The Hard Truth of the Easy Gospel

I have been struck with an overwhelming sense of frustration over the last few days with the state of Christianity, particularly here in the Bible belt. I am frustrated at how we have whittled down our faith in Jesus Christ to walking an aisle and getting dunked in a pool of water. We have made following Jesus very safe, which by the way, he never intended it to be. In the early church (and currently in some places throughout the world) following Jesus requires a radical commitment to His ways. In some cases it cost you your family. In others it cost you your job. And in some cases it cost you your life, which martyrs bravely gave for the glory that was to be revealed in them through Christ Jesus.

How thankful we should be, that in the USA, following Jesus doesn't require these types of extreme sacrifices. Few of us will be asked to give our lives for following Jesus while preaching and living out the word in Birmingham, AL. In addition, I am in no way trying to imply that the USA is somehow spoiled or that we should be ashamed because we don't face this same type of persecution. We are blessed (for now) and we should be thankful to God for these blessings.

But although that is true, for many of us, Christianity has become too safe. We talk less about taking up our cross and following Jesus, and more about ritualistic actions that are designed to give us some sort of assurance as to how much God loves us while calling us to minimal commitment. Think about the invitations given at my church and so many like it: "Leave your seat, come down this aisle, and publically present to our church your faith. As you leave today, pick up your "Get out of Hell Free Card" and we'll contact you about Baptism. In the mean time, we don't really expect you to sacrifice anything or to change your behavior. Just show up to church one out of every 4 weeks and be sure to give your average 3% that Christians give of their income and we're good."

Then, let's talk about how good it is going to be when Jesus comes back. Let's talk about the rapture and read the Left Behind series of books so that we can pretend that we are looking forward to this glory that we will get because we've been willing to swallow our pride and walk an aisle at our local church where on average less than 100 people attend.

But as I was reading Amos today, I began to realize that for so many of us who have ritualistically done all that we are supposed to, and yet are not sold out completely to Jesus, the day of Jesus' second coming will not be all that we thought it would be.

Amos 5:18-24

Woe to you who long for the day of the Lord! Why do you long for the day of he Lord? That day will be darkness, not light. It will be as though a man fled from a lion only to meet a bear, as though he entered his house an rested his hand on the wall only to have a snake bite him. Will not the day of the Lord be darkness, not light-- pitch-dark without a ray of brightness? I hate, I despise your religious feasts; I cannot stand your assemblies. Even though you bring me burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them. Though you bring choice fellowship offerings, I will have no regard for them. Away with the noise of your songs! I will not listen to the music of your harps. But let justice roll on like a river righteousness like a never-failing stream.

God has called us to a higher level of living. To a radical commitment to the advancement and the well-being of the other. God has called us to more than just ritualistic feasts and ceremonies. It is more than walking an aisle. Is is a complete selling out of your life to the one who gave his life for you.

And this may be the hard truth of the easy gospel.