Christianity - So What?

I've been thinking a lot lately about Christianity and what it means to follow Christ.  I've been trying to come to grips with the many faces of the "church" especially in the West. It really hit me when I received an email from one of my closest brothers in the faith.  He has been diligently pursuing his degree in theology hoping to pastor a church but recently became convicted about what he saw around him.  The words that came to his heart were, "So what?"  So what if he showed up every Sunday and preached a message and then the people went about their lives like they always have.  So what?  What's the point?


He wasn't questioning the point of Christ's death and resurrection or the power of the gift of salvation through Jesus but was questioning the day to day, month to month, function of the church.  It just seemed that there was a blah, blah, ineffective, routine to it that wasn't pleasing to God. We talked about it this week and I agreed that the Lord put this on his heart not because preaching the Word is futile but because if we aren't careful it can become futile through us.  The church and the Word preached through it can be the power of God unto salvation or it can be a powerless social club that is merely a gathering place for people putting in their obligatory religious time. It can also become a place were the truth is blurred or blatantly contorted. 


Here is what struck me about the phrase. "So what?"  


I have encountered many people including a number of Christian pastors who say that all paths lead to God and that Christ is one of many ways to God.  I have heard comments like, "Jesus is the way for me but others have their way and those who claim Jesus is the only way have put God in a box."  If following Jesus is optional then I have to yell from the mountain tops, "SO WHAT?!!"  Why follow Jesus?  Why not just live life to the fullest, pursue financial wealth, meditate twice a day to decrease stress, be a nice guy, and pay my taxes on time?  Why in the world would I want to follow Jesus?  At least not the Jesus of the Bible.  The Jesus of the Bible said some crazy things about following him.


I think I've figured it out.  If we pick all the really pleasant, easy, and uplifting things Jesus said and did and form a religion around them we can sell it as a really nice way to live.  We can blend nicely with the world, with Zen, and with all the world's religions.  The answer to the question, "So what?" to them becomes: "Because it feels good and is a really good way to live."  But what about the real Jesus?  What about these scripture verses:

"Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me." (Matthew 24:9)

"For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for him." (Philippians 1:29)

"For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it." (Mark 8:35)

"Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life." (Revelation 2:10)

If Jesus was right, following him might not make my earthly life better but drastically worse.  If Jesus was telling the truth then following him might lead to persecution, imprisonment, and even death.  History seems to show that he was right.  Christians have been fed to lions, used as fuel for Roman Tiki torches, burned at the stake, flogged, beheaded, crucified, and stoned.  So why in the world should anyone follow Jesus if we can be happy, safe, comfortable, and content without him?  If Jesus was fibbing when he said, "I am the way and the truth and the life.  No one comes to the father except through me." then the answer becomes, "It's ridiculous.  No way!  It's a difficult road that need not be traveled. Time to take a detour to easy street."

But if he was telling the truth and the only possibility for peace with God and eternal life is through him the answer then becomes, "Because it's a matter of life and death."  Why preach with passion, truth, boldness, love, and conviction?   Because God has given us the privilege of participating in his plan to save people from the penalty of sin.  

Paul said it this way in Romans 1:16 

"I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile."

The point I'm trying to make is this:  The reason we preach, the reason we suffer for the name of Jesus, and the reason we lose our lives to live is because Jesus Christ is the only name under heaven, given to men, by which we must be saved.  It is through Him we receive the crown of life.  When we see the urgency of it and the stakes involved, we won't be satisfied with just going through the motions.  We won't be tempted to reshape Jesus into a more palatable holy man who walks hand in hand with Mohammad, Krishna, the Dalai Lama, and Buddha. We will preach because we love and we will love because God first loved us.

Peace,

David