In addition to the various Performance-Based Acceptance stories that were shared the other day, I came across a couple of other things that sadly put the emphasis on outward performance when it comes to "growing spiritually" or "spiritual maturity" (or really, life in Christ in general).
The other day I was listening to a Christian talk show that a good grace-man like me really shouldn't be listening to... hahaha... pardon the sarcastic irony. :) No need to mention the program itself, but the call was about a woman who had a 'roadblock' in her marriage. Her "problem" was that she was "growing spiritually" but her husband wasn't. Now I'm not oblivious at all to the desire of having our loved ones alongside us on our journey, and us with them on their journey. But I don't think that's what was being conveyed in this woman's story.
I got the impression that she was becoming more involved in the traditional outward aspects of "doing" the Christian life (" spiritual disciplines?") and he was not "growing" (so-called) at the same pace. Perhaps she was reading her Bible more, going to church more, praying more, being involved in activities more, showing more interest in the things of God, etc, etc. And gee golly, for some reason the husband was simply not as interested.
I then read a blog post called Spiritual Maturity, that links to these findings from the Barna Group. Highlighted on this blog post is this disturbing quote from Barna's findings: "Most Christians equate spiritual maturity with following the rules."
In the various Performance-Based Acceptance stories that were shared the other day, this seemed to be touched on quite a bit as well, in one form or another, including a quote from In Christ Alone's story. Speaking of the various denominations that she'd been a part of, she said, "It was just always about rules and ways to act and be and becoming holy somehow by doing this and that."
I'm sure you have thoughts on all this. What do you think? What I believe is that growing in maturity means that a person has truly understood the love and grace of God - not just in the mind but in the heart - and is "growing" in basking in it and appropriating it and in having Christ's life in them naturally expressing itself through love and grace towards others. How's that for a nutshell definition? :) So if a person is truly maturing in the Christ-life, would the stale lives of their loved ones be a "problem," or would it be an opportunity to share the love and grace of God all the more as Christ manifests His life all the more?
Grace Roots Blog
Showing posts with label maturity. Show all posts
Showing posts with label maturity. Show all posts
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Sunday, October 12, 2008
Over-discipled?
Being and Growing
The other day I was reminded of a section in Jim Robbins' book Recover Your Good Heart that talks about how (in my own words) we're holy, righteous and complete in Christ, and yet at the same time we're growing in it day by day. A section in one of the chapters is How can it be both/and?
How can it be that in Christ we're perfected forever (Heb 10:14), we've become the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus (2 Cor 5:21), we're holy (1 Cor 3:17), we're born again of incorruptible seed (1 Peter 1:23)... and so much more, all by the gift of God's grace, and yet all of this doesn't always show in our outward behavior (and even in our inward thoughts and attitudes). In other words, how can all of this have been an absolute transformation at the time when Christ came to be our life, but yet we're still in a process of being transformed?
Robbins' provides a helpful explanation:
Over-complicated Discipleship?
Isn't that really what discipleship is all about? Do you feel as I do that the church has over-complicated discipleship? Does "go and make disciples" really mean "go and get people to follow you?" Does it mean "get people to church every week, and involved in all kinds of church programs and activities?" Does it mean "get people into accountability groups?" Does it necessarily mean one person leads and another person follows? Is discipleship about becoming a "better" Christian and making sure we do all the things Jesus did? Is discipleship about learning all the do's and don'ts and how-to's of the Christian life and applying them as best we can?
To "disciple" simply means to teach. To be a disciple is to learn in such a way as to grow in maturity. As a disciple of Christ, I'm not trying to become more of something. I already am what I am, but I'm in a lifelong process of learning and maturing in who God has already made me to be. I don't believe discipleship is meant to be some tedious process by which I learn all the rules and get my act together more and more. Rather, I take Jesus' words to heart, "Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light." (Matt 11:28-30)
Now there's a type of learning I can relate to! Why do we make it so hard, and so exhausting, monotonous and laborious, when it was never meant to be that way!
True Discipleship
Don't we really disciple one another? Sure, there are wonderful close-knit one-on-one relationships that form within the body of Christ, in which great discipleship takes place, but in the body don't we all teach one another and learn from one another? Aren't we all to build one another up in love and grace, and spur one another on toward expressing the love that is already in us and the good deeds that God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them?
