The following was taken from a message I shared at Mosaic Church of Central Arkansas in Little Rock on October 18, 2009. To hear this important message in its entirety, click here for the mp3 version.
This morning, I want to share a deep
concern for the future health and well-being of Mosaic. More than that, it is a concern for you and the future of children growing
up in an increasingly post-Christian North America. In addition, it is a concern for the future of the local church,the expression
(as defined in the Bible) of the body and bride of Christ. It
is a concern that needs to be addressed with sustained, intentional effort - by a decision to align ourselves and
our families, immediately, with the
ancient faith in Christ and Biblical practice of Christianity.
The
bottom line.
A recent
poll on spirituality conducted by Parade Magazine (October 4, 2009) confirms
what many have already observed. In short, Americans
today are separating spirituality from religion. Among other things, the poll found that
1. Although
45% of respondents considered themselves religious, 70% said they
participated in organized religion sporadically or not at all.
2. 50%
said they rarely or never attend worship services.
3. Is
it any wonder, then, that only 12% of respondents said that their own religion
was the only true faith.
4. And another 24% of respondents put themselves
in a whole new category:
“spiritual but not religious.”
Excuse
me?
Many people – and yes, many Christians –
today are renouncing the organized practice of faith while claiming that their own more
individualized, personalized, customized, forms of worship are reasonable and
acceptable in the eyes of God.
Let me
be clear: Somehow separating yourself from the organized
practice of faith is not spiritual; it’s syncretistic. What is syncretism? Webster’s defines syncretism simply as the combination of different
forms of belief
or practice. According to Wikipedia, syncretism is the
attempt to reconcile contrary beliefs,
often while melding practices of various
schools of thought. The term
may refer to attempts to merge … several originally discrete traditions and thus assert an underlying unity
allowing for an inclusive approach to
other faiths.
What’s the problem?
Attempting
to create and individualized spirituality apart from the ancient (proven)
practice of Christ-centered, Biblical faith (Christianity) leads ultimately to
a “melding practices of various schools of thought,” and in time, may lead the
supposedly spiritual person to “assert an underlying unity allowing for an
inclusive approach to other faiths.”
Before I
continue, let me further define the terms.
According to Webster’s,
Spirituality is “Sensitivity
or attachment to religious values.” In
other words, to say that we are spiritual is to say that we believe certain things
about
God, life, death, and beyond, etc.
Religion is “A commitment
or devotion to religious faith or observance.” In
other words, to say that we are religious is to say that we consistently act upon
or live out certain things we believe about God, life, death and beyond, i.e.,
we practice our spirituality in real and
tangible ways through what we do, both
individually and together with others of like-mind via a community of faith. For Christians, we are speaking of the
local church.
On
this point, let me be clear:
1. Christ taught not against religion, but
rather taught a devout, disciplined faith
(Matthew
5:17-21)
2.
James (1:27) taught not against religion, but against those who called themselves
religious, yet who were not effectual doers of the word, those who
did not bridle their tongues, who did not visit orphans and widows in their
distress, who did not keep themselves unstained by the world.
How
do you keep yourself unstained by the world? One significant way is by both privately and
corporately walking, working
and worshipping God together as one, as part of the local church.
So let me ask you, When
was the last time you ministered to a widow, helped an orphan?
1. This morning you did so via MOKids and last Tuesday you did so via The Orchard. In other words, when this church did so,
you did so even if that day you could not otherwise
be present or involved.
What’s
the point?
The corporate, organized practice of
ancient faith in Christ as expressed through proven forms and practices
(Christianity, our religion) is something we cannot or should not dismiss or
denounce in our rush to define ourselves as spiritual in a post-Christian
society.
To do so is ignorant at best; it is
idolatry, at worst.
In other
words, our faith in Christ and practice
of Christianity is not something that we can simply define for ourselves,
practice alone or as we otherwise see fit. This is not what it means to be spiritual!
Rather,
our spirituality and our religion (practice of faith) is to be first and
foremost informed by the Bible.
