10/26/2024
My devotional reading this morning had to do with the missionary commandment losing its true spirit and simply becoming the empty performance of a movement. In reality that is the peril facing the church as a whole. We can poke a tiny hole in each end of an egg and blow the yolk and white (albumen) from it, then place it on display for others to see, but although it still looks like a whole egg it is just a shell. Is this our faith, our church, and the relationship we have with the divine? Is this the state of the Church today? Perhaps we are seeing this manifest itself in modern Christianity. In the late 1800s, and early 1900s, Pastor E.M. Bounds warned of this coming… was he right?
"This has always been the danger of the church - losing the substance in the shade, losing the spirit, and being satisfied with proclaiming the movement, but not putting the spirit in the movement." - E. M. Bounds
As I contemplated this subject today I asked myself these question: Are we "practicing church" today and missing the very truth and spirit of our faith? Have we relegated our worship to being nothing more than the shadow of what it should be? Has our faith given way to a few worship songs, an entertaining sermon, and then back home to our busy lives, some yard work, and the television set for another week? I invite you to ask yourself the same questions regarding the state of the Church today, and your own personal faith as well.
Is our church alive? Are we living in our faith? I look around and find that many of us are talking about religion, but not understanding the living God who should be the focus of it. Jesus saw this in the prayers of those who were praying on street corners just to be seen by others, and He told us so in these words…
“And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.”
Matthew 6:5 KJV
Jesus called them hypocrites but aren't they also just "practicing church" praying and filling the synagogue offices for their own edification and the praise of those around them? What Jesus would have us do is to worship God sincerely, not for others to see, but for God and ourselves as we build a relationship... aren’t we meant to offer prayers that deepen our relationship and change our lives?
“But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.”
Matthew 6:6 KJV
The shadow of our faith is comprised of motions. It is prayer without the promise, the bread and wine of communion without the belief of its transubstantiation, its baptism without the symbolism of burial and resurrection. In short it is the act of religion without the faith and truth of God's Word.
If we are to be men and women of faith, filled with its substance, then it should be apparent to others without our standing on the street praying for them to see. James called this manifestation of our faith empty works...
“Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.”
James 2:17-18 KJV
It is one thing to say that we should feed the hungry, but it is the fruit of our faith to actually do it. Works are not meant to impress others... they are the fulfillment of God's word in our lives. They are the living manifestation of God's Word within us.
So let's come out of the shadows and reveal the fullness of our faith. Let's live our lives led by God's Holy Word. Let's perform the works of the spirit, not just a reflection of them, not just something we feel is expected of us. If we can revitalize our worship and praise, then revival will surely sweep our church, our country, and the world.
Father, help us to be real and tangible Christians; add substance to the pursuit of our faith, and fill us with your Holy Spirit. Lord let revival sweep the world and return lost souls to you. Give us a missionary spirit whether we are at home or abroad, and make us effective witnesses for you in all we say and do. In this we will praise you and give you thanks, even as our love for you increases and our walk together bears fruit for the kingdom.
Prayer:
Thank you Father for bathing us in your light, and leaving no shadow cast by our faith. Father, help us to be real and tangible Christians; add substance to the pursuit of our faith, and fill us with your Holy Spirit. Lord let revival sweep the world and return lost souls to you. Give us a missionary spirit whether we are at home or abroad, and make us effective witnesses for you in all we say and do. In this we will praise you and give you thanks, even as our love for you increases, and our walk together bears fruit for your kingdom. Holy, Holy, Holy, are you our God who was, and is, and is to come. Holy are you whose light surrounds us and removes all shadow from our love for you. Help us as we pray in secret, help us as we do your will, and let all be done to please you alone. Let our efforts and works in this world be performed, not as hollow shells, or empty offerings, but as love offerings that are filled to the brim and overflowing with our true love and adoration for you; meant to glorify you alone, and always. Hear our prayers, not simply in our thoughts, but spoken aloud in secret places; spoken to you, and to you only. Let there be no drop of glory that escapes you, and falls upon us. See us for our faith, belief, and love. Abba, let our relationship with you and Jesus Christ permeate our spiritual and physical lives. Let what you see in us come to rest on those around us, and on our churches. Let our faith be an unspoken witness to others as it radiates your goodness, and demonstrates your mercy and grace. In this, the brilliance of our love, we ask that you be pleased with us, and make us heirs to your kingdom as Jesus is. Give us an eternal place before your throne, and in your presence. Amen.
“The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law.”
Deuteronomy 29:29 ESV
“And if you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to get back the same amount. But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil. Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful.”
Luke 6:34-36 ESV
“Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.”
Matthew 6:2-4 ESV
And from our secret places, and quiet mountaintops we say… Amen. Amen. Amen.
Rich Forbes