Transactional Christianity

 

Transactional Christianity

Transactions happen every day in our lives. We have transactions with people in terms of exchanging ideas, feelings, thoughts, and moments. We have transactions in the business sense. If I want a candy bar I go to the store and pick it up from the candy aisle and then proceed to pay for it with my cash or debit card. There was an exchange that has taken place. As such, transactions can be good or bad depending upon the outcome. But, in a world of transactions can our faith, salvation, and/or relationship with God become the same? Can it develop a nature that is "transactional"? 

The Great Exchange

Truly in the Scripture there is a transaction that has taken place for our sake. The moment when first man and first woman fell in sin and were separated from God by their sin, there was needed an exchange of sin for grace. God was the first to do this when He made clothing of animal skins for the man and woman. A life for the spiritual death that had taken place. Eventually, God would establish an entire system of sacrifice for His people that would be their way to "exchange" their guilt for innocence and God's grace. Leviticus chapters 1-7 detail the nature of the system and the transaction that takes place as a result. 

However, the book of Hebrews relates to us that this system was not able to complete or fulfill the fullness of the transaction needed between God and man. 

For when every command had been proclaimed by Moses to all the people according to the law, he took the blood of calves and goats, along with water, scarlet wool, and hyssop, and sprinkled the scroll itself and all the people, saying, This is the blood of the covenant that God has ordained for you. In the same way, he sprinkled the tabernacle and all the articles of worship with blood. According to the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness. (Hebrews 9:19-22)

Since the law has only a shadow of the good things to come, and not the reality itself of those things, it can never perfect the worshipers by the same sacrifices they continually offer year after year. Otherwise, wouldn’t they have stopped being offered, since the worshipers, purified once and for all, would no longer have any consciousness of sins? But in the sacrifices there is a reminder of sins year after year. For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. (Hebrews 10:1-4)

He takes away the first to establish the second. By this will, we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all time. Every priest stands day after day ministering and offering the same sacrifices time after time, which can never take away sins. But this man, after offering one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God. (Hebrews 10:9-14)

There is only one transaction that was able to completely pay the debt we owed to God, the sacrifice of Jesus who was fully God and fully man. He alone was capable to fulfill our debt. As the apostle Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians, "He made the one who did not know sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God." Jesus is the transaction of our sin for God's grace, mercy, love, and salvation. The theological terms we use are substitutionary atonement and propitiation to describe this. Instead of our debt leading us to knowing the full wrath of God, Jesus took it upon Himself in our place. This is a wonderful piece of the news of the gospel of Jesus!

Transactional Christianity

 The transaction of the gospel is only a piece of the gospel. The Lord desires relationship with mankind. In Genesis He walked with Adam and Eve. In eternity He will dwell with His people as Revelation tells us. The love of God and His salvation is not just a transaction. It is not a simple, cold, calculated business deal between Him and Satan or us. It is something deeper and more. It is about community, relationship, and connection to our Creator, Sustainer, and Life. The outflow of the salvation with God through Jesus is relationship, but relationship that is intimate, not transactional. Often, though, I fear we take the transaction of salvation and we apply to the relationship. Meaning we take our good deeds, our godliness, our righteousness, our church attendance, our service, our prayer, our Scripture reading and we simply make it a transaction in the bank of God. The purpose of this transaction? To accrue favor and God's blessing in our lives. We hope some interest on account builds into our benefit with God, never realizing that these outflows of salvation are actually meant to lead us into a deeper walk and intimacy with Jesus.

The Impact of Transactional Christianity

Stale and Cold Religion

Transactional Christianity is where the things of church and God become stale and cold for us. Just as a deposit of funds in the bank becomes a somewhat trite task or becomes an autopilot with direct deposit; so can the works of our salvation. They lose meaning, intent, purpose, and lifeless. Church life becomes a steady deposit every other week where we cash in our time with God to add to the savings account of eternity. Yet, it was never meant to be that way.

