"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven." Jesus, in Matthew 7:21.
As we read these words of Jesus, and the ones that precede and follow them in Matthew's Gospel, they should give us pause for a moment of reflection. After all, these are some pretty challenging words for us to think about. Not everyone who calls Jesus "Lord" will enter His kingdom? How can that possibly be?
Maybe it's because some of those who call upon Jesus' name aren't doing it from faith, but because it's the expected thing to do. This is where I would like to introduce the idea of the cultural Christian. The cultural Christian is largely indistinguishable from the true Christian. They know the right words. They show up for the events. They were probably raised in the Christian church. They offer to say prayers for others, and may even have a great deal of knowledge about God, about the Bible, and other such matters.
The problem? It's all in the head, and not in the heart. The cultural Christian is quite comfortable as long as they are not confronted by those times that seem to show a lack of faithfulness. It's very likely that their prayer life is practically non-existent (though they know quite well the proper posture for prayer, and when to bow their heads. Shoot, they may even be the one who suggests that you can't eat a meal without praying.). They may know quite a bit about the Bible, but if you look closely, you can probably see some gaps between what they say they believe and what they actually do.
Why do I bring up this distinction of the cultural Christian? I do so because it seems to be pretty easy to become a cultural Christian in North America. (I have no doubt that this has been the case throughout the life of the Church, as God's prophets often seemed to talk about the same kind of issues.) It's easy to go to church, to sing the hymns and songs, repeat the words, listen to the sermon, and say "Amen." And for many, that is the extent of their religious, spiritual life.
I bring this up because I don't want any of the people that I regularly worship with to hear Jesus say on that last day, "I never knew you," as He does a few verses after our opening verse. (Matthew 7:21-23) The thing that Jesus points out over and over again is that we each need to examine our hearts and think about our motivations and reasons for what we do as His people. Are we merely repeating phrases and doing the act of worship because it's habit, or because we simply like it? Do we go to worship because we're supposed to, or because we see the value in thanking God for what He has done for us, and because we see how important it is to gather with others who believe as we do? Do we know the Bible simply to appear smart and knowledgeable, or because we truly want to see what God's will is for our lives?
This kind of reflection is often challenging and uncomfortable. We often get confronted with things we don't like to see in ourselves. And yet, would any of us say that it's better to keep on doing what we do, with the possibility of hearing Jesus say, "I never knew you," on that last day? For my part, I would much rather make someone do something uncomfortable, like confront where their faith truly is, than to see that they are not part of God's enduring, eternal kingdom.
As we read these words of Jesus, and the ones that precede and follow them in Matthew's Gospel, they should give us pause for a moment of reflection. After all, these are some pretty challenging words for us to think about. Not everyone who calls Jesus "Lord" will enter His kingdom? How can that possibly be?
Maybe it's because some of those who call upon Jesus' name aren't doing it from faith, but because it's the expected thing to do. This is where I would like to introduce the idea of the cultural Christian. The cultural Christian is largely indistinguishable from the true Christian. They know the right words. They show up for the events. They were probably raised in the Christian church. They offer to say prayers for others, and may even have a great deal of knowledge about God, about the Bible, and other such matters.
The problem? It's all in the head, and not in the heart. The cultural Christian is quite comfortable as long as they are not confronted by those times that seem to show a lack of faithfulness. It's very likely that their prayer life is practically non-existent (though they know quite well the proper posture for prayer, and when to bow their heads. Shoot, they may even be the one who suggests that you can't eat a meal without praying.). They may know quite a bit about the Bible, but if you look closely, you can probably see some gaps between what they say they believe and what they actually do.
Why do I bring up this distinction of the cultural Christian? I do so because it seems to be pretty easy to become a cultural Christian in North America. (I have no doubt that this has been the case throughout the life of the Church, as God's prophets often seemed to talk about the same kind of issues.) It's easy to go to church, to sing the hymns and songs, repeat the words, listen to the sermon, and say "Amen." And for many, that is the extent of their religious, spiritual life.
I bring this up because I don't want any of the people that I regularly worship with to hear Jesus say on that last day, "I never knew you," as He does a few verses after our opening verse. (Matthew 7:21-23) The thing that Jesus points out over and over again is that we each need to examine our hearts and think about our motivations and reasons for what we do as His people. Are we merely repeating phrases and doing the act of worship because it's habit, or because we simply like it? Do we go to worship because we're supposed to, or because we see the value in thanking God for what He has done for us, and because we see how important it is to gather with others who believe as we do? Do we know the Bible simply to appear smart and knowledgeable, or because we truly want to see what God's will is for our lives?
This kind of reflection is often challenging and uncomfortable. We often get confronted with things we don't like to see in ourselves. And yet, would any of us say that it's better to keep on doing what we do, with the possibility of hearing Jesus say, "I never knew you," on that last day? For my part, I would much rather make someone do something uncomfortable, like confront where their faith truly is, than to see that they are not part of God's enduring, eternal kingdom.
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