My editorial note: this is a good article. I do not concur that 12-step groups are as frivolous as the author indicates; but his challenge to realize...it's not about me, my problems; but it's about God, who is the only one who can address the problems. So, with a bit of editorial to not get to fixated on the recovery, support groups; there article is definitely worth the read and the prayerful engagement.
Despite this concern, the author present a strong case. It is worth some serious consideration. It is also timely, serendipitous, for us to consider as we, at Central Christian Church, undertake a year in which I have challenged us, each and all, to the volunteer relational outreach emphasis: Saved to Serve in 2012 | Seeking, Skilled, Sharing.
What if we’ve been using the wrong measuring sticks to evaluate our spiritual growth?
I hate to say this, but today, a lot of what passes as “Christian” is nothing more than what the world considers popular and trendy, wrapped in a few well-chosen bible verses. The package may look spiritual on the outside, but once you rip through the biblical wrapping paper, you’re left with a box labeled, “World’s Tricks for Living.”
The recent trend in conquering the “ugly” in our lives is to gather together with others and celebrate your recovery from the flesh. Proposed victory comes by following a twelve step program, each step rooted in one of the beatitudes found in Matthew chapter five, (unless, of course, you count steps ten and eleven which have no such verses tied to them).
I’m not saying people don’t find success in such programs, just like I’m not saying that people don’t find success in the world’s programs. But I am saying that nowhere in the bible does it say that we are to “recover” from the flesh. If anything, we are to consider the flesh dead and powerless and always render it as such in our lives.
If we’re going to measure spiritual growth, we can only do so by the things the Spirit initiates and does.
The line draws in the sand rather decisively. One side—the crowded side—believes the Christian life is a mixture of God’s strength and yours working together to live a better life. The other, rather sparsely populated side believes that in having nothing to offer, life can only be experienced as Christ lives through you in the moment.
The crowded side reminds me of the secular self-help teachers minus the bible verses. Success for the secular is a direct result of you following a list of self-help steps to better your life. The crowded side of Christianity just rewords the steps so as to make them sound Christian.
(Have I mentioned yet that maybe we’ve been using the wrong measuring sticks to evaluate spiritual growth?)
One day, as I was getting my haircut, the stylist began telling me of the benefits of attending one of these Christian recovery groups. The conversation went something like this:
(Me) “How many people attend your meeting?
(Her) “Over one hundred!”
(Me) “How long until the group gets down to zero?”
(Her) “Why would the group go down to zero?”
(Me) “Because if the program works as you say it does, eventually everyone should get their problems solved and have no reason to attend anymore.”
(What she said next best represents why something that sounds Christian isn’t necessarily Christian.)
(Her) “Oh, you don’t understand! Once you fix one problem area in your life, you just move on to the next one.”
WHAT?
You mean to tell me that I’m going to have to methodically move through each of my hurts, hang-ups, and habits, one-at-a-time? That will take me the rest of my life!
Is that why you asked Jesus into your life? So you could work the rest of your life fixing your life to please Him? Thanks, but no thanks. I prefer a simpler solution.
What if the true measuring stick of spiritual growth focused less on behavior and more on the power behind the behavior? After all, for anything to be “spiritual,” it must be initiated and accomplished by the Spirit.
If we’re going to measure spiritual growth, we can only do so by the things the Spirit initiates and does.
Most of the current measuring sticks used to gauge spiritual growth focus on the “what.” What good behaviors and activities can you do more of, and what bad behaviors and activities have you stopped altogether? Growth is measured by what you do.
But I believe God measures spiritual growth by the “why” and “how.”
Why did you do what you just did, and why did you refrain from doing what you just didn’t do?
How did your Christ-like response to such a terrible ordeal come about?
Motivation. Source of Power. These are the two best measuring sticks we have for spiritual growth.
Let me go at this another way by asking you a question: Why do you read your bible, pray, and witness?
Do you do these things to get close to God or because you are close to God?
The former is motivated by performance based acceptance and relies on self-made power. The latter is motivated by Christ based acceptance and relies on His power.
Guess which person struggles to read, pray, and witness?
Struggle and defeat in the Christian life results from measuring spiritual growth with things that aren’t spiritual. Remember, activity doesn’t make something spiritual; only the Spirit initiating and working that activity makes it spiritual.
Only when you throw away all the ways of measuring your spiritual growth that require you to initiate and work in your own strength will the Christian life simplify and become more fulfilling.
That’s what you want, isn’t it? A simpler and more fulfilling Christian life?
Never settle for anything less than the manifestation of the “original.”
You don’t need to be like Jesus today; you need exactly Jesus today, and you have exactly Jesus living within you. So why not plug into His life?A baby grows because it eats and only eats because it’s hungry. Yet, if you feed the baby food that has no nutritional value, you can make the hunger go away without ever contributing to the baby’s growth.
Spiritually speaking, you can’t create hunger. Either you have it or you don’t. But if you feed yourself the wrong food—warmed over, self-powered spiritual activity—your hunger will go away without feeding the maturity you desire.
Your Christian life will live full but not satisfied.
Only when you allow the Spirit to initiate the work, and then fulfill the work by plugging into the power source of Christ will you experience satisfaction.
Today, ask the Spirit to come be your “why” and Jesus your “how.” Then, watch your spiritual life begin to grow.
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