Jesus told His disciples and us, "Abide in me, and I in you. Just as a branch is unable to produce fruit by itself unless it remains on the vine, neither can you unless you remain in me. I am the Vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in me I in him produces much fruit, because you can do nothing without me." (John 15:4-5)

Abide or remain denotes fellowship, closeness, intimacy in mind, heart, and soul. Life comes from abiding and deposits of religiosity were never the way to abide. Expressions of religion- worship, fellowship, serving, giving, Scripture reading, prayer, etc were meant to be the avenues in which we abide. Also, this verse teaches that fruit- righteousness, godliness, love, mercy, peace, patience; or desire for worship, prayer, Scripture, fellowship, etc. does not even come from within. It comes from Him in our abiding. If the expressions of religion have become a stale, cold, deposit for us; perhaps it's because we are no longer abiding.

Attempts to Manipulate God

Transactional Christianity where the relationship becomes a way to manipulate God. The expressions of religion or better, of the relationship with God, become tools of the carnal heart to manipulate God. Granted we cannot actually manipulate our Creator. There is an account in the book of Acts that attests to this. A man names Simon who once practiced a form of sorcery and magic becomes a believer. In a unique moment described the Holy Spirit had not come on the Simon or the people who were saved in Samaria. When Peter comes he prays for the Holy Spirit to come upon them and it happens. Simon sees this and tries to offer money to have this same power of Peter. Peter's response? "May your silver be destroyed with you, because you thought you could obtain the gift of God with money! You have no part or share in this matter, because your heart is not right before God." 

In essence, Simon is attempting to buy or manipulate God to gain the benefit of God. If our relationship with God is simply transactional we can be vulnerable to use our expressions of religion to manipulate Him too. If I simply pray, God will grant this thing. If I serve on this team it will make up for the sin I committed the past few months. If I read this much of the Bible I will feel better about myself or immediately see God change my life. The issue is not doing, but being. The heart is like Simon's and is not right before God. It misses the point of the expressions of religion to become tools of manipulation to gain favor when instead they are avenues of depth with God.

A User of God

Transactional Christianity is where the relationship becomes only useful to our benefit. Similar to the manipulation of God, the user of God only has need for benefits. Like a user of drugs seeks to get their fix from their drug of choice; they can go about many ways to achieve that drug. Transactional Christianity seeks to use the expressions of religion like good luck charms that will bring about all the "goodness" of life. Does the Lord seek to bring about our good? Yes! But our good and His good can have completely different looks. Before Paul was an apostle, he was a persecutor of the Jesus and the Church. He was Saul, a ruthless man who hated all things Christian. Saul has an encounter with Jesus, is blinded, and in need of a believer to reveal the truth to him. Ananias is sent by Jesus to speak to Paul and this what Jesus says of Saul- "Go, for this man is my chosen instrument to take my name to Gentiles, kings, and Israelites. I will show him how much he must suffer for my name." (Acts 9:15-16)

Did you catch that? Saul is called out to suffer for Jesus. There is great benefit in salvation with eternal life and the presence of God in our lives, but the call was not to have everything Saul deemed as good or of benefit to be given to him. He would actually suffer greatly for the sake of Jesus. Often, when our Christianity becomes transactional we simply want to use God for the good things only. When the suffering comes, we find another fix. This is also when we can often blame God or the church for the wrong/hurt in our lives and eventually walk away.

