely mean. There is no value whatever in religious
externals, the only thing that is of value is spiritual reality; and
this is spiritual reality – that I allow God to work in me to will and
to do His good pleasure, and then work out what He has worked in, being
carefully careless about everything saving my relationship to God.”[1]
This game is quick
and easy to play. It touches each one of us to some degree. The
modern-day, North American version of Christianity contains the perfect
atmosphere for its cultivation by offering the believer a wide variety
of tempting alternatives to true spiritual living – a veritable
smorgasbord of religious entrées. We are, as many have said before,
continually led to believe that mediocrity should be the norm of a
spiritual lifestyle accompanied by the modified, trimmed-down versions
of the true “abundant life” that Jesus described and delivered. Fed with
notions of material prosperity and immaterial poverty, we find it
convenient to not only wear masks but to change them in accordance with
our circumstances. Within such parameters we not only relegate ourselves
to lower standards, the spiritual leaders to whom we owe these standards
seem essentially unwilling to guide, motivate and urge us out of them.
Indeed, without Christ and His cross as their center, they are quite
incapable of doing so in any case. Tozer nailed it when he wrote:
“Religious contentment is the enemy of the spiritual life always. The
biographies of the saints teach that the way to spiritual greatness has
always been through much suffering and inward pain. The phrase, ‘the way
of the cross,’ though it has come in certain circles to denote something
very beautiful, even enjoyable, still means to the real Christian what
it has always meant, the way of rejection and loss. No one ever enjoyed
a cross, just as no one ever enjoyed a gallows.”[2]
Accompanying this
is the game of spiritual terminology; and with it comes additional false
representation. It exists as a watered-down concept of Christianity in
many places due primarily to a worldly assessment in the minds and
hearts of North American Christians that holds anything and everything
short of outright paganism to be ”Christian”. Our western alliance with
postmodernism in all its forms is leading to the jettisoning of Biblical
truth. Throughout the non-judgmental climate of accommodation that large
sectors of evangelicalism in our time strive for, one can easily detect
the stench of decay rising from the relativistic rubble. Contrary to
some who see amidst sporadic popularity the signs of a new, latter-day
“awakening” the lack of true discipular qualities within the
movement are too numerous to ignore. When we finally work up the nerve
and conviction to examine the truth, depth and relevancy of this issue
we shall find that, unlike the North American rendition, early New
Testament Christianity had no ties with nationalism; it was not a
complement to a specific lifestyle; it was not a vehicle for the
concerns of the middle-class; it was not a “majority”, moral or
otherwise. These features have subtly yet surely distorted the truth of
our faith till it no longer resembles New Testament faith. And these
features are the first key humanistic ingredients in the demise of true
spirituality.
What is happening
here – at this time in North America – then? Through misrepresentation
on a collective level we are formulating our own version of Christianity
and subsequently setting it upon society for approval … caring more
about its acceptance than God’s. It contains a little bit of legalism to
give it a religious flavour, a smattering of politics to give it
authority, a substantial dose of charisma to give it some pizzazz, a
pinch of materialistic pride to give it general appeal, a few secular
approaches to life to attract the masses, and a sprinkling of the name
of Jesus Christ to top-it-off, in order that we may call the whole
concoction “Christian”. Terminology may indeed be in the mix but is it
really accompanied by any spiritual power (2 Tim 3:5)? It has become
vogue in many parts of North America to “talk” Christian “lingo” while
refusing to “walk” according to the Word of God. So many resources are
at the disposal of every believer that our treasure has become trite!
Our overabundance has not led to deeper understanding among the
Christian status quo but has, in fact, led to a deeper complacency. It
has become too easy to learn spiritual lessons from the spiritually
gifted, so after a brief and fleeting initial enthusiasm [“The
one who received the seed that fell on rocky places is the man who hears
the word and at once receives it with joy. But since he has no root, he
lasts only a short time.” Matt 13:20-21
NIV] most North American evangelicals settle for spiritual nonchalance.
