Rise Up | Dying To The Self To Live Missional
One of the biggest problem the church faces from within comes in the form of religious consumerism. Our base human instincts want to place ourselves as the center of focus on the universe. Yet, our egocentrism put us in the place of needing a savior as we willfully sought after the sin that separated us from the Father. Now, while we have tasted the sweet taste of eternal life, our flesh and our new self conflict with one another as we seek to live out our faith. But now, we find ourselves in one of the more recurring problems the church faces; whether we rise us reaching for heaven by proclaiming our faith in a missional capacity for the world to hear or whether we shirk our responsibilities and simply live a powerless Christianity that seeks only personal and self gratification. If the church is to survive the coming years without the need for a massive pruning, the likes we have seen in the ebbs and flows of church history, we must be willing to put to death the self, express our faith outward, and allow what we know of God to come through us as we wildly proclaim our faith for all to see.
Christianity Is Not About You
Our temptation comes in the form of asking “What does the church do to serve me?” In fact, I have heard it said that the goal of the church is to serve the congregation. This is nothing short of a horrible understanding of ecclesiology (the theology of the church) and the mission of church. The church is not a building or an organization but the collection of the saints, both past and present, to be the light to the world. “And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.” (Acts 2:42-47, ESV) As the early church came together, they sought to proclaim the Gospel through their unity and selflessness. Christianity is not about the believer what they can spiritual consume but rising up to serve the Lord through our love of others.
When we make the purpose of the church about feeding the individual Christian, we create consumers rather than authentic engagement with our faith. There is no good news and no Gospel when Christianity becomes about feeding the egocentric drive of mankind to serve their own wants. In fact, Jesus died to free us and redeem us from our desires that sought personal gratification instead of true unity in submission to our Lord and Savior. We consume the resources without ever allowing the mighty hand of God to reach through us and impact our surroundings. The spiritual life consists of a rhythmic input and output that continually refreshes and renews our soul. Treating the church as if it serves us and our purposes is a spiritually unhealthy way to live. God did not intend us to be spectators in the grand narrative of life but active participants and representations of Christ to the world.
Dying To Ourselves To Live Missional
Do not be confused either. A Gospel that centers around us is no Gospel at all. It ignores the focal point of all creation being Jesus Christ and His work on the cross. Jesus shows us that when we have the option to have everything revolve around us, we immediately jump into sin and rebellion, condemning ourselves in the process. Yet, the Gospel puts the focal point of human history on God’s work of redeeming His people for His glory. Our response to the Gospel should be to continually die to the desires of our flesh and our sinful nature in order that we might come alive to the life that God intended for us “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness were through the law, then Christ died for no purpose.” (Galatians 2:20-21, ESV) When we commit to Jesus Christ as the Lord of our life, we willfully submit to Him as Lord and crucify the flesh which seeks to make us the center of all attention in order to live according to the Spirit.
To rise up in pursuit of the Kingdom of Heaven and to live a missional life means we take ourselves out of the spotlight. Furthermore, this is freeing. When Christianity stops being about us, it step into a Kingdom greater than our own, the Kingdom of Heaven. Our sin leaves us incompatible with the righteousness of Heaven but life in Christ gives us a new heart and a new mind to pursue the things of God. Instead of looking for a way that others can serve us as a body of the Christ, we fulfill our true purpose in being a functioning and expressive part of the body of Christ. Everyone has their place in the purpose and mission of the church and only when everyone serves the body as a whole will be truly reflect the image of God.