Our Response

The book of Hebrews provides us with our answer to respond. Transactional Christianity can creep in on us. It can lead us to drift its way without even realizing it. Our response is to remain vigilant to keep a pulse on our spiritual walk. If we notice the affects of Transactional Christianity in our lives, take assessment and steps to combat it. Here are some suggestions from the book of Hebrews:

1. Seek to rest or abide in Him- "Let us make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will fall into the same pattern of disobedience." (Hebrews 4:11)

2. Hold fast to our confession of Jesus- "let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who has been tempted in every way, yet without sin." (Hebrews 4:14-15)

3. Approach God in your need- "Therefore, let us approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in time of need." (Hebrews 4:16)

4. Allow other believers(the church) to speak into your life- "And let us watch out for one another to provoke love and good works, not neglecting to gather together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the day approaching." (Hebrews 10:24-25)

5. Confess and lay down what hinders you- "...Let us lay aside every hinderance and the sin that so easily ensnares us . Let us run with endurance the race that lies before us, keeping our eyes on Jesus, the source and perfecter of our faith.

 

Reflections of India Day 3

 Day 3

           

Details of the Day

Day 3 found us traveling several hours to our next village to preach and teach to local pastors, their wives, and other members of churches. We traveled to this little church in the middle of fields, yet again. It was actually quite a beautiful scene. As we gathered, I noticed the space was small, like the others and I wasn't sure what to expect in numbers. Sri determined we would have about 40 or so, but we ended up with 93! It was here that some of the biblical text came to life for me. We read of Jesus teaching in homes and a crowd would gather to listen. The house packed, but the outside full too, listening from the windows and doors. This was the same!

It was here that I began to preach the sermon that was close to what I was supposed to preach, but not the text I used. I spoke from Philippians about suffering well. It fell flat in my mind and just wasn't there. It was hard because this, ultimately, is what I was burdened to do while in India. To encourage these brothers and sisters in Christ to be strong in the Lord, stand firm on the gospel, and endure faithfully. Something that is hard to proclaim when I won't face much of anything compared to what they can face. The Lord would later use a message for that purpose. I spoke first so I had the rest of the time to reflect. I admit I didn't listen much to Russ or Brett because I was so frustrated with how my sermon went. I prayed for the Lord to give me something. My mind rested upon Ps. 121 and I couldn't shake it. Was this what I was supposed to preach? Was this for me? I just wrestled with the text in my soul. The Lord had plans though...

Lunch Time!

Our lunch time consisted of going to the local pastor's home where his wife prepared a wonderful meal for us. There was a couple of reasons for this. One was simply space as there were so many people at the church. The other was to show hospitality by having someone in the home. This was quite common to be invited to the pastor's homes. We would have discussions and pray for them. It was hard at first to be pulled away from the rest of the people as it felt like special treatment. To a degree this was true, but then I  began to remember the Scriptures that speak of showing hospitality. In 3 John, the apostle commends Gaius, a Christian church leader for his hospitality, "Dear friend, you demonstrate faithfulness by whatever you do for the brothers (even though they are strangers). They have testified to your love before the church..." (5,6) Being welcomed into homes was a sign of honor, but being obedient to the Word of God for these pastors and their wives!

Courtyard of pastor's home

We ended the day with a ride back to the city and a stop at a believer's home who we were asked to pray over. The matriarch of the family was ill and had been for some time. They, at times, felt a dark oppressiveness in their home and they sought the elders to come and pray. In particular, they wanted us to pray over this woman by anointing her with oil. James 5 offers this as prescription for those who are ill. "Is anyone among you ill? He should summon the elders of the church, and they should pray for him and anoint him with olive oil in the name of the Lord." (14) We had Sri anoint her as a direct elder and then we proceeded to pray for her healing. We then prayed over the home and read Scripture. This is where earlier Ps. 121 was to come into play. I was to read this over the family. It was to encourage and strengthen this family who was struggling. Perhaps the Lord didn't use me for preaching this day as much as I thought, but certainly to encourage this amazing family by His Word. It is amazing how God determines what He wants for you or how He wants to use you.

