Faith and Action

[an excerpt from 'the journey] 

I find myself in some regard, caught between two extremes.  There is a reason why I really liked what the church I visited in Denver was doing back in summer 2010. It makes sense and can really be boiled down into the idea of serving people. Being plugged into a community to make a difference does seem to be the call of the church – the church, which is made up of individuals. It also leads to discipleship and transformation of people’s lives. All this is good, but the question remains, who does it?

Any group can do what that church is doing for the sake of ‘the cause.’ In their case, ‘the cause’ is the gospel and one worth fighting for. They are obviously seeking God’s help, spending time in the Bible, and praying, but when it comes to who receives the praise for what is happening, it seems the answer is the system, the church structure, the philosophy of life. The answer I expected to hear was God’s work in my life and the lives of others. Here’s my problem, God uses people to do His work, but we are talking about miracles and lives transformed. This is something people can’t do.

In contrast, I believe that my philosophy may be one in which I try to do nothing and let God do all the work. I believe that even if I didn’t accomplish anything great, but simply enjoyed time in His presence that He would use me to do work in people’s lives. My focus is on Him only and whatever work He does through me is simply a blessing and a way for me to know Him more fully. This does not preclude me from work, but directs me from a different aspect toward what should be the same results. If God’s heart truly is revealed in the scripture, then as He aligns mine with His, I will be reaching out and serving my community in a way that looks very similar to what happens here.

In conversations last night, I encountered once again, the split vision that I have of what it means to be a Christian. On the one hand, you have a lifestyle, a community, and a way of living that is set out in the Bible. In order to live this effectively, God must work, and believers must ask for help. On the other hand you have a lifestyle, a community, and a way of life that is instilled in one’s heart through prayer. In order to be effective, a person must check his growth against the Bible, but nothing can happen if God doesn’t do it. The end of the first is accomplishing something for the kingdom of God. The end of the second knows God.

Jesus described this difference in a parable about sheep and goats that is incredibly scary. In the parable, Jesus told the goats who had worked all sorts of signs and wonders in His name, ‘I never knew you.’ The sheep who had served other people were welcomed into His joy. Notice a fine line appearing between doing things in Jesus’ name, and doing things for others. Between serving the action, and serving the person. 

To put this question personally to myself, I wonder if I am continuing to hide behind a shroud of religiousness in order to avoid doing the work that God has called me to. I know my faith is strong, but I don’t believe this means God always fights all my battles for me. Sometimes, I have to struggle through.

I think I will find as I continue to study this, that both paths can lead to legalism and are actually much more similar than I might have imagined. Action requires prayer. Effective prayer leads to action. Faith without works is dead. Works without love are worthless.