Nooma 004|Sunday"Why do we do the things we do? Why do we go to church or give money away? Because we're supposed to or because we think God needs it? Do we honestly put on our best clothes for an hour once a week, stand and sit at all the right times, and sing all the appropriate songs for God's sake, or because it'll make us look better to the world around us? We're tired of all the empty rituals and routines. And so is God. God hates it when we call ourselves Christians but ignore all the things he really cares about. He hates it when we go through hollow religious routines out of some feeling of duty or obligation. God doesn't want the meaningless rituals. God wants our hearts. " NOOMAtube
Ten seconds left! I grab the rebound and call a timeout. Down by one, the State Championship is within our grasp! Coach huddles us up and draws up a special play. He looks at me and says, "Aj, once you curl around that screen get ready to shoot. The ball is coming to you." I nod my head in accordance and hustle back out onto the floor just as the ref's whistle blows. Eric inbounds the ball to Ryan and runs straight at me to set the screen. My shoulder slides right off of Eric's as I curl around the pick and receive the pass. One dribble to the left and I pull up at the elbow for the jumper. The world begins to slow as I can see the Nike logo on the basketball rotating in a beautiful high arching shot towards the bucket. The ball hits the front rim, and bounces straight up. As gravity would have it, the ball begins to fall back towards the hoop and... "EHHH, EHHH, EHHH, EHHH, EHHH! " It's 9:00AM Sunday morning, I struggle to regain consciousness and realize that I was dreaming and it's time to wake up for church. I roll over and shut my eyes again, trying to figure out if I should wake up or sleep in a little longer. I think to myself, "we were out of town last week and weren't able to go, so I guess we should go this week". I roll out of bed, shower, throw on my Sunday's best and we're off! After shaking the hands of the greeters at the front door we head straight in the sanctuary to "our spot" and settle in. We sing, bow our heads, and pretend to take notes just like every other week. After the benediction we try to avoid getting into long conversations with others and sneak out to the car.
Does this sound familiar to anybody? It sure does to me. Is this what God had in mind when he created the church? Did He want us to raise our hands, bow our heads, and pray when we are supposed to? "We can sing all the right songs and say all the right prayers, but if it's just going through the motions, what's the point?" (Rob Bell). Rob talks about a story in the Bible where Jesus is joining the religious leaders of the day for a meal. The leaders are going through the hand washing and oil rituals that they were one to do, yet Jesus chooses not participate. They look at Him shocked that He was not following along. Then Jesus says, "You clean the outside of the cup, but the inside is filled with greed & evil." We are not that different today from the way those religious leaders were back then. Jesus challenges us and says that we "are spiritually dead, and [we] don't even know it!"
Like the Religious leaders in the story above, I know that sometimes I do things because I want people to see me doing them. I want the public to think that I am a good man and that I do Godly things. How about this, do you ever feel embarrassed when the offering plate gets passed by and you don't put anything in? Or better yet, do you feel good about yourself when you do put something in the plate? Why do we really give? I mean, God doesn't need our money. He created the world, why couldn't he just create a little more food for the hungry or supplies for the church builders? Rather than give because we think we should, we need to "seek justice, encourage the oppressed, defend the cause of the fatherless, and plead the case of the widow" (Rob Bell). Not because we want people to see us doing so, but simply because it's what God calls us to do.
Does this sound familiar to anybody? It sure does to me. Is this what God had in mind when he created the church? Did He want us to raise our hands, bow our heads, and pray when we are supposed to? "We can sing all the right songs and say all the right prayers, but if it's just going through the motions, what's the point?" (Rob Bell). Rob talks about a story in the Bible where Jesus is joining the religious leaders of the day for a meal. The leaders are going through the hand washing and oil rituals that they were one to do, yet Jesus chooses not participate. They look at Him shocked that He was not following along. Then Jesus says, "You clean the outside of the cup, but the inside is filled with greed & evil." We are not that different today from the way those religious leaders were back then. Jesus challenges us and says that we "are spiritually dead, and [we] don't even know it!"
Like the Religious leaders in the story above, I know that sometimes I do things because I want people to see me doing them. I want the public to think that I am a good man and that I do Godly things. How about this, do you ever feel embarrassed when the offering plate gets passed by and you don't put anything in? Or better yet, do you feel good about yourself when you do put something in the plate? Why do we really give? I mean, God doesn't need our money. He created the world, why couldn't he just create a little more food for the hungry or supplies for the church builders? Rather than give because we think we should, we need to "seek justice, encourage the oppressed, defend the cause of the fatherless, and plead the case of the widow" (Rob Bell). Not because we want people to see us doing so, but simply because it's what God calls us to do.
Since 1991 the number of people who no longer go to church has increased from 39 million to 75 million today (Bama Research Group). That's a 92% increase in less than 20 years? People are fed up with Christians living as frauds. They see believers act one way on Sunday or when they are with their "church friends" and in a completely different way when they are at school or work. We cuss, lie, and gossip yet are proud to call ourselves Christians whenever we are asked. "Is church a building? Like one hour a week? Church is people. People whose hearts are beating more and more like God's...Let's be honest. A lot of people confuse religion with God and walk away from them both. The point isn't Christianity. The point is being a Christian. It means being a follower of Jesus. It's being connected with everything that is true and good and right. Everything that goes on around us, that reminds us that there is so much more going on around us than we realize. Could anything be more beautiful?" (Rob Bell)
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i love this, brother!
ReplyDeleteif we think of our earthly relationships that have lasted the longest, the reason for that continual persistence is because there is constant growth taking place...you are gradually learning more and more about the other person and his or her heart, etc.
that concept can also be applied to our relationship with the Lord. if we are complacent and just going through the motions, there will be no growth...and if there is no growth, it's not a real relationship at all. and with no relationship, there is no way for a person to experience the true extent of God's love.
the church today has become such a distorted version of what God initially intended for it to be...and that's because people are making it into a man-made establishment.
we need to be intentional in our relationship with God, and in turning the church into that beautiful place of fellowship and praise that the Lord intended it to be!