Reflections of Day 3

There are a couple of reflections from this day. The first is how the Lord uses us. I went in this day with the assumption my I would be delivering a great message to encourage pastors and wives. Fulfilling my purpose for even being in India. Well, I did, but not in the manner in which I thought it would happen. Often we get frustrated by the manner in which God uses us. In many ways, what happened later that evening during this time of prayer felt "lesser" then preaching to 93 people. Truly, that is just my pride talking. What I don't know is how that time of prayer and Scripture reading impacted that family. This family that included a little girl who desired to be a teacher of the Word, to be bold. A girl who soaked in everything that took place while we were in their home. That little girl can tell her friends of these pastors who came to pray for her grandmother, who prayed over them, who spoke God's Word to them because it is the truth. This family is a staple to a local church, who will impact many through ministry and proclamation of the gospel. Sure, I may not have "reached" 93 people like I wanted, but what if God wanted to reach someone in this family that will have a ripple effect? A ripple effect that started with a simple prayer and Scripture reading.

The second reflection pertains to the hospitality shown. They gave us their best. They took time, energy, money, and effort to treat us like family. Because...we are family in Christ. That is one of the beautiful things about the gospel. It connects us via Christ to one another. We may speak different languages, have different customs and food, or have little or plenty. In Jesus, it doesn't matter. Something that can be lost in American churches. Fellowship of believers in homes speaks powerfully. Inviting someone into your home is a sacred space. It is your space and to bring another in is important. When we have someone over to our house we make sure it is clean, we prepare a meal, and we take time, energy, money, and effort to make it nice for the guests. Why? Well, sometimes it can be so their opinion of us is not lesser. But, moreover it speaks to the fact these people matter. This is the heart of Christian hospitality. These people matter.

A few other pictures of the day

Preaching

Streets and homes of village

Inside the church

Chicken Curry and couple different rices

Reflections Of India 2

 Day 2

Details of the Day

Day 2 started with a breakfast at the hotel. There was no eggs and bacon, pancakes, waffles, or other typical hotel breakfast items. It was traditional India breakfast. Most of it consisted of various breads that you used to sop up the rice or chutney's offered. I tried several things and found that I enjoyed it, but over time I would find that I'd rather just eat some butter toast each morning. We got our day started with Sri who would be our driver and translator for the trip. We were to travel 3 hours outside the city to a village to do our first pastor's conference. We traveled the highway for quite a while and eventually ended up on some off beaten roads, not too unlike many in west Texas. We traveled for a distance and arrived at this little village. It was not quite what I expected it to be. The little church was clearly marked by the white building and little red crosses on it.

The pastor's conference was filled with worship, prayer, and of course preaching and teaching. I taught on the role of the pastor to be faithful to fulfill his ministry, Russ preached on our obedience to the Lord builds on our testimony, and Brett taught on basic biblical interpretation. We were received well and told it was a blessing to learn. Sri said he truly only expected about 10-15 pastors to be there, but in fact we had close to 60! We also had pastor's wives and a few church people too. The conference ended with a meal and fellowship. We were invited to stay in the pastor's home. It was quite cool and it was interesting to see how they lived. Of course they told a story of a time or two when a cobra could be found working it's way through the rafters. That was unnerving for a guy who is terrified of snakes. The structure to the left of the car was the pastor's home. I guess we didn't take any pictures inside.

We left from the village and made our way back toward the city. We stopped for a little snack and some chai. For those who don't know, chai means tea. So when we say chai tea, we saying tea twice. I didn't know that! But, the shop we stopped in was of a newer believer in the Lord. His wife was a believer, but this man was in a dark place. Sri believes there was even some demonic possession, but definitely influence. Through prayer and continued gospel moments, he became a believer! We stopped with the intention to pray for this couple and to encourage them in the Word. It was quite a beautiful moment to share with them. We got back near our hotel and was ready for dinner. We stopped at a Pizza Hut. It was pretty close to a taste of home. I savored it!

Fried pepper of some kind.

