Recently I attended a parachurch gathering where a handful of teenagers told about what God was doing in their life through this organization. It was a pretty fun evening and it honestly helped me to see how much of a heart I still have for teenagers. Listening to them talk really stirred up in me a desire for solid discipleship among teenagers. One verse that kept stirring through my head was this one:
…having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power.
I am still not certain if I want to assign the full weight of that verse to my experience. In the context this is speaking about the watered-down faith of the “last days”. It also ends with the 
injunction to “Avoid such people”. That is a strong word, so I am a quite reluctant to assign the full force of this verse to what I witnessed at this event.
What made me think of that verse was the fact that it took a good hour for me to hear the name of Jesus, and it was only at the closing prayer did I hear “Christ” being used. Numerous times I heard “God” thrown around as their helper for getting through difficult stuff. I heard about how amazing this camp experience was where they got to learn about their friends, learn about themselves, and learn about God.
Call me a doctrine nazi if you want, but when I’m at a Christian event for an hour without hearing the name of Christ my spidey-senses start to tingle. And I’m not sure that is necessarily bad. It reminds me of James 2 where we see that even the demons believe that “God is one”. Demons are perfectly content throwing around the term “God”. But it’s when we attach it to YHWH or Jesus the Christ that they begin to shudder.
I find most people are somewhat comfortable with the god of moralistic therapeutic deism. And so it’s nothing for them to throw around the term “god”. Also in recent days there has been an influx of “Jesus is my homeboy” type of shirts. So, it means very little nowadays for people to throw around the name of Jesus. What most people are uncomfortable with are referring to God as “The Lord” and Jesus as “the Christ”.
That is why I listen for the “C” Word. Certainly, people can refer to Jesus as the Christ and not really know what they are saying. Some might use it as a term of derision other might think it’s the last name of that hip-bearded guy named Jesus. But if somebody is very reticent to use the term “Christ” it makes me a little uneasy.
What about you? Does it cause you a little concern if you never hear the name of Christ? Am I weird here?
No, you are not weird here.. As the saying goes, "you can't have Him as your Savior and not have Him as your Lord."
ReplyDeleteActs 4:13 pretty much sums it up.. will the world see Jesus Christ in you because they recognize that you've walked with Him?
Keep up the good work.
"...when I’m at a Christian event for an hour without hearing the name of Christ my spidey-senses start to tingle" -- and rightly so!
ReplyDeleteI was reading through a magazine put out by the denomination I was attending at the time, and it was the very fact that I did not see the name "Jesus" in the magazine, but only a couple of times, that led to me quitting that denomination. I know what you mean. Since that time, I was led to attend another fellowship,as they called it, and overtime what the Holy Spirit was teaching me through the Word, began to be in contention with the truths they were teaching. God was teaching me things about denying myself and the necessity of the cross bearing on my soul, while the "church" was teaching a cross-less, self-centered existence. Again, I had to go. I had to stop all voices, except my Shepherds. Then, I think out of fleshly desire, I found my way to a home church because I was getting lonely, not because He told me to. (20/20 vision) Again, the home church proved to be institutional christianity based on self focus. So, now my husband and I are in the wilderness, suffering outside the gates with Jesus. Oh, and I don't think suffering is a bad thing. By this, Jesus learned obedience. I am learning also, that there is a counterfeit church, and God's ecclesia that He is building. One focuses on self and money; the other on submitting to God and His purposes and Kingdom. So, you are right to beware of what appears to be, and to listen to yoru "spidey-senses" a.k.a-the Holy Spirit of God in you. Run to the hills!!!
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