Christ Among Men

Even as I wondered what the outcome of the UK election would be, I was more concerned at the implications for religious freedom. The erosion of freedom over the past few years was not just the result of the party in power but goes much deeper into the nature of politics and society. Many remain in authority who have ironically favoured equality enough to persecute dissent, and I am wary of the deals that will be made: what will be sacrificed on the altar of politics? Will religious freedom be a victim? Yet as I ponder the future of this country and religious freedom I am challenged by the words of a man who stood against one of the greatest evils ever known. Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote “The Church is nothing but a section of humanity in which Christ has really taken form…What matters in the church is not religion but the form of Christ, and its taking form amidst a band of men”. This is our primary act – to be the vessel of Christ, to reflect Him to the world. Do we do this? Can we say that Christ has really taken form in us? Indeed, do we even know how to tell?

In response to hostility against Christians in the UK, we are seeing a particular focus on legislation and a defence of human rights. This is an important action that must be taken to defend those who are suffering for their faith. However, are we relying too much on a rights based defence of our faith, rights which can be given or taken away depending on the changing judgements of man? Does it speak to a lack of real Christian activity on the part of the church that this is our primary defence? Our gospel is one of freedom, but part of this freedom must be in allowing it to be rejected. It is not a heavy handed gospel and indeed a faith that is forced is not a faith at all. Men and women died at the stake so that we would have the right to choose whether to believe and it is this act of belief, of faith, that Christ calls for and rejoices in. As Bonhoeffer says, the church is not about religion, it is about Christ dwelling amongst men. We must be wary of making our faith about religion, about a set of rules to be guarded and protected. We are to be Christ among men. We cannot stand in our churches or in the public square and demand the superiority of our gospel if we are not prepared to demonstrate that this is still the case. There are many with historical amnesia who deny the foundations of our faith in establishing Western society and much that is good beyond. There are more who would take the benefits of the faith and secularise them, enjoying the benefit of the gospel without the ‘inconvenience’ of God, believing as so many previous failed projects have done so, that man can create a perfect society. Now, I firmly believe that Christians must be educated about the role of our faith in history. How many Christians know about the church’s role in: saving infants exposed to die in ancient Rome, establishing the first hospitals, liberating women, developing human rights and just conduct in war to name just a few? We must know this legacy and be proud of what our faith has given to the world. But we cannot rest on previous expressions and victories of faith for we are expected to win more victories. We are to bring Christ to the lost, the imprisoned and the wretched. We are not meant to defend a religion, but advance Christ among men.

But I wonder whether a substantial portion of the church even knows how to tell if it is representing Christ, and it is the rights based defence, the anger at the treatment of Christians which bothers me because of this. Considering Bonhoeffer’s words again, I wonder whether our reliance on legal rights is a sign of our own spiritual weakness and bankruptcy. I was recently told by a friend of a Chinese church leader who exclaimed to him (my paraphrase) “While you discussed the organisation of the church, we were raising the dead”. What a challenge! When was the last time a senior clergyman in the UK spoke of amazing displays of God’s power? If we focus on our rights and presumed superiority of our faith, then we fail to raise the dead. And this is not just the literal dead; for look around you. Have you noticed the hopelessness, the fear and the death in the eyes of those who walk past you every day? Jesus came to bring them freedom. But they cannot choose what they do not know. Jesus asked us to bring people to Him, not to take religion, not to form religious bands which happily tolerate a Christ-less church, but to be the band of men and women in which He dwells. Jesus’ freedom is not based on legal rights but on freedom of the soul which cannot be taken away by any policeman, magistrate, judge or king. A concern with our rights and freedom does not bring freedom to the lost, but it is displays of the gospel in acts of love and power that bring freedom.

One of the greatest threats to us as a church in the west is our level of comfort. The Chinese pastor prayed to raise the dead, prayers prayed out of necessity. We are comfortable but do we truly live? We have much to satisfy our hunger, much from what we seek to draw life – food, fashion, entertainment, cars, homes, holidays, sports. As Christians we know that only Christ satisfies, but we are not immune to the pull of the flesh, the temptation to seek the world before Christ and most particularly to control our lives rather than surrender them to Him. Scripture tells us that Jesus offers us a river of life, water that we can drink such that we never grow thirsty again. Even as we see the world try and feed its hunger without Him, have we too, in the church grown comfortable to the point that we have lost sight of our need for Him? Are we too used to discussion of church rights and politics and forgotten how to raise the dead?

