Believing Revolution

We all want something to believe in. It is the rallying cry of the Human Race. We seek something to believe, whether it is science or religion, something out there or something inside us, or even just ourselves. And we want others to believe in us, which is why we often work so hard to fit in. Belief makes the world go 'round.

The problem of late is that there is so much to believe in. I mean, there is so much "truth" to be found that it is hard for us to choose just one. So, we have created this concept- moral relativism. Simplified, it means "Do what feels right to you." It works great for a while because there is no wrong answer. Well, unless you do something that makes you feel bad, but then the punishment comes from you and not some outside source. But over time, many moral relativist (many, not all) find that they really don't believe in anything, and they start their search all over.

The church, as well, has found itself in a place where, like the song says, we need "something to believe in, because I'm living just to breathe." The belief that believers seek is not some concept- but actually a way of life. They realize that for at least a generation the church has grown its roots into the floor, she has grown sedentary. By extension, followers of Christ seem to have adopted a rather lazy view of spirituality. They don't want to sacrifice to know Christ, they don't want to be told their lifestyle doesn't honor Jesus, they don't really want to take a stand for Him other than to maybe wear a cross or a T-shirt. It has been safe, easy, and -in America, at least- expected that you are a 'Christian,' as if it is by birthright. Moral Relativism has crept in so that Christians do what they feel is right, not what God has shown He desires. But Moral Relativism is but a symptom of the real problem.

We don't believe.

Yeah, we know there is a God. We know He died for us and blah, blah, blah...but man, I'm really too busy for a meaningful relationship. If God were a girlfriend, we would have dumped Him years ago because there just wasn't a spark anymore. We know about Him, but He doesn't really live to us. A big part of this problem is that we don't see too many followers of Christ that are genuinely passionate about Him. We hear stories of believers in far off lands, but here in America, our "Christian Examples" are celebrity pastors and writers who tell us a lot about how we should live sacrificially while they sit in their large churches with top-notch tech. I don't find myself getting excited to believe in their God.

And so, we are lethargic. We believe there is a God, but we are still simply living just to breathe, to make it to the next paycheck, to eek out a decent grade on that test, to try to avoid another fight with the significant other about finances or the kids or what to watch on TV. We believe, but we do nothing with it. And we complain that our nation is going to Hell because no one will stand up for Christ.

We want a Revolutionary- someone to shake us from our apathy. But we need them to explain things step by step, we need to know exact answers, exact facts, for we don't want to step out on faith if we might fall. We are fearful and mistrusting of the God we believe in.

So what is the answer?

We need to be the Revolutionary we seek. Not Big Time Pastor. Not Emergent Church Writer. Not Celebrity Turned Christian. US. YOU and ME. The way to do it is to listen to the gentle voice, the almost silent whisper that comes from deep in our heart- that feeling that there must be more than this, more than this nothing that our faith has become.

Our belief must not simply rest on itself. It must grow to a fever- a passion- if we are going to see a change in not only ourselves, but our world. Change based simply on facts without passion has never truly been seen, at least to my knowledge, because Revolutionaries are passionate.

Dispassionate revolution brings no change.

And that is just what we have today. People are passionate about changing government, health care, immigration, and the economy. But we talk about wanting to change the state of faith in our nation, and we turn all clinical, emotionless.

Wake up. Come alive and fight with all that you have to get a glimpse of Christ. Be willing to shed blood, sweat and tears in your pursuit of Him. Let everything else fade away, realize that everything else- even the good things like family and doing a good job at school or work- are lesser things than knowing God.

Be willing to be seen as a Freak for believing so totally in God. Be willing to do something that others think insane or unsafe if it is God calling you to it. Weep when you sing a love song to God or when you hear the story of another Child of God. Be broken when you see others, even enemies, fall. Be torn up inside over the struggles others face. When you yourself fall, allow yourself to be picked up by God, not through a set of man-made redemption steps.

It is time to start believing in Revolution. And it is time to start a revolution int your own beliefs.

From the outside looking in, you can't understand it; From the inside looking out, you can't explain it.

We are His portion and He is our prize,
Drawn to redemption by the grace in His eyes,
If His grace is an ocean, we're all sinking.
And Heaven meets earth like an unforeseen kiss,
And my heart turns violently inside of my chest,
I don't have time to maintain these regrets,
When I think about, the way
Oh! how He loves us,
Oh! how He loves.
How He Loves ( David Crowder Version)

I'm starting to take at least one day a week to listen to worship music on the drive to work. Normally, I try to pray, but I often fall into the rut of just talking to God and not listening. There is nothing wrong with sharing our heart with God, asking Him, thanking Him, sharing our problems. But like any relationship, we need it to not be one sided.

Lately, How He Loves by The David Crowder*Band has been the song that speaks to me. Really, since it came out it has profoundly affected me. When John Mark McMillan wrote it, it was written about a man who stated if he could, by dying, shake the youth of the world for Christ, so be it. And that day he was killed in car accident. Its a song about the unseen world of God touching ours. No, make that invading ours.

The excerpt I posted above is no doubt my favorite part. It speaks the answer to the question of "Why do I believe in God?" That answer is simple- I believe because I have been caught up in Him. I have been hypnotized by Christ through His grace and His love. He has blessed me unexpectedly ( the unforeseen/sloppy wet kiss line). He has caused me to be in conflict with myself, my heart does turn violently inside my chest each time I come to a decision point of choosing my way or God's.

