I have lots of opportunities to spend time with Jesus People of all sorts. Church pastors & preachers, para-church & non-profit leaders, lay leaders who have normal jobs, and church-goers who simply want to understand and follow Jesus in their own lives somehow. One thing that I see consistently & constantly in just about all of them is some level of confusion regarding what we’re supposed to be aiming for by gathering together…namely, what is “CHURCH?”
Most of the time, when we hear the word “church” in our culture, it refers to a location or a weekly event. The Greek word translated as “church” appears 114 times in the New Testament, and not once refers to a place or time…it’s people, literally. Organizations & leaders & sacred practices are not Church….that’s human religion.
All of the people of Jesus are the Church: Each of us beckoned into individual daily communion with Him; commissioned to follow His example in the world we live in; and called to live in interdependent community with small groups of other followers. This is unmistakably the Biblical model of Jesus and His followers, but it’s a lot easier to just show-up at a big shiny building on Sunday morning that will deliver a taste of all of it into our laps for free, and call it good. “Life’s too short, we have to make sacrifices along the way…there’s just not enough time to live the Biblical way of Jesus in today’s world…we have to accommodate and be more efficient,” we may think. Most of us instinctively know this isn’t right, but we don’t act like we know it. Instead, we act like victims of our culture, settle for daily & weekly & monthly rhythms that squeeze-out God and His people, and wonder why we feel distant from Him and the abundant life that He promised. Part of this, I think, is because we don’t understand what the Church is.
I feel like the word “church” has been broken & twisted almost beyond recognition in our culture. With some exceptions, church traditions of all shapes & sizes had their genesis with small numbers of people trying to flesh-out what they’ve considered to be the most compelling aspect of God’s intention for His people together. So why then, when we look at all the various denominations that have sprung up around the world over the years, do we see such disparity and disagreement…and disillusionment with others? Why, when we look at the Biblical accounts of the beginning of Jesus’ Church, and compare it to our own present-day corollaries, do they often bear little resemblance to each other? Why are we making a mockery of one of Jesus’ last & most fervent recorded prayers for the unity of His people?
I’ll say it. TRADITION
We love our traditions, but they often distort God’s mission and get in His way. Even traditions that are meant to be reminders to reengage us with the Father’s heart can have a way of taking-on a life of their own and replacing our focus that belongs to Him. I’m not anti-tradition, but the older I get the more antagonistic I am becoming about forms & practices that layer-over God’s timeless intentions. Jesus spoke-out vehemently against manmade traditions that inhibited His Father’s will:
“He replied, “Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites; as it is written: ‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain;
their teachings are merely human rules.’ You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to human traditions.” (Mark 7:6-8)
Here’s a theoretical question… What do you think would happen to the American Church if church buildings, services, and clergy, suddenly went away? What impact would that have on the cause of Jesus in Amercia? It’s really ironic to me that, here in the “land of the free and the brave,” Christianity has been plummeting in free-fall for decades; while in many places where it’s ridiculed, suppressed, and even persecuted, the Kingdom of Christ is exploding….but it doesn’t look anything like our organized western churches. It looks more like the rapid, uncontrolled, underground, movemental growth we see in the New Testament.
So what’s my point? I’m not opposed to traditional churches or services or clergy, but it’s essential that we see these as secondary. Did I just say that? Yes, “GOING TO CHURCH” IS SECONDARY.
We have believed the lie that showing-up to a 2-hour meeting in a holy building on Sunday morning with a bunch of strangers is the compulsory part of church that will somehow filter into the rest of our lives; while spending time with Jesus on our own, learning & praying with others, and living it out in the world is like “extra credit.” I’m calling B.S. on that whole mindset. I’m calling all of Jesus’ people to focus on the essentials and hold our traditions loosely. “Going to church services is fine, but it is NOT THE CHURCH… any Christian leader worth his/her salt would agree with me.
BEING THE CHURCH is about living our daily lives
1. In Jesus
2. With Jesus’ People
3. On Jesus’ Mission in the World
Whatever FORM this takes in your life is “your church.” No fantastic event, no matter how attractive or inspiring, can ever replace this essential common denominator. Any tradition that muddies, diverts, or squanders this truth must be poured-out so the cup can be full of the Living Water.
“For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.” (Matthew 18:20)
“Let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting 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)
“Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” (Matthew 5:16)
One reply on “Tradition”
Amen, amen, amen! Love this Shawn!