Christ is not an oil change

(2011-01-24)

I know nothing. I am not wise, I am not intelligent, and I am not particularly gifted. I will say that now.

But don’t lie to yourself, Christ is NOT just an “oil change.“ People – this is NOT Chritianity.

Here is the context.

A well spoken man in a tan or light gray suit was standing at the pulpit preaching today and all I could hear was him saying God in a strange way. “We worship Him because He is the Servant King! Imagine, a Gawd” I cringe, “who washes your feet for you! The Creator of the Universe chose to wash His disciples’ feet – what an amazing Gawd” cringe “that is!”

But it did not take long for me to realize why I was actually cringing. This preacher with the plastic smile, perfect intonation, and the same message I had heard twice a year about this passage was empty. There was no passion. No love, no joy, no excitement. Nothing. No his sermon was about a smooth transition into something called a “Mercy Offering.” What is that? No it is not a chance to forgive those who have wronged you, or a chance to donate to a charity. It is the chance to give to the church again! Twice in one service!? THAT is what the whole message was about??

God is so much more than these pastors and preachers seem to make Him out to be! God is passionate, God is powerful! And He wants us to be drunk off of his glory. David did it – David danced like a moron in front of his people because he was praising God. Think about how genuine that is. And then think of this televangelist wannabe who counts the souls he had saved.

We need spiritual leaders who are not there to look good, sound nice, and make us walk away feeling like the world is sunshine and rainbows (if we give a Mercy Offering that is). Bring me an awkward man who stammers over his words, who says something real and personal about God, and who is not afraid to say what is honest! I’m not talking about fire and brimstone, I am talking about someone who is passionate. Truly, and absolutely passionate about God!

I mean think about how our Services are lacking. We hear the same eight stories every year (okay maybe ten stories). What about the tough issues in our lives? And again, I am not talking about fire and brimstone, sending people to hell. I think that is crap. But here is what I do mean.

Following God demands sacrifice. God did not die on that cross so we could live our lives as we would have normally. We are justified through faith, but faith appears in our works. Faith is a burden, a constant struggle with whether God exists and how to follow Him – truly follow Him. None of this “pray and read your Bible every day” crap. God calls us to a higher bidding, one that is exciting but terrifying. We are called to give up our very lives to Him. And you know what – no one knows how to do that.
That is the point. This pastor who spoke compared Christ’s forgiveness to an oil change. And that is exactly the problem with the message these days. Because as long as you clean out the bad every few months and then go on doing the same thing until you need to do it again, you are set. Right?

NO!!

Christ’s forgiveness is not an oil change! Christ’s forgiveness is a new engine, a new transmission, a new car, a new road, and a new direction. We are not here to just clean out the gunk once in a while. We have been given an opportunity at a new life, but that new life is not ours unless we live it.

So don’t claim we can just be forgiven and move on. That is not being a Christian. That is a bad line that is used to just gain easy support. Being a Christian means we have to find out what it means to follow God for ourselves and as God reveals himself to us, we follow. That means giving up the things we keep rationalizing as good (but we know is not), that means being willing to give up on our dreams and aspirations. They may still happen, but we have to accept they may not. It means surrendering.
Being a Christian is a constant challenge, a constant struggle, and we choose that. That is how it is supposed to be, because in the end that is the cost of believing and trying to live out that belief.

I am not here to say who is and who is not a Christian. I am the worst Christian I know, and many can attest to that. I am a hypocrite. We all are.

But I can say that I do not delude myself in thinking that I’m a Christian if I just pray for forgiveness when I sin and that’s it. Jesus did not die to make our lives more convenient. Jesus died to transform us.

So what I am saying is that we must embrace that new life because it is truly wonderful. I fall short daily and constantly, but I am better for trying. And I am happier for it. Struggles and challenges are in our lives to enrich us. Not to hinder us. If we just do what is always convenient, we will never do anything.