Jump Start # 3988
Psalms 42:1 “As the deer pants for the water brooks, so my soul pants for You, O God.”
Gerald Sittser in his book, “Water from a deep well,” makes this observation about modern Christianity: “Much of what we see and experience in contemporary Christianity is not leading us into the depths of God. If anything, it is making us feel restless and dissatisfied. There must be more than this! we say to ourselves. We grow weary of trivial controversies and petty jealousies that divide the church, massive buildings and glittery programs that dazzle but do not make disciples, self-help sermons that gloss over the great truths of the biblical faith, styles of worship that pander to popular tastes, Christian leaders who strive for political influence at the cost of faithfulness to the gospel” (pg 17-18).
Even among us there is a fascination with the new, the different and being one-of-a-kind. Some congregations are held hostage to keeping up with what the mega churches are doing for fear of losing their own people. The thirst for God’s kingdom and righteousness has dried up among many today. Shallow and emotional has replaced depth and contentment. It doesn’t take much wind to blow down a faith made of cards.
So, if this is the elephant in the room, what’s the solution?
First, stop waiting for the church to deepen your faith. You take ownership of that faith. You lower the bucket deep into God’s word. If Bible classes are shallow and empty, study deeply at home. Get the books out. Get out paper and pens. There are so many powerful and great resources. Turn off the TV, put up the phone and spend an hour in the evening getting deep into the Gospels, the prophets, the letters of Paul. Make your own commentary in a notebook. Find the meaning of words. Chase connections throughout the Bible. Do your homework. Get excited about this. It won’t take very long until you’ll want to invite others to join you.
Second, be looking backward instead of forward when it comes to learning. Don’t roll your eyes because a book or an article is more than fifty years old. Go back even further. Get on line and read what some were writing about in the 1800’s. Those golden gems still hold true. They became the bedrock upon which many congregations stood and weathered the storms of their times. The Gospels are ancient, but relevant, practical and needful today. Rather than chasing the newest book written by someone with just a few years of experience, dive into something written long ago by someone who had decades upon decades of time in God’s word.
Third, don’t be in a hurry with God. Our culture is always on the move. Fast paced. Drive through. Everything you need at your fingertips. Quick. Convenient. Easy. Effortless. Slow down and enjoy worship. Sing more songs together. Don’t tease about how long worship takes. Reflect. Praise. Grow. Don’t allow the church to dictate your faith. Your faith is not through the church but directly to the Lord.
The problem with the contemporary church is that it is forever chasing the latest fads in religion. It’s a religion built upon gimmicks and superficial and artificial things that are supposed to attract us and amaze us. Fads don’t last very long. They are exciting for the moment, but then it is time to move on to the next fad. Always chasing the latest idea, core leaders spend too much time trying to figure out which fads to introduce to the church and how to package it in an exciting way. Have they given up on the idea that God’s way works? It worked back then and it will work today.
Deeper Bible classes are needed. Teaching things that the people are facing and giving them realistic Biblical answers is how faith is built upon solid foundations. Knowing how to handle the storms of life and finding hope in seasons of sorrow is the substance that will make us immovable in the Lord.
Sittser’s book is a journey into the incredible faith of the early martyrs and the spiritual habits of those long ago believers. As a college professor, he leads a special month long class on a spiritual retreat. Away from social media, phones, TV, they spend four hours a day in worship. They spend several hours alone reading and meditating. They have group activities together. I wonder how many could make it a day, let alone a month. Sittser’s retreat is modeled from the spiritual practices and habits of those long ago. It is a cleansing from the world and a purging of our culture. It is an immersion into the depth of God.
Most couldn’t take a month off to do that. But, we could take a Saturday. We could take a Sunday. A fast from electronics. A retreat from the world. A day devoted to the Lord. And, in many ways, isn’t that what Sunday ought to be?
There is one way to make Sunday the best day of the week, and that is to make it that way!
Roger