Chai is good, but I missed coffee

Reflections from Day 2

It happened all week, but I took notice on day 2, the way these believers prayed. First, they prayed for so much as if their lives depended upon it. Truly, it did. There was a young girl who had a heart condition that required surgery. The cost was too much and the parents were reserved to believe they would lose her. The pastors pushed for prayer and the Lord answered by provision for the right doctor to perform the surgery for a price that would be affordable. She is a miracle baby!

Even more, in worship I noticed they pray out loud almost exclusively. They pray loudly, with conviction, passion, and abandon. Even when prompted to confess sins in prayer, they pray out loud. There is not concern of what those around them might hear. I believe because they don't care. It is almost as if there is an understanding of the wretchedness of people in their sin. We all have it and it is all dealt with by the cross of Jesus. When they pray, even confessing their sins, it is truly a casting it upon the Lord. In America we seem to be apt to pray silently in our minds. Why? I wonder if it has something to do with the fact when we verbalize it and it becomes auditory it is out there. When we are silent it is still internal and sort of kept safe. I have found in my own quiet times, I have been speaking out loud when I pray more and it is helped me focus and to truly hear what I am saying. Publicly, I think we are afraid to pray out loud because we are so worried about others. What if they think I am a terrible pray-er? What if they hear my sin I just spoke of? What will they think about me? Dear reader, where is the focus then? It is on you or on others, not the Lord. Maybe the "effectiveness" of our prayers is hindered because we are afraid to pray without abandon and with true focus on the One who hears us and the One who truly matters in the conversation we carry with our Lord?

A Few Other Pics of the Day

Village behind the church.

A taste of home!

A bathroom. That was a new experience!

The "miracle baby" in red.

Lunch being prepared

Reflections of India 1

Day 1

Details of the Day

I must admit that at 40 years of age and having been in ministry for almost 18 years, I have never been on an international mission trip before. It seems kind of shameful in fact, but the opportunity presented itself a few months back. I approached my church to send me and they agreed. The task would be to travel with two other fellow pastors to conduct pastor conferences in the state of Teleganda, India for several days. For any aspirations of going abroad for mission, this was the kind of trip I hoped to participate in one day.

The flight to India was not too bad. We didn't have much time in layover at airports and to be honest the excitement had filled me up. I was ready to get there and experience new things. After, long travel we arrived at the airport in the city of our stay around 2:00am Sunday morning. We left America about 7:00pm on Friday. We got to our hotel and was able to get a few hours of sleep before we would be picked up by our missionary pastor (Sri as I will call him) to attend church.

We arrived after a drive around the city to our location. I was not accustomed to the way they drive or how traffic flowed. Lanes are suggestions and the flow of traffic is meant to be continuous. Motorbikes, rickshaws, cars, trucks, buses, all crowd the streets. We arrived to this location sort of off the beaten path to a building that was, by our standards dilapidated. It looked as if it wasn't completed or something happened to it. You can see the picture below.

We sat at the front of the church and the people worshipped. They sang and uses tambourines and drums to create music. It was different from what I was used to for sure. The people were joyful and passionate as they worshipped, a common trait from all the places we traveled to and experienced their worship. One of the other pastors I was with brought a message while Sri translated. The people then "honored" us with a special silk cloth they would place over our shoulders and a flower garland on our necks. It was different for sure. We then prayed for many of the people. It was hard at times because it felt like we were elevated to some special status and our prayers would somehow be more effective. I don't know if that was necessarily the case, but what I do know is they sought prayer over details of their life-big or small. We even prayed over a man's vehicle that would be used for taxi purposes.

We ended our time with a meal, a common meal we would eat every day at least once. Chicken curry and rice. It was delicious, but after several days it was getting a little harder to eat each time. But, it was another way to honor and to share a common meal together even if we didn't share the same language or customs. It was a way to connect. We finished our day and made it back to the hotel in the late afternoon to rest. We had a big week ahead with a lot of travel. 

