22
Let Us Not Forget
Every week I meet with my friends Cat and Shelley, and during that time we talk about how we are doing with God, what we have been learning, and spend time in prayer together. This is usually done with tea and cupcakes in hand, and it is one of my favourite parts of the week!
This past week my friend Cat started us off by reminding us that sometimes we forget who God actually is. We allow culture and circumstance to give us false perceptions of Him, until He becomes so small or so unrecognizable that we can easily put Him in a box and fit Him into a corner of our lives…as opposed to molding our lives around Him.
Two things that we often forget about in North America is that God is holy. Jenn Standish, one of my good friends, went to Thailand and got to take part in some prayer meetings with the missionaries there. They were located in a town called Padia, in which prostitution is the only source of town revenue. In the prayer meeting they were on their faces praying “God have mercy on this town!” It made me think: how often do I acknowledge the holiness of God and feel the need to pray for his mercy?
If Jesus was to walk into a church today, I bet many Christians would turn Him away, not recognizing Him. This makes me wonder: would I recognize Jesus if He walked into my world? Do I know God’s heart and character well enough?
I’d encourage you to dig through the word this week to re-create a more accurate description of God…strip away circumstance and culture, and see what is left. The real God is one of true majesty.
Michelle
June 22nd, 2009 at 8:02 pm
A very interesting point, Michelle! I have had similar thoughts lately. Sometimes I look at other cultures and the distortion of faith seems obvious. One example that forces me to think is this: there are groups of long-ago converted tribesmen in Africa who worship “the white man’s chief” named Jesus, as one of many pantheistic deities. Their customs and cultural foundations, along with a lack of authoritative Church guidance, set their beliefs askew from the “proper understanding” that we seem have of who Christ is and what Christianity should be.
But wait… do WE have the proper understanding?
Jesus seems to wear a lot of hats around the world. In one circle, he is a social revolutionary, a dreadlocked protestor and soup-kitchen volunteer. In another, he is a well-dressed Republican who preaches hard work and individualism. Sometimes he is seen as untouchable with radiance and holiness, such that we dare not look upon his face. Other times, he is our “homeboy”.
Are some of these labels wrong? Are they all really Jesus? How do we know the difference?
June 26th, 2009 at 10:49 am
Good thoughts Heather. I think the only way we can know whic labels are truly accurate and which ones are merely culture-based is my listening to the Holy Spirit within us. As Christians, the Holy Spirit dwells inside of us and it is up to us whether we want to listen to it carefully or silence it with the way we live. I have found that when I am questioning what someone is saying about God, it drives me to my knees and gets me to listen to the Holy Spirit more fervently. And I think this is so exciting…a complex world urges us to quiet our spirit and hear that “still small voice” that prompts us into truth.