I have been thinking lately of the "Liberty of Christ" that Paul spoke of. Most any who consider themselves Christians have felt this at one time or another. The time most spoken of is when they have their conversion experience. When they feel the burdens they possess being lifted to the cross where Jesus so willingly takes those burdens away. The great feeling of relief and freedom that comes with the decision to allow God to rule their lives. What is the first thing that those people do, go to church. Why? Because that is what those who have given their life to God are supposed to do, everyone knows that. Everyone.
When they come in to their new home, looking for the Father, he/she is there to offer advice and give direction on what to do with their new found faith. This is how you should dress, this is how you should pray, this is how you should talk, this is how you should think, this is how you should serve your God, this is how you should behave, those that don't think as you do are not as good as you, you should be constantly trying to get others to believe as you do, this is your mission. Where is the freedom in this?
When those who do not find that "Liberty of Christ" in the church setting, so full of restrictions, the feeling they had when their burdens were lifted, they become disillusioned with their faith. First blaming themselves, as any good christian has been taught to do. "For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God." It is written in the bible, and not to be disputed. Therefore, the fault must lie in their own failings. When they find that this is not really the case, they did all that was ask of them at their church. They then think that what they have been taught was all erroneous, and that their faith was all a lie. That God isn't really there, and having faith is for the stupid and easily fooled. But this is not the case either.
The truth comes in giving yourself to God Himself, and not to a church made of people. God wants you for himself. Not for you to give yourself a new God called the church. We have many Gods in this materialistic world. The God of the "Cool Car", "Nice House", "Latest Cell Phone", "Big Screen TV", "Designer Labels", and so on. Whatever we live our lives for is our God. So if we live our lives for the church, we have replaced our God, with a false one. Satan loves our current church system. It drives as many away from God as to Him.
When those that are disillusioned with all of this, distance themselves from the church, and start living for God alone, do they ever feel the "Liberty of Christ" again. When they throw off the shackles of the rules handed down by men, and accept God's rule in their lives, can the truly freeing feeling of that liberty be felt again. As for me, "Give me liberty, or give me death."
8 comments:
Hiya Nate ~ Glad to see you posting again. I know exactly where you are coming from in this as I have essentially left the organization for good.
It seems though that through all I have been through in the last couple of years, I have also lost track of God and I just can't seem to find a way to fit him in. I'm not saying for a minute that I blame him for anything but I do sometimes ponder what the purpose is at all...
Seems funny to hear myself say this after all I have written....but it IS where I am at right now
I was reading something at Free Believers along these lines...about how we serve the "church God" , but when we come out of that we have to demolish that God and find a new God.
It's so true...church was very much my God...because it was all very neat and orderly and easy to follow because the rules were clear. Problem was, the rules were
a) unrealistic
and
b) not of God
And it was unhealthy to try to keep them.
However, it has come to my attention that I have still been trying to keep some of them. Go figure. So I'm going through yet another new season of deconstruction...it never ends, I tell you...and finding more beauty and love and freedom than ever.
Good to have you posting again, Nate.
Interesting when I allowed God to rule my life I did start going to church yet I was not given much instruction at all. However I found myself making up my own rules about the very things you are talking about - behaviour, dress, prayer, Bible study.
Why did I do this to myself? Looking back I think it was initially out of a sense of gratitude to God but it quickly became a way to measure my spirituality and tell myself how 'good' I was because of all the good things I was doing. I didn't want to feel so dependent on God's grace. I wanted to show God what a 'good' person I was.
Fortunately I have come to grips with how holy God is and how dependent on his grace I really am.
Very true, Nate. I can SO relate to this.
As for feeling the liberty of Christ again, I don't really know that I do - but I do feel liberty from the church, which is a start.
More to come on my own blog - it's about time I started posting again too, I think.
I am like Mike in that I haven't worked too hard to find any way to "fit" God in for a service type of feeling in my life. I DO serve people - I could tell you some stories from recent weeks that would surely get credit for "service" to those in need but... I don't count it as that. I just call it doing the right thing.
I have more freedom today than I EVER had in church life or even in my first stages of deconstruction. I went from feeling confined in religious rules to feeling lost (and therefore afraid to move) without them.
"The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor." Luke 4
To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.....
Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.
John 8
... whenever a person turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.
Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.
But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit.
II Corinthians 3
:-)
I am glad to see that there is some understanding of what I have said. The freedom comes after understanding. It is really cool when it happens, it is "something else."
something else
;-)
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