Reflections of the Day

I wanted to point out what was so striking for me on this day. The church building we were at was once a fully constructed building a few months ago. In fact, the people built it with their hard earned money and celebrated with a worship service. 3 days later after the inaugural worship service, some people of the village decided they did not like this church. In turn they tore it down, or what they could. The remnants remained, but enough to keep doing what they were. The people were not stopped because the building was now less than it was. They made do and continued to worship and be a light in their little area of the city. They were not inconvenienced by the lack of roof and walls. The building was special, but it was not the heart of the church. The people gathered was the heart. Christ was their heart. Even more, each time preaching takes place they have a small speaker system with a microphone they hook up (battery powered I believe) and they point it in the direction of the village within this city. They would not be bullied into being quiet. They knew the good news of Jesus and they proclaimed it despite sitting in the very persecution they faced.

I think about the American church and how we can get so inconvenienced because the AC or heat is not working right. It is too cold or rainy out to attend. We spent too much time out the night before. The conditions of what makes worship right are not quite there and we get bent out of shape. The coffee is less than Starbucks value(which for me is not great anyway). We find so many reasons not to gather to worship and yet, here they would not be stopped. Was it hard for them? Sure! Was it an inconvenience to have their building the way it was? Yes, but the Lord was bigger than any of that. The value of the gathered saints worshiping the risen Savior for the sake of a lost world was of greater value. Perhaps we have far too many little idols or gods we actually place in front of Jesus to make our worship a priority? Little gods of convince and comfort that if they are not present, somehow devalues the value of Jesus. I wondered how much I think like that and lead in that as well. There was much to be learned from these people and probably more than I would ever teach them. I would soon find that to be the case as the week went on.

A Few Other Pictures of the Day

Praying over this spot on the property for this to become a home for this man.

Decisions and Seeking God

"Israel went out to meet the Philistines in battle and camped at Ebenezer while the Philistines camped at Aphek. The Philistines lined up in battle formation against Israel, and as the battle intensified, Israel was defeated by the Philistines, who struck down about four thousand men on the battlefield."

"When the troops returned to the camp, the elders of Israel asked, “Why did the Lord defeat us today before the Philistines? Let’s bring the ark of the Lord’s covenant from Shiloh. Then it will go with us and save us from our enemies.” So the people sent men to Shiloh to bring back the ark of the covenant of the Lord of Armies, who is enthroned between the cherubim. Eli’s two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, were there with the ark of the covenant of God."  (1 Sam. 4:1-4)

Have you ever made a decision that did not turn out so well? Whom did you consult to help you with the decision? Did you take time to prepare and pray to God?

Israel decided to go into battle against the Philistines and both times they get slaughtered. When we see why it makes sense. Even more, when we follow the same pattern as them, we can see why we sometimes face "defeat" in decisions we make. Two reasons come up that show me why Israel was defeated.

Israel did not seek God's will to fight

Whether the prophet/priest Samuel gave a word or not or the elders just decided, it is clear Israel made a decision to fight without the proper consultation with God. God established rules for the people to follow before engaging in war. (1) He must go before them as their sovereign king and (2) they are to purify themselves through the proper rituals as a part of the preparation for God be amongst them and to fight. Neither of these is done. Even more, they eventually have the corrupt sons of Eli to "lead" them. Nothing they have done has indicated they want to honor God or truly desire Him to lead them.

What are the decisions we make without first talking to God about? Prayer and preparation have always been key components to major decisions of one's life or within the church. Often, disciples or Jesus Himself could be found fasting, praying, and seeking solitude in order to prepare for what is to come. The same is said of the godly leaders found throughout the Old Testament. It is about honoring God as the sovereign king of our lives and trusting that He knows what is best for us above what we even think is best. When we are hasty in decisions and do not properly seek God, the impact and consequences could be great.  

