(Don’t) Have It Your Way!

Jess and I recently upgraded to the “latest and greatest” 4G LTE smartphones (I miss the good ol’ pre-cellphone days!). When we walked into the store, I almost felt overwhelmed by the seemingly unlimited number of choices of phones, plans, cases, and accessories. It reminded me of the scene in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory when the kids walk into the park-like room where everything is edible. They are so overwhelmed by the delicious possibilities that they hardly know where to start.

We live in a get-it-now, anything-goes, 99-flavor society. Just like at Burger King, we like to “have it our way.” This mindset is definitely carried over into the religious world. According to the Hartford Institute for Religion Research, there are currently over 35,000 “Christian” groups/churches in America. Talk about a 35,000-flavor society! Most would say, “One church is just as good as another. It doesn’t make much of a difference; just pick the one you like best. They all pretty much believe the same thing anyway.”

When it comes to Christ’s church, there is really just one choice. In Matthew 16:18, Jesus said he would build his church (singular). He later prayed for oneness of his church (Jn. 17:21). In Colossians 1:18, Paul called the church “the body of Christ,” and in Ephesians 4:4, he said there is but one body. How did we go from one to over 35,000?

You might argue that all the different denominations are collectively considered Christ’s church. They worship God and teach that Christ is his only begotten son, so they are all included in the church that Christ established. You might even point out John 15:5, “I am the vine, and you are the branches…” and say that all of the different churches are the branches that make up the vine. Aside from the fact that the verse is not talking about denominations, but individual people/members (he that abideth in me…, if a man abide not in me…, etc), it doesn't make sense that different denominations teaching different doctrines could be considered the same church. If church A teaches doctrine A, and church B teaches doctrine B, how can they be the same one church?

In 1 Corinthians 1:10-12, Paul challenged the division that had crept into the church. Some members were saying they were of Paul, some of Apollos, some of Cephas, and some of Christ. Paul accused them of dividing Christ. Obviously, people can still be guilty of dividing Christ today, especially when naming themselves after men (re: Martin Luther(an), John Calvin(ist), etc.).  In fact, Christ has been divided over 35,000 times!

Sometimes it’s great to have so many choices. When it comes to things like doughnuts, ice cream flavors, and even cell phones, the more choices the better. However, when it comes to being a member of the church that Christ gave his life for, we must be careful to avoid the “have it your way” mindset because with God, there’s only one choice.

 

In future posts, we'll get into how the scriptures describe the one church.

 

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For more information, see the link titled "Why are there so many churches?"

Hollywood Salvation

If you’re familiar with the movie Ghost (starring Patrick Swayze, Demi Moore, and Whoopi Goldberg), you’ll remember the end when the bad guy of the movie was dragged to Hell by scary shadow demons, and Swayze’s character was called into the light of Heaven. The bad guy met his fate because of all the terrible things he did throughout the movie. In contrast, Swayze’s character did all the “good” things. He used his ghostly powers to protect Moore’s character from the bad guys, he helped a psychic to fully appreciate her gift, and he even helped make a clay pot.  He of course was the hero of the movie, so naturally, he was Star Trek-beamed into Heaven (but only after he accomplished the aforementioned good deeds).

Sadly, much of the world (religious and non-religious alike) takes this Hollywood view of salvation. As long as you’re a good person and do good things like pay your taxes, hold the door open for strangers, and give to charity, you’ll go to Heaven.  If you go to church every now and then, and especially if you go every Sunday, that’s just icing on the cake.

What does the Bible say about salvation?

1)      We are not saved by good deeds. We’re saved by grace through faith. (Eph. 2:8-9)

2)      God’s grace instructs us to demonstrate our faith by obeying his commands. (Titus 2:11-12; James 2:21-24; Heb 11)

3)      Only those who obey the gospel and keep his commands will be saved, no matter the number of good deeds they did on Earth. (II Thes. 1:8-9; John 14:15; Mt. 7:21-23)

 A person must be a faithful member of Christ’s body to go to Heaven, period. To imply that a man can make it to Heaven by being a “good person” and simply riding his La-Z-Boy to the pearly gates is disrespectful to Christians who are daily walking in the light.  The New Testament calls us to put on our Christian armor.  I don’t know about you, but I’ve never needed armor when paying taxes, holding doors open for strangers, giving to charity, or when making clay pots.   Hopefully none of us are ever fooled by Hollywood’s view of Christianity.

Kicking off 30 with a blog

I turned 30 this month.  Along with the thoughts of “Man, I’m getting old” and “Where did the time go,” I realized something.  Jesus the Christ was 30 when he began his earthly ministry.

Sure, I’m a responsible adult, but many times I still feel like I should be 18.  I’m busy juggling things like a career, a mortgage, a car payment, and taming our unruly kids (they’re not really unruly, but you know what I mean). I couldn’t imagine being faced with the task of conquering the world’s sin at the age of 30. Of course, Jesus was and is deity, but the fact still remains that he was part human. He experienced the same emotions as we do.  This is evident in Gethsemane when he implored that the Father let the cup of his crucifixion pass from him.

With my 30^th birthday and the thought of Jesus being the same age when he began his mission to seek and save the lost, I’ve realized that I need to do a whole lot more in service to him.  If he could set out on the path to the cross at this age, I can surely walk the much easier path of spreading the message of his kingdom.  Hence, the birth of this blog.  I intend to carry this blog from age 30 to age 33, which is how old Jesus was when he was crucified.

I’d like to talk about common misconceptions in the religious world, share my thoughts about different religious topics, invite guest speakers to share thoughts, and basically focus on all things spiritual.  I hope no one takes any offense to what I say, as I’m sharing my thoughts out of love and concern.  Thanks for your interest in my spiritual journey – three years from thirty-three!