Help from my Daughter

As I made my way to work the other day, I was listening to Ravi Zacharias admit that his children have taught him much more than they have learned from him. Instantly, the words of my daughter jumped to mind, “Dad you often have good suggestions and ideas but sometimes you need to listen to what I am saying!”

I am glad I listened to Sarah and took her suggestion to read a book that she received from her mother-in-law. Journaling about this is my way of thanking them both for helping me expand my understanding of the God whom we worship and serve.

Notes Re: Book – “So you don’t want to go to Church anymore”

The authors of this book challenge the conventional way of worshiping God and “doing church”. The following are some points they ask readers to consider if a more authentic personal relationship with God is their desire:

1) Do the work God gives you to do and watch Him provide for you as you do it.

2) Don’t just do something because you’re anxious to provide for yourself.

3) When it comes to doing God’s will there isn’t a set rule “one size fits all” that can be applied to every situation we encounter or the decisions we make.

4) Be open every day to what Jesus is asking you to do. Is He trying to nudge you to reach out to someone or head in a certain direction?

5) Learn to live by what God puts before you, not by your own agenda. He will provide all you need though He may not do it the way you want Him to.

6) Just keep following Jesus one step at a time, doing what you know to do each day. God’s bigger picture will become clearer with time.

7) Be aware that circumstances, routine, ritual, the need for security, your preferences, the opinions of others, the wants of others (as opposed to their real needs), and the daily tyranny of the urgent are just a few of many things that can become enemies of your personal day-to-day relationship with Jesus. We have total freedom to follow Christ and love people like He does.

8) Jesus should be our central focus. We should set our eyes on Christ. He is always out front, willing to lead us, if we are willing to follow.

9) Don’t try to force or manipulate the decisions or actions of others. Try to guide them towards making their own decisions by helping them consider the various options. Don’t resort to using shame as a way to motivate people based on guilt-induced manipulation. This type of system is used by many churches in an attempt to control the behavior of their congregations.

10) People can become addicted to shame and bounce between self-pity and self-glory, never finding freedom to just live in Jesus.

11) Admit your anger with God when that is how you’re feeling. Put it before Him, otherwise you may compound the problem because of the guilty feelings which arise from holding onto your anger.

12) Many churches try to press people into spiritual change. You can’t press a caterpillar into a butterfly mold and make it fly. It has to be transformed from inside. People need help to trust the Father more and to find that He is the one changing them, transforming their hearts. This eventually changes “what we want to do” and “why we want to do it”

13) Be transparent. When we acknowledge our own sins before God and those close to us it leaves us in greater awe of our loving God who so graciously forgives us.

14) Sunday Services and Meetings can become the focus rather than Jesus Himself. They can become a “God-substitute” but are obviously a poor replacement for a personal relationship with Jesus.

15) Always challenge your motivation for the choices you make. Is it for financial security, personal validation, public credibility, hiding failure, avoiding rejection, or is it truly what God has indicated you should do?

16) Look at life as the adventure God intended it to be. If you are watching and listening for Him you will be surprised how often Jesus will come along side through a nudge or a thought that suddenly comes to mind, or by way of a fellow seeker at your work-place, or through the stranger that comes to your door. With God’s help we can have eyes that fully see and ears that truly hear. He will open up relationships with others who hunger for Him.

17) Ask God’s help to avoid laboring under the oppressive guilt of: (a) how far short we fall from His holiness, (b) the hardship of seeking performance-based acceptance, or (c) the demanding obligations of self-produced righteousness. And ask Him to help you to not impose these burdens on others.

18) Be aware that institutions can become abusive if the demand for conformity takes over. If you conclude this is indeed the case then run for the cover of your friendship with Jesus and help others being abused to do the same.

19) Realize that the machinery of maintaining an institution, for its own sake, can siphon off energy and resources to the point that it can leave you exhausted, empty, and really no closer to Jesus. It creates an illusion of community without the power and freedom God intended for each of us.

20) Consider spending your time serving others rather than attending endless meetings that involve the exasperating experience of trying to accomplish everything by committee.

21) Structures, institutions, and programs are often run by people who do not know God. These individuals are seeking the self-glorification and warped satisfaction that is derived from the power to control others, often by manipulation and deception. They usually resent those who are growing to know Jesus because they cannot fully control them. This is the freedom we have in Christ. Look at what happened to Jesus when he would not submit to the Pharisees!

22) Ravi Zacarhais comments as follows: Jesus freed us from the tyranny of locational worship. The church buildings of today are not “Houses of God” in the way the temple in Jerusalem once was. Jesus explained to the Samaritan women at the well that locational worship will be replaced by more authentic worship “in spirit and in truth”. This has come to pass because each follower of Christ is a temple of God. God sends the Spirit of Jesus to reside in our hearts if we open the door.

23) In conclusion, we need to be aware that the way we “do church” today (whether it is a congregation gathering in a building, a small group meeting as a house church, or just an informal circle of friends) it may have become a God-substitute or is hindering us in some way from more fully knowing Jesus and walking with him daily.