John Wesley encapsulated this slumber thusly: “One general inlet to
enthusiasm is expecting the end without the means; the expecting
knowledge, for instance, without searching the Scriptures and consulting
the children of God; the expecting spiritual strength without constant
prayer and steady watchfulness; the expecting any blessing without
hearing the word of God at every opportunity.”[3]
We must also
consider misrepresentation on a personal level. This is not a recent
phenomenon and the Scriptures lovingly give us a couple of warnings
about resorting to it. In both, Matthew 7:21-23 [which shall be utilized
in this book to eradicate many of the games we play] and Acts 19:11-17
we are given examples of false representation.
“Not everyone who says to
Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the
will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. Many will say to Me on
that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in your
name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ And then
I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who
practice lawlessness.’” (Matt 7:21-23)
“God was performing
extraordinary miracles by the hands of Paul, so that handkerchiefs or
aprons were even carried from his body to the sick, and the diseases
left them and the evil spirits went out. But also some of the Jewish
exorcists, who went from place to place, attempted to name over those
who had the evil spirits the name of the Lord Jesus, saying, ‘I adjure
you by Jesus who Paul preaches.’ Seven sons of one Sceva, a Jewish chief
priest, were doing this. And the evil spirit answered and said to them,
‘I recognize Jesus, and I know about Paul, but who are you?’ And the
man, in whom was the evil spirit, leaped on them and subdued all of them
and overpowered them, so that they fled out of that house naked and
wounded. This became known to all, both Jews and Greeks, who lived in
Ephesus; and fear fell upon them all and the name of the Lord Jesus was
being magnified.” (Acts 19:11-17)
Imitating disciples
of Christ without truly knowing Christ as Lord as well as Saviour is
utterly worthless. In the latter incident the imposters were severely
beaten and in the former their ultimate destiny – Hell – is the sentence
administered by none other than Jesus Christ Himself.
Today the scenario
depicted in Matthew continues among those who regularly attend
evangelical churches, leaving us to wonder why. Obviously the dangers of
this game are not preached frequently enough to eliminate the problem
and as a result a specific climate settles over congregations. Many want
the benefits of being a Christian without exemplifying a commitment to
Christ. We sometimes call such people “fire escape Christians” but, in
truth, as Matthew 7:21-23 testifies, the position is far worse than our
poor description intimates. Obvious misrepresentation comes in the form
of acting or living a quite secular and carnal life throughout the week
while becoming surprisingly spiritual on Sunday. Although various
evangelical teachers in our time have spoken and written regularly about
such, only modest results have been seen throughout the land. It would
appear that more seriousness and spiritual dedication is required as
opposed to more and more information about this problem; as it turns
out, complacency is the real malady here. If given the power to choose –
and Christ does indeed give us that option – we, western envangelicals,
prefer to leave our heavy, filthy, horrifying, deadly and gruesome
crosses right where they lie. “The believer’s own cross is one he has
assumed voluntarily. Therein lies the difference between his cross and
the cross on which Roman convicts died. They went to the cross against
their will; he, because he chooses to do so. No Roman officer ever
pointed to a cross and said, ‘If any man will, let him.’ Only Christ
said that, and by so saying He placed the whole matter in the hands of
the Christian. He can refuse to take his cross, or he can stoop and take
it up and start for the dark hill. The difference between great
sainthood and spiritual mediocrity depends upon which choice he makes.”[4]
In another
instance, seldom considered I might add, is a lighter yet equally
detrimental form of inappropriate behaviour. We tend to overlook this
one because “nice people” are involved …but it is as false and as
damaging as the game listed above. In this case we encounter the
individual with the “painted smile”. To others this individual gives an
impression that life is one, long, happy ride; to have any trouble at
all would be deemed unspiritual and sinful. This projection is a vain
attempt at promoting one’s self as a Christian superman, capable
of leaping any mountainous problem in a single bound. Although it is
true that believers have victory in Christ over many things and although
it is true that we should be full of the joy of the Lord, we should
never feel that sadness and trouble are components of a second rate
spirituality. If that were so, our Lord – “the man of sorrows …
acquainted with grief” – would be considered second rate also. What’s
more, is the fact that a perpetually happy expression is a mask that can
hide naivety, ignorance or pain when used as a permanent fixture.
