When Jesus started his ministry, his approach upset his followers’ well worn assumptions of their God. His audience commonly believed that a person’s life circumstances were an accurate indicator of their righteousness. Wealthy people were blessed, and therefore holier than the poor. Those who were physically impaired, such as the blind or leprous were considered wicked. After all, the Old Testament book of Deuteronomy 28 taught that God promised to bless the righteous, and curse the unrighteous.
So when the disciples passed a man born blind, their natural question was, “Jesus, whose sin caused this man’s blindness, his or his parents?” Maybe needing to check their doctrinal reference points, they wanted Jesus to reinforce their religious orientation. I think Jesus rocked their world when he replied “He is blind so that the glory of God can be shown.” Jesus compassionately stopped, and gave the man his sight.
When I came to Christ, a supernatural outpouring of the Holy Spirit was rocking my religious world. I watched men and women become supernaturally whole, and our prayer meetings included casting out spirits from seekers and new Christians alike.
Wanting to capture the Uncapture-able, and understand the Infinite, it wasn’t long before, like the apostles, my preachers and friends tried to quantify God’s supernatural outpouring.
“All sickness is caused by the Devil and God wants you healed and in good health.” I was told.
“If you’re sick, it’s because there is sin or the devil in your life.” I heard.
Teachings were circulated on cassette tapes, pamphlets turned into books, and ministries sprouted up that promised to deliver me from sickness, poverty, rebelliousness, the common cold and toe nail fungus. But the proof was in the fruit. Before long these healing ministries, deliverance ministries, dream interpretation ministries and their books disappeared, often leaving bewildered well-intentioned believers in their wake.
When I pulled back from the attention grabbing ministries and read the gospels thoroughly I began to learn what Jesus was trying to teach his disciples through that blind man. Some of people Jesus healed he told to go and tell their friends. Some he told to tell no one. On some he showed gentleness and compassion, touching their eyes with his hands as he prayed. Others he warned “Now, go your way and sin no more so that something worse doesn’t happen to you.” To Mary Magdalene Jesus said and did both. “Neither do I condemn you. Now go, and sin no more.”
Jesus miraculous power wasn’t intended to start doctrines. He connected people to the power of God that could change their lives. [click to tweet]
The disciples fell victim to the clichés of their time, as do we. They tried to control their world and their God by wrapping both in threadbare sheets of their limited understanding. They’d learned sin often caused terrible consequences; so they assumed that all bad consequences must be the result of sin. Jesus’ words were meant to correct their short sighted spiritual vision. Maybe we need to heed the same lesson, and move beyond Cliché Christianity.
Just let go, and Let God. Well, maybe that’s a good choice, but maybe God put you in a situation so you could work with him toward the solution, and without your input, the situation will never change.
Don’t ever make your needs known. Just pray. God will hear you. Well, maybe. But how many people came to Jesus and the disciples with their needs before Jesus responded?
Prayer changes things. Well, Maybe. But it could be that God wants to change you – and that nothing around you will change until he finishes his work in your heart.
Bad things in your life are the result of your sin, or the devil, or (worse) your sin opened the door for the devil. Well, it could be. But maybe I just made a stupid decision, and now I have to work out the consequences.
I’m saved by Grace. My behavior and lifestyle don’t matter. The good news is that we are forgiven and saved by God’s grace. Yet God expects that his great grace creates a visible life change (see Titus 2.11-13) A tree is known by its fruit, and without the fruit of a changed life, what does it say about the tree?
Everything that happens is for a reason. Well, Romans says that God works all things together for the good, for those that love him, and to those that continue to walk in his plans for them. (This promise is conditional.) But everything that happens isn’t good. A mother who loses a child in a premature birth or a teen ager who wraps a car around a tree because he was using a cell phone isn’t good. God can pull together the broken pieces for his glory. He will use events like these to draw us closer. Then again, maybe he’s using a situation to bring needed discipline into my life.
Here’s the point . . . when we resort to short-sighted, shallow Cliché Christianity, we try to throw a single ill-fitting solution at every problem. More times than not, this shallow Cliché’ Christianity misses God and his heart completely. We manufacture solutions that fit our conscience, and try to re-make God in our image.
Like the disciples, Cliché Christianity misses the opportunity to press into a deeper encounter with our sovereign, all-powerful God. [click to tweet]
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