Thoughts?
Related Post: The Starting Point
The other day I was reminded of a section in Jim Robbins' book Recover Your Good Heart that talks about how (in my own words) we're holy, righteous and complete in Christ, and yet at the same time we're growing in it day by day. A section in one of the chapters is How can it be both/and?
How can it be that in Christ we're perfected forever (Heb 10:14), we've become the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus (2 Cor 5:21), we're holy (1 Cor 3:17), we're born again of incorruptible seed (1 Peter 1:23)... and so much more, all by the gift of God's grace, and yet all of this doesn't always show in our outward behavior (and even in our inward thoughts and attitudes). In other words, how can all of this have been an absolute transformation at the time when Christ came to be our life, but yet we're still in a process of being transformed?
Robbins' provides a helpful explanation:
"...I am always beginning with a firmly established holiness and wholeness within me. Further, I can only change as I rest - rest in God's unshakable favor for me. I therefore learn to live from a new purity in increasing measure while I live buoyed by his delight and already-accomplished work in me. I continue to be transformed into "ever-increasing glory." (2 Cor. 3:18) As I do this, I mature in the goodness that God has already given me. That goodness may be as yet not expressed, but nevertheless still present in me. Discipleship is the process by which I enjoy and continue to express an already-present holiness and wholeness within me." (bold emphasis mine)
Over-complicated Discipleship?
Isn't that really what discipleship is all about? Do you feel as I do that the church has over-complicated discipleship? Does "go and make disciples" really mean "go and get people to follow you?" Does it mean "get people to church every week, and involved in all kinds of church programs and activities?" Does it mean "get people into accountability groups?" Does it necessarily mean one person leads and another person follows? Is discipleship about becoming a "better" Christian and making sure we do all the things Jesus did? Is discipleship about learning all the do's and don'ts and how-to's of the Christian life and applying them as best we can?
To "disciple" simply means to teach. To be a disciple is to learn in such a way as to grow in maturity. As a disciple of Christ, I'm not trying to become more of something. I already am what I am, but I'm in a lifelong process of learning and maturing in who God has already made me to be. I don't believe discipleship is meant to be some tedious process by which I learn all the rules and get my act together more and more. Rather, I take Jesus' words to heart, "Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light." (Matt 11:28-30)
Now there's a type of learning I can relate to! Why do we make it so hard, and so exhausting, monotonous and laborious, when it was never meant to be that way!
True Discipleship
Don't we really disciple one another? Sure, there are wonderful close-knit one-on-one relationships that form within the body of Christ, in which great discipleship takes place, but in the body don't we all teach one another and learn from one another? Aren't we all to build one another up in love and grace, and spur one another on toward expressing the love that is already in us and the good deeds that God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them?
Thoughts?
Related Post: The Starting Point
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Quick growth isn't everyday life
I remember a time when my daughter Noelle was going through a slow time of physical growth. For a long time - it seemed like months and months - she would stand in front of me, and the top of her head was exactly as high as my belly button. We had a lot of fun joking around about that! But then before I knew it, time went by and one day she stood next to me and she was over an inch higher than my belly button! To me, this growth spurt was too sudden. Where'd my little girl go!
I've often talked of the growth process in the Christian life as "slow." Growing into maturity, as well as growing in maturity (the same difference between growing into an adult and growing as an adult) is by no means a fast process - and that's a good thing!
Of course, just as a child goes through various growth spurts on the way to adulthood, Christians also have their own growth spurts on their way to maturity (and again, in maturity as well). Those times are often fun and exciting, full of unexpected but welcomed revelations and sudden fulfillment of things we've been hoping and waiting for, as well as the lifting of the heavy weights of the illusions that we were living under that weren't really reality.
But yet isn't most of our growth slow? When we stand next to God, isn't it often months and months - and even longer much of the time - that we're staring straight into His belly button, wondering when we're ever going to grow that extra inch taller? Yes, we're impatient people! But God's never impatient. As I've grown in grace, I've shed my image of Him as someone who's in a hurry with us. I think we put the pressure of hurried growth on ourselves.
