Lately I have been thinking a great deal about what it really means to say that, as Christians, we are followers of Jesus Christ. To that end, I have been reading (along with my small group) Francis Chan's Crazy Love: Overwhelmed by a Relentless God.
As I was reading today, Chan confronted me again with a verse that absolutely terrifies me. It is a passage that I have preached on before. I have read it repeatedly. I have meditated on the passage, hoping to find some peace with it. The fact is that I just can't... As a pastor, as a disciple, as one who loves those who call themselves "his church" this passage terrifies me.
Jesus is talking to the disciples gathered around him when he says...
Not everyone who says to me, "Lord! Lord!" will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my father in heaven. (Matthew 7.21)
Each and every week, people all over America go to houses of worship. They sing songs that make them feel good. They drop a few dollars into a collection plate. The listen to a message and a special song and pray for God to bless their little worlds. When all of this is done, the go home and think little of God, and his will until the time comes to return to church to do it all again. During their worship, they trumpet their love for God, the extol his many blessings on their life, yet astonishingly, their lives are impacted little by their "relationship" with God.
As a pastor, as afollowerof t Ancient of Days, I am concerned that so many people believe that this is all that Christan discipleship really is. They ignore the time spent with him in formative conversation. They ignore the homeless, the widow, the orphan. They focus more on how we can control our finances rahter than concieve of how God would have us use what he has entrusted us with to bless others. We hold tightly to our church buildings, our Sunday school rooms,when we meet to worship and what songs we sing rather than go across the street to share the love that Christ has lavished upon us. We shout, "Lord!, Lord!" as we scar those around us with our words, our actions and rub our WWJD bracelets.
I wonder what God think of our efforts to just "live for him"?
Maybe now you understand why I think this is the scariest verse in scripture....
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