Have you placed restrictions on God?
It’s been an interesting couple of weeks since I last stood before you. As many of you know, I went to watch my son play a little of championship soccer in SD. Two of the games came down to the wire. In one game we were ahead by one going in to the final seconds when one of our players committed a foul to give the opponent a chance to take a 6 yard shot on the goal. In the resulting kick, the opponent missed. I thought, how could the ref make that call? Doesn’t the ref know, in the closing seconds of game, you have to let the game play out?! The ref should never put himself in the position to determine the outcome of the game. In the second game, we were on the opposite end of the same situation. We had been outplayed for most of the game but in the final seconds, the opponent committed a foul which allowed us a penalty kick from six yards out. We sent a young man to the line who had not missed all year. However, on this day, he did. It was devastating. In hindsight, I was happy the ref had the guts to make the call. After all, the rules are the rules during the whole game, right?
I don’t think it’s any different with God’s rules for life. We want rules when they benefit our point of view and we dislike them when they can be applied to us. I think this is probably why those outside the church sometimes have such a disdain for those inside church. They only see the conviction of their own actions and don’t realize those within are also dealing with the same ramifications of God’s guidelines. They are just admitting it.
Today's scripture was penned by Paul while he was in prison. He was writing to both the Colossians and the Lacodians. Paul was disturbed because of the reports of mystics, ascetics and Judaizers (legalists) infiltrating the church offering non-Christian teachings and rituals as truth or law. As a result, the church was a bit schizophrenic. Everyone in the church thought their way was the right way and in effort to create order, held fast to certain rules as the correct ones.
We really can’t condemn them. We have done the same. We discussed cultural and time period rituals or rules which no longer exist. The church of the 60’s and 70’s tried to legislate excessive liturgy as a reaction to the free living culture of the day. The church informally would shame women into dresses, gloves and white doilies on the heads. Men would be in suits. Pastors would wear dresses called robes. Children would be required to sit through church bored to tears because that’s what good Christians do. Now, I am not saying it was all bad because I agree that the informal nature of the church has taken away some of the awe and reverence from our proceedings. However, I believe the best worship will have cultural, relational and ritualistic moments designed to bring us into communion with God.
Its here I struggle the most. It is such a fine line between a relational Jesus and the hierarchical, demanding, commanding father of creation. How are we to be witnesses and obedient to both through the worship of our lives and our Sunday morning praise time? This is where the Lord’s words speak loudly from Colossians 2: 20-23.
Since you died with Christ to the basic principles of this world, why, as though you still belonged to it, do you submit to its rules: "Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not touch!"? These are all destined to perish with use, because they are based on human commands and teachings. Such regulations indeed have an appearance of wisdom, with their self-imposed worship, their false humility and their harsh treatment of the body, but they lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence. Col 2:20-23 (NIV)
While Paul is specifically talking to the church plants from Ephesus, he is also speaking to the church of today. We have human teachings and commands some formal and some informal. Our legalism of today might be defined by the UM book of discipline. Our mysticism of today might be defined by how we felt during a service. Our Asceticism, defined by Webster’s as practicing severe self denial as a measure of personal holiness, might be considered the perfecting of different spiritual disciplines. Now, do not misunderstand me – Christian structure, experience, action and self denial are important in the life of a Christian. The problem begins when they become the primary, or only, way to experience God. In this case, they become our idols: A) Legalism makes an idol of the rule B) Mysticism makes and idol of the experience and C) Asceticism makes an idol of the self denial.
In each case, we set ourselves up for a huge fall. We become the primary activator of our faith. Christ is moved to the back seat and we are moved to the front. The problem is real change does not first come from our efforts. It comes first by acceptance of Jesus into our hearts and the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives. You cannot make yourself any more worthy in God’s eyes. It has all been done for you. In fact, I would go so far as to say. Every time someone tries to push their position on God (secure their rights), they are placing restrictions on God’s grace, mercy and love towards them.
It reminds me of going out to dinner with a large group of friends. There were probably around 15 of us so the restaurant added a 15% gratuity to everyone’s bill. As we all reviewed our bills, everyone talked about the gratuity already being added in. As such, no one needed to or offered to give the waiter more. The waiter had placed his limitations on us by not knowing or trusting that many of us always give 20% because we know it’s hard to make a living as a waiter.
Have you placed similar boundaries on your God? Some will say no but I would like to challenge that. Have you ever said or sung the veggie tales song (or a version therein), God is bigger than the bogie man but then acted like the result was up to you? By doing so, we give the appearance of wisdom but in effect are impose our worship. We are saying God will act but he needs my help. Alternatively, we are admitting we don’t have enough faith to let him work it out for us. Sometimes the situation works out the way we planned but that smugness you feel in that moment of success is false humility. It’s also a flawed theology. Human beings never tell God what to do. God will always complete His plan with or without you. God’s will for your life is not dependent you or on any extreme case of self denial. Jesus Christ’s coming, dying and rising has already freed us from all that binds us to this world. In fact, it is in the accepting of this relationship the Holy Spirit begins to change our inner most desires. In so doing, we have the opportunity to choose to be witnesses and examples of His amazing power.
So if you’ve been wrapped up in following the rules, chasing the experience or managing your actions that you have failed to grow the new desires placed within you by the Holy Spirit at the moment you accepted Christ, I’d like to invite pray with me? Lord, free us from the bondage of self, instill in us a clean heart, and show us your power through the transformation of our lives.