We remember some of the growth spurts that we've been through, with all of the awesome-ness that went along with it, and we wonder why it's not always like that. We think of how great it will be when we "finally" trust Him fully and absolutely with all that's in us, and we feel disappointed that we're not there now. We desperately want to grow into maturity - without realizing it can only come in a series of seasons, not instantaneously. We lack contentment in the Lord's work in us now - because it doesn't fit the illusion we've created!
Don't all little kids play "grown up" at some time or another. And don't all teenagers long for the "freedom" of adulthood. But what kid can truly live life as an adult? And as for teenagers - don't they really want the best of both worlds? They want to be adults but yet they want to remain childish. Again, adulthood - maturity - comes in God's well-planned and executed seasons. He's good with all that. :)
And as for the mature - when they're truly mature, isn't it that they realize that all they needed to be was a child?
------------------
I know you've got loads and loads of time to read my past posts... LOL... but just in case you're interested, here are a few related posts.
Microwave Christianity
Slow-cooking together
Slow cooker or Microwave?
What's the Hurry?
Slow
What's the rush?
I've often talked of the growth process in the Christian life as "slow." Growing into maturity, as well as growing in maturity (the same difference between growing into an adult and growing as an adult) is by no means a fast process - and that's a good thing!
Of course, just as a child goes through various growth spurts on the way to adulthood, Christians also have their own growth spurts on their way to maturity (and again, in maturity as well). Those times are often fun and exciting, full of unexpected but welcomed revelations and sudden fulfillment of things we've been hoping and waiting for, as well as the lifting of the heavy weights of the illusions that we were living under that weren't really reality.
But yet isn't most of our growth slow? When we stand next to God, isn't it often months and months - and even longer much of the time - that we're staring straight into His belly button, wondering when we're ever going to grow that extra inch taller? Yes, we're impatient people! But God's never impatient. As I've grown in grace, I've shed my image of Him as someone who's in a hurry with us. I think we put the pressure of hurried growth on ourselves.
We remember some of the growth spurts that we've been through, with all of the awesome-ness that went along with it, and we wonder why it's not always like that. We think of how great it will be when we "finally" trust Him fully and absolutely with all that's in us, and we feel disappointed that we're not there now. We desperately want to grow into maturity - without realizing it can only come in a series of seasons, not instantaneously. We lack contentment in the Lord's work in us now - because it doesn't fit the illusion we've created!
Don't all little kids play "grown up" at some time or another. And don't all teenagers long for the "freedom" of adulthood. But what kid can truly live life as an adult? And as for teenagers - don't they really want the best of both worlds? They want to be adults but yet they want to remain childish. Again, adulthood - maturity - comes in God's well-planned and executed seasons. He's good with all that. :)
And as for the mature - when they're truly mature, isn't it that they realize that all they needed to be was a child?
------------------
I know you've got loads and loads of time to read my past posts... LOL... but just in case you're interested, here are a few related posts.
Microwave Christianity
Slow-cooking together
Slow cooker or Microwave?
What's the Hurry?
Slow
What's the rush?
Sunday, May 11, 2008
Perfection - Part 2 of 2 - The good news
I'll start this one off with some brief technicalities and then get on with it.
The words that are translated as "perfect" or "perfected" originate as two Greek words:
Teleios (Strong's 5046) is the adjective form of the word, and it's used more commonly. It means "brought to it's end, finished; wanting nothing necessary to completeness; perfect; that which is perfect."
The word that is used a little less often is Teleioo (Strong's 5048). It's the verb form of the word and it means "to make perfect, complete; to carry through completely, to accomplish, finish, bring to an end; to be found perfect; to bring to the end goal."
(The root word for both words is Telos (Strong's 5056), which, simply put, means "the end, the termination, the limit, the purpose, the end, the aim, the end to which all things relate.")
I bring all this up simply to give a bigger sense of what "perfect" means, but in short the words are all related and they have to do with being complete, finished, mature, lacking nothing, perfect, brought to the end goal.
