Michael Jackson & a Lesson to Christians
Everyone is talking about Michael Jackson. They have been for a while, of course, but I read an article about him on CNN.com that really intrigued me.
It was an origin story—sort of like those of superheroes but this one was about a single glove that became a trademark. What interested me about this is that according to the article, it was born out of necessity not fashion.
Michael Jackson has been widely reported to have had a condition known as vitiligo, which causes skin to lose its pigmentation. Apparently, it normally happens in splotches and often begins on the hands. Such was the case with Mr. Jackson, and mystery solved—there was a reason for the glove.
I boiled it down obviously, but the point that stuck out to me was fans all over the world copied this “style” to emulate their idol without even knowing why Michael was doing it.
I could take this in several directions at this point, but what I want to illustrate is copying Christianity whether as a congregation member or a leader is not enough. If we simply think something looks cool or will make us fit in, then we are missing the point.
As leaders, I feel it’s very important to explain why things are important. Why study the Bible? Why pray? Why worship? Why discipline ourselves? Without the why we create rule-followers and self-righteous sheep.
Now on the flipside, each believer has the responsibility to pursue God and find things out for themselves. You don’t have to take someone else’s word for it. Read and study the Bible. Experience for yourself the truth that the preacher is preaching. Learn to distinguish which is a leader’s personal preference and which is God’s truth (and love the leader no matter what).
I think all those people who mimicked MJ with their glove would have felt pretty silly if they had known it was simply to cover a skin condition. Now, Michael certainly dressed it up, but its purpose remained unchanged.
We have the same opportunity to live passionately for either leader’s ideas and “fashion” statements or passionately for God’s Kingdom and purposes. We definitely can follow them as they follow Christ, but we need to know for ourselves the God who amazing, wonderful, abundant, and transcendent.
To maintain pursuit is the only way to continually live with purpose, determination, and joy.
Quickest Way to Stagnation
You were running the race so well. Who has held you back from following the truth? It certainly isn’t God, for he is the one who called you to freedom. –Galatians 5:7-8
This is sort of a continuation of Monday's post, but as I continue reading through Galatians, I keep being hit by these things (in a good way).
I think it’s interesting that we blame God for so many things. Often chief among them, when our spiritual life falters. We may attribute it to God not giving us what we wanted (even though that thing seemed like His will). We may think it’s the disappointments and discouragements we’ve faced that aren’t fair.
People speak things to us that confirm our suspicions and feed our anxiety until we stop pursuing and wallow in our self-pity and confusion. At least that happens for me. Sometimes I don’t even need other people to help. I look at the “signs” and decide they all point toward God leaving or giving up on me. The longer I indulge the faster I lose my footing.
But I want to get this truth down deeper inside me—who has held me back from following the truth? Certainly isn’t God! He’s the one who called me to freedom in the first place. He’s the one who sent His Son to take my sin, guilt, and condemnation. He’s the one who made me righteous and offered relationship.
God does not cause our walk to stagnate, we allow such things to enter. I’m just so glad that once we see what’s going on, we can return to life in the Spirit and quit trying to please Him with our rule-following.
If we are hungering, thirsting, and pursuing righteousness then following the rules and following the truth lead us to different places. Why? Because if we could follow all the rules, we’d be able to boast about it and make our own way and wouldn’t need Jesus. As it is, working so hard to follow rules will leave us more frustrated, more anxious, and more complacent.
He called us to freedom and wants us to stay in freedom. We face dry and hard times, but with the certainty that they will not endure forever and it’s all part of the race we’re running.
Why is this so tempting?
Each of us is built differently. I probably like things that you don’t and vice versa. That ultra-rich dessert is tempting to some while others shun it for various reasons.
One thing that seems to be universally tempting at one point or another for Christians is trying to achieve something by keeping a set of rules. Paul told the Galatians in chapter 3,
How foolish can you be? After starting your Christian lives in the Spirit, why are you now trying to become perfect by your own human effort? Have you experienced so much for nothing? Surely it was not in vain, was it?
Do you ever ask yourself, Why is this so appealing? The experience of God’s grace and truth meeting us as we accept the free gift of salvation that we didn’t earn and will never deserve but are able to receive because of His love—that’s incredible! Once it’s made real by the work of the Holy Spirit, why do we want to live any other way?
The short answer in my view is pride. We start feeling we are important to the process, and while we make decisions, obey or disobey, we need to see ourselves in the proper perspective.
It always happens subtly. I may be leading worship, preaching, or just praying or reading the Bible—thoughts start creeping in that point me back to myself and my inherent awesomeness (quit laughing) then I start buying the lie that I had anything to do with what God is doing.
The key is catching those thoughts before they get away from us. If we don’t act quickly, they breed like rabbits and Paul’s not just talking to the Galatian church anymore. He’s talking to us.
I want to live in the Spirit and not fall prey to trying to earn it or follow my rules to gain acceptance. I’ll fail, maybe even today, but I appreciate and am thankful that He is always there to lead me back.
The more I resist the temptation, the more I allow freedom to work. What a great hope we have!
Update on ReCharge Worship Retreat
This is just a quick update- we are postponing this event!
Weekend Burning Question
I don’t think Friday is long enough so let’s stretch it to the whole weekend! Here’s your question for this week,
What cereal that they no longer make would you want to bring back?
For me, it would definitely be the Smurfs cereal and I would pay actual money to have some right now. It was delicious!
Everybody Sacrifices
I have a secret. It’s not something I usually volunteer, but probably a lot of guys would agree. Wondering what this deep, dark secret might be? Okay here it is… I think it would be great to have six-pack abs.
And that pretty much sums it up, “I think it would be great…” I do exercise, but not enough to cultivate that sort of thing; and I try to eat right (mostly) but I know there are certain foods that enhance or detract from developing the washboard look. No, I don’t follow the rules (and really am only vaguely aware they exist because I’ve never looked into it). I’m just not that committed so it remains a distant, nice thought.
People who really want that sort of thing really have to work and sacrifice for it. It may be easier for some with “good genes” but even then, they don’t just magically appear.
The same is true in our relationship with God. He is not the one holding out on me. He waits for me to come, while I decide whether it’s worth it or not. Seems sort of silly when I put it that way, but every day I make decisions to live in grace or indulge my selfishness.
We sacrifice for what we want. Sometimes that has very negative consequences as we can sacrifice our health, finances, relationships, etc. for what will make our lives “better.” Then we look at God and think, “I know You’d like me to read my Bible right now but I don’t want to—I don’t have enough me-time.”
A reality check may be in order—all time is “me-time.” Each of us decides what is important and what our priorities will be for a given day. I believe our goal is to keep turning more and more me-time into God-time so that He lives His life through us.
There are probably only a few things in life that we sacrifice greatly for and find out it’s worth it. I may not be able to answer definitively whether six-pack abs is one of those things, but I do know that seeking God with reckless abandon certainly is. The hardships, sacrifices, and difficulties we walk through lead us somewhere.
Many may not understand or see what you see, but our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all (2 Corinthians 4:17). It may not be easy or what we want to do, but once we engage we discover that the real sacrifice was already made and we are recipients of this great gift.
I hope you have experienced this as I have. We turn around, in that moment flooded with grace, and we realize that it wasn’t a sacrifice God was after but a surrender.