They try to use God as a commodity

After the first defeat, the elders get the idea to bring out the Ark of the Covenant because God's presence is with it. While God did use it to symbolize His presence among the people, it was not the only resting place of His presence. So, the people bring it out and hope that it (the Ark) will save them. It is possible the "it" in Scripture could be translated as he, but it is ambiguous. This tells us that somewhere along the way what was a symbol of God's presence became a god to them. Andrew Blackwood states, "First, men said that God was in the Ark. Then they insisted that God was the Ark. Later they assumed that the Ark was God. Hence they relied on the Ark as a substitute for the God of their fathers." Once the symbol became God, God became something controllable and manipulated by them to their will. Instead of asking and waiting for God to approve what is happening, they now try to bring God into their plans. They basically said, "Okay God, we got us here and now we need you to come into this mess and go ahead and bless it." An attitude like this happens when we can "mold God to what we want".

When we do not properly seek God and understand who He is, we make grave mistakes like this. Even more, we make even good things like music, buildings, or people our "chosen god". We turn possessions or experiences of this world into idols. In addition, when we desire these other things over God it can lead us to find leaders who are willing to compromise. The elders allowed spiritually corrupt men to lead them in Eli's sons. They are not proper leaders and have compromised their relationship with God and are leading the people to do the same. We must be careful to remember who God is and who we are to Him. Misplaced perspective such as 1 Sam. 4 teaches can lead to great very serious consequences.

"Life Worship"

"I understand that God has saved my life through the work and sacrifice of Jesus and He mercifully saved me." This is the person who through intellect or knowledge of Scripture what salvation means. This is only in the head. When true faith and salvation impacts the heart and life is when it is lived out as Paul presents in this verse. "Paul now reveals [the body of the believer] to be the ultimate key to the practice of the victorious Christian life. It is of little avail to know theoretically the truths of Romans 6-8 (or other Scripture) if the body(the practical outworking) is not surrendered so that the life of Christ can be expressed in the everyday affairs of life." (John Phillips)

The life lived in Christ is marked as holy and pleasing to God that is worship of Christ. To be holy is to be set apart, consecrated, devoted to God. The implications are 2 fold:

1. Sinful actions and lifestyle are entirely opposed to the life that is holy and pleasing to God. We usually apply this well. In youth ministry we see this summed up for students by the "big dont's"- don't do drugs, don't have sex before marriage, don't be mean to people, etc. However, lifestyle is just the revealed attitude of one's life. How you live is determined by your heart. So, if you are a bitter person, your heart may be racked with anger. This example is to help see that action alone is not the sole issue of sin. Attitude of the heart, the root cause of behavior is just revealed in how we live.

2. Though things of this world may not be sinful to participate in, the question of does it please God and reveal His holiness through me is key. I believe Paul wants his readers to see that living a life of worship for Jesus is of far greater value than our desires. I may choose to not participate in certain things because it could affect my witness of my life as worship of Jesus, even though I may have the freedom to do those things. What is of greater value for you and me? My wants or desires that I am free to participate in or my life as worship of Christ? Can I be willing to sacrifice what I want for the sake of Christ?

Hobbies are good, but if they force me to neglect my spiritual duties (lead family or lead church) or callings, they interfere with my "life worship".

Media such as music, movies, or books are of value to a point. But if the content conforms me more to the world rather than Christ, my worship is hindered.

Work, education, sports, travel, possessions, and money all are perhaps necessary or elements of life that can be important, but if they replace Christ they are now the object of my worship and my life will reflect as such. 

So, the call of Paul is to live a life of worship that is pleasing to Him. It is not what we do on a Sunday morning alone that is worship. How we conduct our lives are actually greater elements of worship. Think about this: the 3rd commandment is to not take the Lord's name in vain. We associate that with not cussing to saying "God" or "Jesus" like curses. However, to claim Christ as Savior and Lord and to not live a life worthy of worship to Him is also to take the Lord's name in vain. It is in fact the name of Jesus we call out to to be saved. It is the name of Jesus we claim who changed us.