In the first post I attempted to point out the "bad news" about man's lack of perfection. Jesus came as a masterful teacher of the law, and in case anyone thought they were doing ok in regards to being perfect or complete through keeping the law, Jesus made it perfectly clear that they fell far short. The rich young ruler, for example, after claiming to have kept certain laws since his youth, asked Jesus, "What do I still lack?" (In other words, "in what ways do I still fall short of perfection?"). Jesus answered him, "If you want to be perfect (teleios), go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me." The man went away sorrowful.
Why?
I'll just cut to the chase. It's because it's impossible for sinful man to become perfected (complete, brought to the end goal, perfect) through anything he does (!) - no matter how well he thinks he has performed. We can pick on the rich young ruler for not wanting to give up his riches, but who among us could have a conversation with Jesus in which we bring to Him our mighty list of accomplishments and leave Him satisfied with our supposed state of perfection! To me, the whole purpose of the Sermon on the Mount was to get that point through to man's thick, self-righteous skulls!
But I said I was getting to the good news. :) Actually, I think Jesus gives the good news near the beginning of His Sermon, right before spelling out the bad news, and I think we zip right past it without realizing it. He says, "Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill" (Matt 5:17). That's an earth-shattering statement!
"Excuse me, Jesus. Did I hear you right? Did you say you've come to FULFILL the law?"
"Yup."
Jesus goes on, "For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled" (Matt 5:18).
From that point on, He begins to lay out the bad news about the consequences for those whose righteousness does not "exceed that of the scribes and Pharisees."
"You will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven."
Those words, along with the rest of the bad news in Matthew 5-7, make the good news all the more clear: Jesus came to fulfill the law! I believe that one reason Jesus went on to spell out all the bad news was to show how extremely important it was that He came to fulfill the law!
When sinful man finally realizes the truth about his lack of completeness and lack of perfection and lack of true righteousness, he can see much more clearly that standing perfect before God can only come as a gift. He will finally see that he can never earn it or attain to it through anything he does. If the Sermon on the Mount, in addition to the Law, doesn't get that across to sinful man, I don't know what will.
The good news is that Jesus fulfilled the law! And the result of that, along with His sacrificial death and subsequent resurrection is that "He has perfected (teleioo) forever those who are being sanctified" (Heb 10:14). Everything that was lacking in sinful man was completed, accomplished, carried through completely, perfected... through Jesus and only through Jesus.
Col 2:9-10 says, "For in Him (Jesus) dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power."
In Christ... and in Christ alone... we have been perfected and we are complete. We can't add to it or take away from it! This is our actual, factual standing before God. Perfect, complete, holy, justified, sanctified, righteous.
Of course there is another use of the word perfect/perfected. It can also mean to be mature or complete in the things we do, in how we live our lives. This, of course, is something that doesn't happen instantly, in the way that our perfect and complete standing in Christ did. This is a matter of a lifetime of being transformed on the outside to the reality of what is true on the inside. Now, if you think that following the Law or the Sermon on the Mount plays any part in this, please understand the true meaning and the true depths of the Law, and please read the Sermon on the Mount again... and again... and again... until you understand that Jesus is not talking about Christian growth and maturity!
But if you do find yourself truly growing in grace and growing in the love of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit - not through your own efforts but through resting in Christ, who fulfilled the Law - you may just find your outward performance naturally lining up with some of what you see in the law and with the things Jesus said! If you truly find this happening, I can guarantee that you won't ever make the claim that it's all because you've followed the Law or the Sermon on the Mount. Either that, or you've deceived yourself into thinking you have!
I have been crucified with Christ. I no longer live, but Christ lives in Me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in Christ. I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness (or perfection!) comes through the law, then Christ died in vain (see Gal 2:20-21). This is good news!
(By the way, I'm soliciting all comments about any or all of this - whether negative or positive, or neutral. This is my personal take on things, and I'm open to hear what you have to say).
The words that are translated as "perfect" or "perfected" originate as two Greek words:
Teleios (Strong's 5046) is the adjective form of the word, and it's used more commonly. It means "brought to it's end, finished; wanting nothing necessary to completeness; perfect; that which is perfect."
The word that is used a little less often is Teleioo (Strong's 5048). It's the verb form of the word and it means "to make perfect, complete; to carry through completely, to accomplish, finish, bring to an end; to be found perfect; to bring to the end goal."