The funny thing about these experiences of God that I've had is that they are not verifiable, at least, not scientifically so. I did not come to believe in grace because someone showed me a diagram of how it works- I believe it because I have relief when I confess my sins and because I have seen grace shown from a follower of Christ to another human being. Regardless of the differences between them. I do not believe in God's love because He sent me roses, I believe because I have known a comfort that comes as if from nowhere and everywhere at the same time. I do not believe in God's power because I can look at an inventory of His armory, but because I have seen examples of His power demonstrated in storms and fires and mountains and oceans- and in the power of His people that are able to endure.

Here at A&M there is a saying, "From the outside looking in, you can't understand it; From the inside looking out, you can't explain it." It may sound dismissive, but I think that believing in God can be the same. God doesn't make sense, He doesn't translate well to a person who doesn't know faith in Him. This is not an excuse for us to be elitist or uppity about us having a 'special knowledge.' In fact, there is no special knowledge at all, just a different relationship gained by engaging God. That is really what the Aggie quote is all about. If you want to understand the Aggie Spirit, you have to experience it by engaging it. No amount of explanation or charts or logic will truly make it clear to you. You have to be immersed in it.

If you want to understand God, you have to let the grace in His eyes draw you to redemption. You have to allow your defenses to drop, to let your guard down, to be caught up in Him. Sink in the ocean of grace to understand that He loves you so much that nothing you've done or could ever do is too much for Him to wash away. You will be so lost in the abundance of God, that any regrets you have held onto- for past mistakes or indulgences, or for failures- could not be held onto.

If you want to get to know another person, looking up their vital stats, their facts and figures won't help you. (Unless its for fantasy football, then, maybe.) Sitting down with them, allowing their conversation to wash over you, learning the way they talk, the little quirks of their personality, this is how you know them.

So when I sit in the car, letting the words of the song wash over me, letting the voice of God speak to me as He would like, then I come to know Him, and why I believe in Him.

Why God?

Warning: How you read the title of this post says a lot about where you might be spiritually.

If you read it with an implied comma between the two words, you are questioning something that is happening to you. If you read it without an implied comma, you are questioning God- His existence/character/relevance/etc. Both readings are really about the same thing:

Belief.

America, by and large, believes in God. In general, it is the Judeo-Christian God, if the numerous studies from groups like the Barna Institute are to be accepted. Most of these studies have somewhere in the neighborhood of 85% of Americans calling themselves Christians. It is almost as though we just accept that God is real because it is a part of our cultural identity. We are American therefore we are Christian, therefore we believe in God. If asked why we believe in God, we give an answer that belies this belief- "I was raised to believe in God."

This is not a response that is invalid- but it is a response that lacks maturity of belief. I would argue that most of these people who say they believe in God believe it in much the same way they were raised to believe in Santa Claus. The only difference is that at some point it becomes culturally unacceptable to believe in Santa. If there were more social repurcussions for believing in God, I bet fewer people would claim Him.

Why?

I believe it is because we fail to ask "Why(,) God?" I would bet that many of the 15% who do not call themselves Christian have asked this question, and thier answer was one in which God was not needed- or at least the Judeo-Christian God was not needed. Maybe we fear asking "Why God?" because we fear the answer is that God is like Santa Claus, and we remember the pain of that truth coming home to our heart. To learn that God is not real would be too much for us, and rather than ask hard questions, we choose to remain blissfully ignorant. Or maybe we never question "Why God?" because we are supposed to have faith and trust God. Even Jesus said, "Don't put God to the test." (Luke 4:12)

My answer to this: God can take it.

I believe God is real- He is no Santa Claus. And I believe we need to test our faith, we must determine if WE believe God is real. Faith is not always about blind submission (though there are times when we need to just take a leap of faith). We need not test God like Satan was tempting Jesus to do- "God, if you're real, do something for my benefit and my glory." But we do need to test our belief.

We do this by experience. We seek answers- from friends, family, science, religion, scripture- most importantly we need to seek answers from what we encounter. I believe God is real because of what I see of Him in nature and in the lives of those around me. I believe in God because of what I have read about Him. I believe in God because of those times when I have experienced something that has no other explanation but God.

I believe in God because of the answers I've gotten when I asked, "Why, God?"

When my father died, I asked "Why,God?" and was answered with His comfort. When the ministry has seemed fruitless, I've asked "Why, God?" and been answered with a lesson in patience. When attacked, I've asked "Why, God?" and been answered with deliverance by various means. When good has come, I've asked "Why, God?" and been answered with peace.

I've asked "Why God?" and I've asked "Why, God?" I haven't always liked the answer, or the timing of the answer, but each one has served to deepen and mature my belief. I have feared asking the question, but to be honest with myself and with God, I must ask it. We all must ask it.

So when you ask me, "Why God?" I will respond that I choose to believe in God because I have experienced Him. I have encountered Him. And following those answers in my life there has come validation from others, from Scripture, and from doctrine.

But first and foremost, I believe in God because He has believed in me enough to reveal Himself.

And He believes in you.