The Intersection

"Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called as an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God--which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures--" Romans 1:1-2

In 5th grade, I had my intersection moment. I grew up in church for the most part and heard the gospel. But one evening in my room I lay in bed and suddenly it was pressed upon my heart that I was devoid of God truly present in my life. I had sin that separated me from Him and I needed Jesus. I wept as the conviction of my sin was made clear and my need. I prayed and asked God to intersect my life, to take over and make me what He desired. I was not in church when this happened. I was not in the middle of some amazing worship service that led me to hear from the Person of Jesus. No, I was in the quiet of the night, just me and Him. It was an experience, one I cannot deny, one that has put me on a path of a changed life forever.

Paul is writing to a church and in these first couple verses he is establishing who he is and the "credentials" of his authority to write the church. However, I find something deeper present. Paul writes about an intersection. An intersection is a point at which two or more things intersect or cross or meet. The "Paul intersection" is more about two paths of life that were perpendicular to each other that became parallel. Paul says he is a servant of Christ, called as an apostle, and set apart for the gospel of God. James Edwards of the New International Biblical Commentary says, "Here are two planes of reality. There is Paul, a human being who belongs to the same world we do; and there is God, who is beyond our world and yet intersects it with the gospel of Jesus Christ." (26) God breaks into our world all the time, intersecting with us, bringing us His gospel, His grace! For Paul, this intersection experience was so strong that Edwards describes it as such, "The preeminence of that encounter forever changed his orientation, and at a deeper level his self-understanding." (28) Essentially, Paul belongs to Jesus, his allegiance is to Jesus alone. In reading this I have found two important elements critical to understanding our intersection with Jesus, our salvation moment if you will.

You Don't Possess the Gospel, It Possesses You

Edwards relates that the for Paul the above heading was indicative of his life. Here is why it is important for us to understand this. If we can possess the gospel of our own doing then it becomes of us. This means we bear the right to make the gospel what we want it to be. The gospel can become a social justice gospel alone that centers upon humanitarian aid. Social justice certainly is a part of the gospel, but it is not central and not something we get to direct as such. If we possess the gospel we can make it works based on our standards. If we possess it, then my standards I place on myself I get to place on you. The problem is I couldn't even keep my standards if I tried--even if I set the bar extremely low--so how could I expect others to keep them too? If the gospel is just a "get out of hell free" card or an adherence to "simple" church traditions that I want it to be, then I have made the gospel about works I can achieve. Or, I can make the gospel about a set of theological ideas that I grasp intellectually, but in my heart and in practice they mean little when I possess the gospel and I am not possessed by it. In fact, the gospel is more than any of these things I have listed. It is more than an idea I accept in my life. It is much deeper and more alive than that. Much like my intersection experience, I was not intellectually assenting to some theological ideas. I was intersecting with the alive, ever present God. Which leads to the second element.

"The gospel is really not a thing, but a person, Jesus Christ."

Edwards states the above heading from his commentary and this is key! If the gospel is a person, and a person a part of the Triune Godhead, then I can't possess it/Him. But...He can possess me!! This is what makes the gospel alive. Not a bunch of theological ideas (though necessary), but that the living, active God has and is intersecting in my life and yours. Perhaps this is why many churches in America have been found lifeless because they have made the gospel devoid of the one thing, the only Person who can give it and us life: Jesus. I am reminded of the church at Laodecia in the book of Revelation. They are devoid of anything that resembles what Jesus desired of them. They are called to repent, to turn back to Him. Not ideas, not a cool worship style, not the good old day hymns, not more service, not a church potluck, a new program, but Him. He says that He stands at their door and knocks waiting for them to open the door to let Him in. Only then, can true redemption, true transformation can take place.

Take some time to reflect on how you have understood the gospel. Has it been a mere idea that you just believed? Was it simply just some prayer you prayed without an understanding of the Person of Christ? If you believe, but have a flatness in your faith currently, could you need a reawakening to the Person of Jesus?