CHRISTIANITY OF THE HEAD

The recent postings and comments of bloggers such as Scotwise, Callmeteem, and Jesusworld have got me thinking about a practice I’m calling intellectual Christianity. It’s a form of Christianity that is practiced in the head. Intellectual Christians consider what Christianity could or should be like, expouse Christian values and ethics and even, on occasion, offer strategies for growing the Kingdom – but that’s it – that’s as far as their output seems to travel – the head. It is Christianity as an intellectual exercise – nothing more.

My interest in exploring this activity stems from the fact that I recognize this practice in myself. I love Christ. I reflect constantly on how I measure up to his standard and example in dealing with my family, the workplace and with the everyday stuff of life. But sometimes there’s a yawning chasm between my considerations and my actions. I’m aware of a tendency to gently edit my responses to certain promptings of the Holy Spirit – particularly in regard to evangelism.

Don’t get me wrong – I do testify to the workings of the Holy Spirit in my life, to the incredible changes I have undergone since giving my heart to Christ, but I tend to choose when and how I do it. Opportunities will sometimes be ignored because they don’t fit with my agenda or they threaten a level of discomfort. I rationalise such inactivity by reminding my self of past achievements and promising to act in the future – but that’s not scriptural.

Scripture calls us to obey God’s word. That means to “hear it” and act accordingly. Failure to act is disobedience, and disobedience is a reflection of the true nature of our faith. Is it a faith driven by an overwhelming love for Christ or is it a faith of convenience?

I recently took on the responsibility of teaching religious education to ten year olds at a local school. I didn’t want to but I knew I could and felt I should. On this occasion I obeyed the promptings of the Holy Spirit and the results have been phenomenal. Children who did not know Christ and were not doing the subject are turning up to the classes and participating with gusto. I am truly seeing God’s hand at work, but I needed to obey him to see it.

I am guilty of intellectual Christianity, but evidence suggests that I am not the only one. Last week Tim Plett (Callmeteem) challenged bloggers to take their internet enthusiams on to the street and talk to somebody. I agree, but let’s not just do it because Tim has suggested it, lets do it because we know it is God’s calling on our life. Let’s not do it because we feel guilty, but because of our deep felt love for Christ, and let’s not just do it when it’s convenient but every time that still, small voice prompts us to obey him.

Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him."…….
If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.
He who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me. (John14: 21-24).

SIGNIFICANCE THROUGH THE CROSS

I have a plastic, green cross attached to my key-chain. I discovered it while at the golf practice range a few years ago. I was pulling back to attack the ball with a five iron when I noticed this green crucifix laying in the grass beside me. I immediately abandoned my swing and picked it up to discover that it was a piece of broken garden trellising. Yet it held the shape of a crucifix perfectly.

It may be just a piece of broken trellis but it holds enormous significance for me because it reminds me of Christ’s sacrifice . The Cross of Christ gives even a broken piece of plastic significance. How much greater then is the significance that the cross gives me?


1 Cor. 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!
18 All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation:
19 that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation.

HOLD THEM CLOSE

When my oldest son was three he was diagnosed with a severe learning and behavioural disorder. We were told to expect “no miracles” and that his learning, communication and behavioural levels would be those of a three to four year old for the rest of his life. Despite our refusal to accept this condemnation, the next three years showed little improvement in his capacities. His behaviour swung between hysterically happy to hysterically distressed without any middle ground while his capacity for language was limited.

One day, while we were holidaying at a caravan park, he got extremely distressed and proceeded to have a vocal and violent tantrum. He then attempted to run away. This time, rather than tolerate the behaviour and gently reassure him. I picked him up, carried him into the bedroom of the caravan, wrapped him firmly in my arms and held him close (despite the struggles, screaming, biting, head-butting and kicking) for five hours until he finally fell asleep.

He slept for fourteen hours and when he woke he insisted on crawling around on the floor for the rest of the day (something he had never done as a baby), but the tantrums stopped. In fact he never had one again, he became a gentle, loving child and over the next few months his language developed to something approximating an age appropriate standard. By holding him close I had broken the rebellious, reckless and debilitating spirit that had held him for so long.

Mark 9: 2 -10
2 After six days Jesus took Peter, James and John with him and led them up a high mountain, where they were all alone. There he was transfigured before them.
3 His clothes became dazzling white, whiter than anyone in the world could bleach them.
4 And there appeared before them Elijah and Moses, who were talking with Jesus.
5 Peter said to Jesus, "Rabbi, it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three shelters--one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah."
6 (He did not know what to say, they were so frightened.)
7 Then a cloud appeared and enveloped them, and a voice came from the cloud: "This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him!"
8 Suddenly, when they looked around, they no longer saw anyone with them except Jesus.
9 As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus gave them orders not to tell anyone what they had seen until the Son of Man had risen from the dead.
10 They kept the matter to themselves, discussing what "rising from the dead" meant.

Jesus identified the importance of keeping these three disciples close. These “Sons of Thunder” and Peter, and through that discipline he evangelised the world.

People are not easy. The people we are asked to love will thrash and bite and head-butt to remain free of discipline, while shackled to sin – but if we can keep them close, hang on to them through their hate – they will learn to trust, and feel safe with us – in Christ.

Thank you Lord for the opportunity to bring people close to you, so that they can feel the depth, width and wonder of your love. Strengthen us so that we can withstand their objections and resistance and hold them close until their struggles cease and they can be finally receptive to your message and the power that comes with a spirit-filled life in Christ. In your precious name - Amen.

TWO INTO ONE DOES NOT MAKE A HALF

My wife has discovered blogging! This unhappy event has uncovered a mathematical anomaly: 1 divided by 2 does not necessarily equal 1/2. In this case one computer divided between two bloggers does not mean that each blogger gets use of the computer 50% of the time. My wife loves it and, to makes matters worse, as in most things, she does it better than me. Check out birthbabe.blogspot.com for confirmation of this fact.

Anyway she is away at the moment (at work) and I have managed to sneak a moment to post this. So I apologise for my tardiness in getting something posted this week, and WATCH THIS SPACE as I try and seize some time on this thing. God Bless one and all!!!