Biblically
Speaking
With
this in mind, consider the Apostle John’s blunt comments about the difference
between what one says and what one does in regards to the authentic nature of
fellowship with Christ (and with other believers), or as we might say, true
spirituality:
“If we
say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk
(an action) in darkness,
we
lie and do not practice the truth; but if we walk in the light as He
Himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another,
and the blood
of Jesus cleanses us from all our sins.”
Here,
then, John is saying that actions speak
louder than words. More than that, he is saying that actions prove that what is said is really true or can be trusted as
real, authentic and genuine.
7 Ancient Ways
Brian McLaren, a church
planter, pastor, writer and speaker, was once challenged to examine the most common, ancient
spiritual practices found in monotheistic religions. In particular, he was
challenged to look at seven practices that originated in ancient Judaism and
then were retained by Christians in the first century and Muslims in the
seventh century.” Here’s what he discovered:
1)
Sabbath—Just as the day can be enriched by set-apart moments, so the week
can be enriched by a set-apart day for rest, worship, and reflection. And
in connection to our practice of corporate worship on the Sabbath, we also practice
…
2)
The Liturgical Year—As the day and week are enriched through special periods
of prayer, the year can be also through special seasons of emphasis such
as Lent, Advent, and Pentecost.
3)
A Sacred Meal—For Christians, our sacred meal is called the Eucharist.
It is
a ritual sharing of food through which participants bond to God, to one another,
and to a common faith.
4)
Pilgrimage—Spiritually oriented travel (or service) can become a metaphor
for the spiritual journey, and depending on the destination, it can lead
to profound deepening of understanding and devotion.
5)
Tithing—Regular proportional giving to assist the poor is an essential spiritual
practice that shows love for both God and neighbor. On this point, consider that Crown Ministries Reports …
Non-Christian giving to charity = $1,021 / Christian giving to charity? $1,108. And the average gift is only 2.3% of income. Beyond that, they report that only 5% of Christians tithe! This In spite of fact that tithing is in principle and practice, this is the standard of giving proclaimed throughout the Bible and an expected spiritual discipline of mature believers. Surely, there is something wrong with this picture.
6)
Fixed-Hour Prayer—Many Jews, Christians, and Muslims share the practice
of setting aside three, five, or seven special times of prayer each day,often
employing patterns or forms of prayer that have been developed over many
centuries and that are shared by whole communities.
7)
Fasting—People of faith have discovered that the intentional and purposeful
abstention from food for periods of time can both intensify and satisfy
spiritual hunger and thirst.
So if Mosaic is not only to
survive, but also to thrive (more than ever before) members like you must begin
to take ownership for the future growth and development of the church you say
is your own, to which you have chosen to belong.
Closing Thoughts
If we do not become religious in our spirituality ...
What will happen to our church? We will become just another rescue station,
though no one is being rescued anymore. We will become hearers,
not doers of the Word, people
who say we have fellowship with God, but do not practice the truth (I John 1:3ff.). And this
will lead us to complacency, compromise and ultimately conflict with God.
What will happen to our message
and our mission? Will they say "See, I told you it wouldn’t/couldn’t
work; the segregation of the local church is justified."
What
will happen to this community, to the
12,000 people a year we serve via The Orchard?
What
will happen to our children in a
society where spirituality is professed, but pure religion not practiced?
What will happen to us?
Of
course, Satan does not want us to practice a disciplined faith or spirituality; indeed, he’s
aligned against us. So in these days, we
must align with Christ and with one another to practice ancient faith!
Yes, let's fight apathy. Let's
fight weariness. Let's
fight the humanity within us and being full of faith and prayer and the power
of the resurrection press on in humility, obedience and faith ... just as Joshua did in chapter three of his book concerning the conquest of Jericho.
Likewise, if you want
to see miracles in your own life, in this church, then consecrate yourselves! Then waters will part. Then walls will come
down. Then memorial stones will be set up and victories remembered.
Good stuff Mark!
Posted by: jamey johnson | January 14, 2010 at 04:32 PM
It is certainly a constant challenge to live out one's faith and to be intentionally involved in the Christian community. I think it's part of the reason why so many college students don't attend church on their own. We need to be constantly challenged in this area.
Posted by: Peter Park | January 18, 2010 at 02:50 PM