Let us decide to live by seeking Christ. Sacrifice our comfort and control and then we will know Christ in a way that we cannot even imagine. Then we will truly live and the church will be the form of Christ among men.

Opening our Eyes - lessons from the Matrix

As God spoke to me through the Lord of the Rings, He reminded me too of the Matrix movies and hence my thoughts in this blog. I have heard that these movies were meant to be anti-Christian, but the message they present has spoken to many Christians that I know. Two key elements emerge in the Matrix. The first is that humanity is living a lie, thinking they are free but unaware that they are actually imprisoned in the most horrendous lie in which their very life feeds the enemy. They are blind to the false reality that surrounds them. The second element is that the hero of the movie shows what is capable when one is set free and able to see the reality of what opposes humanity. Even as he faces life-threatening opponents, he is always confident of winning. How many of us as Christians have forgotten that the bible teaches us that our lives are ones in which we face powers and principalities? How often do we forget to ask God what is going on when we face hostility and trials? Do we remember that He sees all things? I am tired of seeing people hopeless in life and especially tired of a church that offers a weak gospel. Jesus came to restore life, to grant salvation, not only after death, but now, in life. In losing sight of this we are in danger of allowing our faith to be infected with the leaven of the Pharisees and Caesar. We grow religious, expressing our faith in rules and laws, condemning those who contrast us, protecting our view of God, even God Himself, as if God relied on us. Our expression of worship is limited to what pleases us and we disdain others. Judgement, self-righteousness and passivity in the face of injustice start to work their way into our lives. We are numb to the reality of spiritual dullness that lurks over us and we are non-threatening to Satan who can leave us in our churches and communities confident that we will not advance in power against him.

We can also turn to our intellects; this great gift from God in which He delights. We can lay claim to great understanding and truths and yet, like the Pharisees, can have the King stand in front of us, offering us life and completely miss him. Elijah did not invite the prophets of Baal to a debate, nor did Paul threaten the Corinthian leaders with an intellectual discussion. Both these men knew God intimately and both relied on the power of God to verify them and their God-inspired message. I do not claim that displays of God’s power are proof of His approval, but a complete lack of His power, a totality of intellect, does not reflect the biblical example set before us. We can of course also turn to social justice, working our faith out in service to the poor, a great witness to the love of Christ. But here too we can slip so easily, losing sight of the spiritual reality that surrounds us and forgetting to match physical acts with spiritual power and bring people into everlasting salvation.

In my last blog I commented that the second aspect that had emerged from my research into acts of hostility and hatred against Christians is my concern for Christians’ blindness at what is occurring around them. This is perhaps the church’s greatest weakness and I was again reminded of it in my March meetings in Washington. I have spoken to leading barristers and religious liberty advocates who cry out about the church’s blindness. We are not only blind to subtle and open attacks on our faith, but also to the spiritual foundation of these attacks. We forget that we are soldiers in enemy territory, called to take this territory for our King. I see four key choices that Christians face in terms of how we respond to the world and hostility. We can huddle in churches, hiding from the world, trying to keep ourselves apart. Or we can adapt ourselves to the world, prostituting ourselves and losing sight of God in the process. Third, we turn to religion, not hiding, but openly declaring that we stand apart and judging all who fall outside our definition of what is Christian, revealing God’s law but doing little to bring people into knowing and meeting Jesus. The fourth option is to step outside our churches, seek God’s will and then act out this will as Jesus did, with acts of love and power, transforming people and bringing them life. We are called to re-present Jesus to the world, bringing people into relationship with the Father and only this fourth option can achieve this.

If we do not step out into the world then we cannot be light where it is dark; and only the forces of darkness gain in this. If the world withdraws from God’s guidelines it will suffer judgement, not from a wrathful God, but because sin begets suffering. Less of God will always bring more of suffering. The church which adapts to the world will be “safe” but will allow the world to suffer. The church which judges and the church which huddles will not be secure but will still allow the world to suffer. The church that steps out will also suffer, but if we are to face persecution, let it be because the light shines from us, let it be because we love so greatly. Let us be able to say, as Jesus did ‘I have shown you many great miracles from the Father. For which of these do you stone me’? (John 10:32).

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