Finally, the
legalistic “do’s and don’ts” policy is another attempt at being
spiritually mature. Many of us have forgotten that our spirituality is
not founded upon a code but rather on a special relationship based on
faith. The apostle Paul spent a lot of time emphasizing this to the
believers in Galatia, Ephesus and Colossae. His intention was not to
obliterate the Law of the Old Testament but to teach that those who
believe in the efficacy of Christ’s atoning death and resurrection are
not “under the Law”. Christians are to bring that Law, through
our faith in Jesus Christ, to God as expressed in Ehp 2:8-10. We do not
respond to the Law’s demands, but rather to the love, grace and Lordship
of Jesus Christ by exercising faith (1 Jn 4:16-5:5). In his epistle to
Roman believers, Paul under the guidance of the Holy Spirit penned this
concept best with these words:
“Therefore there is now no
condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the
Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and
death. For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh,
God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an
offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh, so that the requirement
of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the
flesh but according to the Spirit.” (Rom
8:1-4 NASB)
True spirituality
does not depend upon things, projected images, knowledge or feelings.
The accumulation of “material blessings”, the status and position one
acquires among his/her peers, the intellectual prowess [to be dealt with
in depth later] and the emotional highs associated with “mountain top
experiences” are, all, counterfeits to true spirituality. By investing
too much in any one of these components – for they can all be parts of
the whole that is deemed “Christianity” – one jeopardizes the whole.
We, of North America have given a lot of thought and effort toward
theology but little, if any, toward true spirituality. Whenever I visit
the United States in particular I am always amazed at how many church
buildings are erected throughout the land. Whenever I visit a Christian
bookstore I am always amazed at how many books are written to assist
believers in their understanding of every conceivable aspect of
Christianity; some specific aspects being reviewed and regurgitated
several hundred times over! This overkill tells me a great deal about
our current dilemma: we do not, even with our vast resources, know the
difference between the theological and the spiritual … between the
religious and the truth about Christianity. There is much religion in
North America but there is very little truth. There is much posturing
about the Holy Spirit, especially in these days of charismatic emphasis,
but there is little evidence of an appropriate relationship with Him.
There is much foolishness passed off as worship but extremely little of
it from hearts that are right with God. There is much worldliness in
evangelical gatherings but virtually no Spirit-guided truth from the
Word of God that can actually resurrect these lowly lives of mediocrity.
In defining the true balance of the spiritual and theological worlds, it
was Tozer who wrote, “The sum of what I am saying is that there is an
illumination, divinely bestowed, without which theological truth is
information and nothing more. While this illumination is never given
apart from theology, it is entirely possible to have theology without
illumination. This results in what has been called ‘dead orthodoxy,’ and
while there may be some who deny that it is possible to be both orthodox
and dead at the same time I am afraid experience proves that it is.”[5]
Spiritual maturity
is to be applied to life through the Word of God which instructs us to
be guided by the Holy Spirit. It must be declared at this point that the
Holy Spirit’s prime source of guidance is the very Word of God that He
authored and not some personal dispensation that, amidst all the other
impulsive behaviour, becomes the poor relativistic spiritualism so
prevalent today. Ultimately we are to be transformed into spiritual
beings, concerned more about a vertical relationship with God than a
horizontal relationship with man. The latter will come when the former
is fulfilled. In our day, however, the “witnessing” of a believer has
deteriorated into personal and denominational preferences that relegate
Christ and the Holy Spirit to a subservient role if, indeed, They are
ever allowed a part to play at all.
[1] Oswald Chambers, The Complete
Works of Oswald Chambers, Discovery House Publishers, Grand
Rapids, 2000, Page 586
[2] A. W. Tozer, The Best of A.W.
Tozer – Volume 2, Christian Publications Inc., Camp Hill, PA, Page 78
[3] Thomas S. Kepler, An Anthology of
Devotional Literature, Baker Book House, Grand Rapids, 1977, Page 513
[4] A.
W. Tozer, The Best of A.W. Tozer – Volume 2, Christian
Publications Inc., Camp Hill, PA, Page 154
[5] A. W. Tozer, The Best of A.W.
Tozer – Volume 2, Christian Publications Inc., Camp Hill, PA, Page 140