Something Has to Give

Below you will find an image of one of my most favorite quotes. It comes from North Carolina native Vance Havner (1901-1986). I often revisit this quote as it comes up in many of my conversations.

I wish that more and more Christians thought like this. I wish that we would stop thinking that the loudest person wins the argument. That our constant need to be right would stop trumping the need for humility. That we would discover in the Gospels that self giving love speaks more volumes than our need to dominate. Criticism changes nothing. Conforming changes us. Combustion...well that is another story isn't it? I think about the Apostles being seen as those who turned the world upside down. Sharing the good news, creating community, and demonstrating the love of the Father. An approach that is much different than the Crusades mentality that we tend to carry. Something has to give.

This morning I was thinking about the differences between Religion and Relationship. A subject that we have shared countless times in this blog. I want to express some thoughts with you that might help you understand where I'm coming from today.

Religion, in and of itself, is not a bad thing. At least not if you take the first definition. Religion is the belief in God (or gods). I don't know of anyone within the Christian community that wants to argue that belief in God is a bad thing. However, it is the second part of the definition that creates the problems. Religion is also viewed as an organized system of beliefs, ceremonies, and rules used to worship God. And it is here that we discover the issues. We actually believe that our beliefs, our ceremonies, and our rules worship God.

Relationship, on the other hand, is the way in which two or more people, groups, etc. talk to, behave toward, and deal with each other. The way in which two or more people or things are connected. Think about it. We can relate to one another based upon our belief in God. In fact, we do this quite often. It's not about the belief system, the ceremonies, or the rules. Just two people who share a belief in the Divine. In the case of most Christians this is the belief about God as revealed in Jesus Christ. This is how we talk to, behave toward, and deal with each other. You are a child of God and so am I. The problem that comes into relationships is when we believe the only way to relate towards, deal with, and talk to one another is in the system. Where that which we have organized and believe is the only proper way to worship God.

Does this make sense to you?

If the way in which we relate to one another is based upon the system, then we can stop relating to one another every time someone goes against the system. In other words, if you believe that the only proper way to have religion is to believe a certain thing about God then all I have to do is disagree with you. When I disagree with you then you can choose to stop having relationship with me. Which falls right in line with a proper system of religious belief. What happens when more and more people disagree with you? Then your circle of family and friends gets smaller. Placing you in a remnant of those who are right, in line with the truth, and possibly the only saved bunch in the whole lot. Sound familiar? It sounds familiar because you have either experienced this or been a part of it. You may be a part of it right now. The sad part is that this is not how relationships or religion were meant to be played out.

Jesus said it quite simply: "THIS IS HOW ALL MEN WILL KNOW THAT YOU ARE MY DISCIPLES. IF YOU HAVE LOVE FOR ONE ANOTHER."
Your status as a disciple of Jesus is not measured by your belief system.
It's not measured by your ceremonies.
It's not measured by your ability to keep the rules.
NO. To say it as simply as Jesus did, the way in which you prove that you are in right relationship with the Lord is through your love for your brother.

What does this have to do with Vance Havner's quote? It has everything to do with it. At least in my thinking. We are trying to move the world through criticism and/or conformity. Why? Because that it exactly the way we have learned to do it in the Church. We either criticize those who think differently, worship differently, or have a different set of rules; or we conform to them. We do what they do in order to get along and be accepted. We take this same approach with the world. We don't want to be seen as accepting of the word's system so we constantly criticize. Or we decide that we can simply conform to the world in many areas to become acceptable among them. Neither of which changes anything. The only answer, according to Havner and witnessed within the Scriptures, are lives ignited by the Spirit of God. Men and women who explode on the scenes with great love and a demonstration of power. People who bear witness to the self giving love of the Savior. Those who are proven over and over again by their love for one another.

Do we think the world really takes notice because many Christians are boycotting another Disney production?
Do we think that we are going to change the world by refusing services to people who are not like us?
Do we really believe that God is honored because we speak condemnation over certain portions of the Earth's population?
Not only that, but many of the fights that we tend to engage in are just pure nonsense. Wasteful. Inadequate to produce the results we want.

We do not have to conform to the world to prove we love people.
We don't have to criticize people to prove that we love God.
We can learn what it means to be Salt and Light in the Earth. Setting a fire in the hearts of people. Demonstrating that there is a greater way of life, of religion, and of relationship. Something has to give. It should start with us.