Desiring Reformation

The Sunday before last, our church commemorated the 494^th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation. The sermon was based on Jesus' letter to the church in Sardis (Revelation 3:1-6), a letter I needed to read as much as anyone. Here's the Message translation:

"I see right through your work. You have a reputation for vigor and zest, but you're dead, stone-dead. Up on your feet! Take a deep breath! Maybe there's life in you yet. But I wouldn't know it by looking at your busywork; nothing of God's work has been completed. Your condition is desperate. Think of the gift you once had in your hands, the Message you heard with your ears—grasp it again and turn back to God.” (v.1-3)

When I heard this, I was gripped by the disparity between reputation and reality, busywork and God's work. I may have a good reputation and enjoy the favor of many, but that's meaningless to God. He knows my heart; he feels my pulse. He knows if Christ is living in me, the source of my work and the author of my days... Or if I'm spiritually dead, and trying to do things in my own power, enough to look good to others.

We often hear, “Don't worry about what others think,” usually in the context of people looking down on us. But maybe we need to hear it more when people are looking up to us. It's far too easy to swell with contentment when others praise and admire us, and even take that as an indication that we've done “enough to get by.”

The thing is, even in our “reformed” Church today, the standards and requirements we hold each other to are often different from what we find in Jesus' life and God's Word. Culture, bureaucracy, politics, legalism, and misled notions of grace often lead us astray on our path of discipleship...if we've ever even started down that path (belief is just the beginning!). We can far exceed others' expectations and still fall short of God's desire for our lives; and likewise, even ironically, we can please God and not satisfy others.

Last Sunday afternoon, our church had a lecture about the Reformation which I really didn't want to attend. Don't get me wrong—I like learning and listening to lectures—but in a language I can understand, please! After a lot of inner debate, I finally decided to let myself off the hook, come back to my room, do a quick computer search on the Reformation (to make up for missing the lecture, haha), and then continue reading from Brother Yun's Living Water.

What do you know, but the next chapter in was titled, “Sleeping church, Awake!” and quoted the same exact passage we'd read in church that morning—the letter to the church in Sardis! I knew it had to be a “God thing,” so I paid attention. Brother Yun reiterated two important points: the Church's urgent calling and purpose, and the need for obedience! I wish I could quote the whole thing, but I'll refraint:

“A spiritually dull church or believer is a poor witness for the living, resurrected Jesus. A church is meant to be a training centre and command hub for war, not a social club for pleasantries and hypocrisy, where people give lip service to Christ while refusing to obey His commands. Not only does God want you to wake up, but He has a work for you to do.

“[Many Christians] listen intently to every word that is spoken, but there is one major thing missing in their spiritual lives. They need to start obeying the Word of God.

“You see, when you only listen to the Word of God, your heart gets filled up with spiritual food. This is good, but it is there to serve a purpose. That purpose is for you to go and share the food you have with the hungry, so that they too can know Jesus. If you just keep God's blessings to yourself, you will become a bloated and sick Christian. When you share them with others, the Holy Spirit will give you more so that you can share more. It is a wonderful thing.”

That feeling of bloated-ness is partly what motivated me to get on a bus, go downtown, and look for poor people to share communion with a couple months ago. I read and read and read, and learn until I'm bursting with ideas and conviction about how I must live. But instead of trying it out, I heave a contented sigh, exclaim “Oh, that's good!,” and start reading again. There came a point where I said, “I cannot read another good thought on holy living until I put some of it into practice.” If we want to talk about reform, I think we have to start with ourselves. Make sure our individual limbs are fit for the Body, and start walking in obedience to the Word and the Spirit's movement in our lives. Stop just reading...