(The root word for both words is Telos (Strong's 5056), which, simply put, means "the end, the termination, the limit, the purpose, the end, the aim, the end to which all things relate.")
I bring all this up simply to give a bigger sense of what "perfect" means, but in short the words are all related and they have to do with being complete, finished, mature, lacking nothing, perfect, brought to the end goal.
In the first post I attempted to point out the "bad news" about man's lack of perfection. Jesus came as a masterful teacher of the law, and in case anyone thought they were doing ok in regards to being perfect or complete through keeping the law, Jesus made it perfectly clear that they fell far short. The rich young ruler, for example, after claiming to have kept certain laws since his youth, asked Jesus, "What do I still lack?" (In other words, "in what ways do I still fall short of perfection?"). Jesus answered him, "If you want to be perfect (teleios), go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me." The man went away sorrowful.
Why?
I'll just cut to the chase. It's because it's impossible for sinful man to become perfected (complete, brought to the end goal, perfect) through anything he does (!) - no matter how well he thinks he has performed. We can pick on the rich young ruler for not wanting to give up his riches, but who among us could have a conversation with Jesus in which we bring to Him our mighty list of accomplishments and leave Him satisfied with our supposed state of perfection! To me, the whole purpose of the Sermon on the Mount was to get that point through to man's thick, self-righteous skulls!
But I said I was getting to the good news. :) Actually, I think Jesus gives the good news near the beginning of His Sermon, right before spelling out the bad news, and I think we zip right past it without realizing it. He says, "Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill" (Matt 5:17). That's an earth-shattering statement!
"Excuse me, Jesus. Did I hear you right? Did you say you've come to FULFILL the law?"
"Yup."
Jesus goes on, "For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled" (Matt 5:18).
From that point on, He begins to lay out the bad news about the consequences for those whose righteousness does not "exceed that of the scribes and Pharisees."
"You will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven."
Those words, along with the rest of the bad news in Matthew 5-7, make the good news all the more clear: Jesus came to fulfill the law! I believe that one reason Jesus went on to spell out all the bad news was to show how extremely important it was that He came to fulfill the law!
When sinful man finally realizes the truth about his lack of completeness and lack of perfection and lack of true righteousness, he can see much more clearly that standing perfect before God can only come as a gift. He will finally see that he can never earn it or attain to it through anything he does. If the Sermon on the Mount, in addition to the Law, doesn't get that across to sinful man, I don't know what will.
The good news is that Jesus fulfilled the law! And the result of that, along with His sacrificial death and subsequent resurrection is that "He has perfected (teleioo) forever those who are being sanctified" (Heb 10:14). Everything that was lacking in sinful man was completed, accomplished, carried through completely, perfected... through Jesus and only through Jesus.
Col 2:9-10 says, "For in Him (Jesus) dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power."
In Christ... and in Christ alone... we have been perfected and we are complete. We can't add to it or take away from it! This is our actual, factual standing before God. Perfect, complete, holy, justified, sanctified, righteous.
Of course there is another use of the word perfect/perfected. It can also mean to be mature or complete in the things we do, in how we live our lives. This, of course, is something that doesn't happen instantly, in the way that our perfect and complete standing in Christ did. This is a matter of a lifetime of being transformed on the outside to the reality of what is true on the inside. Now, if you think that following the Law or the Sermon on the Mount plays any part in this, please understand the true meaning and the true depths of the Law, and please read the Sermon on the Mount again... and again... and again... until you understand that Jesus is not talking about Christian growth and maturity!
But if you do find yourself truly growing in grace and growing in the love of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit - not through your own efforts but through resting in Christ, who fulfilled the Law - you may just find your outward performance naturally lining up with some of what you see in the law and with the things Jesus said! If you truly find this happening, I can guarantee that you won't ever make the claim that it's all because you've followed the Law or the Sermon on the Mount. Either that, or you've deceived yourself into thinking you have!
I have been crucified with Christ. I no longer live, but Christ lives in Me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in Christ. I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness (or perfection!) comes through the law, then Christ died in vain (see Gal 2:20-21). This is good news!
(By the way, I'm soliciting all comments about any or all of this - whether negative or positive, or neutral. This is my personal take on things, and I'm open to hear what you have to say).
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