I'm not a fan of religion.
I'm equally not a fan of religiosity in all its forms.
One particular aspect of Christian religiosity that has been causing angst in my soul recently has centered around how singular and myopic "sharing the Gospel" has been portrayed in some of my circles of influence.
It goes something like this...
"We need to make sure that our ______ (friends, neighbors, co-workers) understand that they are nothing more than sinners who have offended a Holy God and that their only hope is Jesus."
Sigh.
Is that really the best that we have to offer?
Yes, as a follower of Jesus, I agree with the human condition as fallen and unable to restore right relationship with God apart from Jesus. But I also believe that this is only one dimension of the Gospel-- the crucifixion.
What about the resurrection?
What about the ascension?
Why isn't more of that present in how we share this Good News?
What are we afraid of? Don't we believe that we are messengers-- seed sowers, of sorts-- and that it's God through His Spirit that does the heart work?
When I experience Christ-followers sharing the Good News with a strong emphasis on the crucifixion (sinners in need of saving), it feels one-dimensional and a lot like a human trying to convict another human of how messed up they are... which has a tendency to come across as berating and belittling. Most of the people I know don't need convincing or conviction that they aren't perfect or that they've somehow contributed to the current condition of our culture. They get it. They live here too.
So why then do we tend to focus so much of our time trying to convince the darkness that it's dark? Why do we feel the need to point out the mud and muck of our lives? Why center in on the Shadow and Wound?
The resurrection says that we are made new and every claim being made against us is disarmed because of Christ. That we now have a new heart, a good heart and it's desires are good. That we are no longer a slave to our former way of life. That we have been made alive to God.
Why not share this Good News? The reason Jesus came, His mission, was "to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor." (Luke 4:18b-19, NIV)
Wait. This is Jesus' mission? Then shouldn't that be our mission as well?
And what about the ascension? You know, the part of the Good News where Jesus is established in all authority and sends His Spirit to dwell in us granting us His authority to overcome all the power of our Shadow, Wounds, and Enemy? That we are now freed from that which formerly bound us? And that we can live in the abundance and fullness of life now, here.
THAT is Great News!
I'm exhausted dealing with the Spirit of Religiosity that entraps Christ-followers into a spinning cycle of self-deprecating, one-dimensional Gospel focused on what was formerly true: that we were once enemies of God in a reality of our own making and design defined by rebellion and brokenness.
If you are in Christ, this is no longer your condition!
If you haven't yet put Jesus at the center of your life, there is hope!
You can be made new.
You can overcome that which entangles you.
You can live in harmony with God and others.
You have infinite worth; so much so that Jesus was willing to die to let you know how much you matter to God.
God loves you intensely like a groom adores His bride.
You are God's beloved child and He's recklessly pursuing you in a million ways.
You now have undeserved, unmerited, unearned favor with God because of His deep love for you.
We have been given the mission of reconciliation-- to make peace, to win over to friendliness, to bring into agreement or harmony-- with every person we meet. Christ-followers, let's seek out and call forth the treasure-- the gold, the brilliance, the masterpiece-- that Jesus was willing to die for in every person we meet.