In His Light

During the Covid madness shutdown of all churches, [even as the bars were allowed to remain open], I sensed that it was a test. Maybe even a warning.

What if the day comes when Christianity is finally outlawed, world wide, do we lose faith because we can’t gather in a building?

What does ‘gather’ mean? What is faith?

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Maundy Thursday was the name designated to commemorate the day Christ and His disciples gathered to eat Passover together in what is known as The Last Supper.

Most Christian denominations honor the breaking of bread symbolically representing Christ’s body and the drinking of wine as His blood known as Holy Communion.

It might come as a surprise to know that first century Romans, taking Christ’s words literally, condemned this as appalling and pagan.

Is it not classic how the letter of the word can be misinterpreted - if it’s missing the spirit?

Holy Communion is a solemn ceremony for Christians. Some use real wine, some use grape juice depending on the individual doctrinal creed. That which began as a tribute eventually became a ritual.

When does heart reverence become mindless custom? Which church does it correctly? Does it even matter?

Many will argue that how we worship is irrelevant, just so we gather to worship. I submit maybe it’s not what we do or don’t do, it’s about what God sees in our hearts. How true and unshakable is our faith?

To be clear I agree with gathering to share and pray. Christians need each other in these strange days more than ever. My earnest believer peeps are amazing prayer warriors at the ready to send up supplications with the speed of a text request. When two or more are gathered in His name...clearly a call to gather.

Those who have found a congregation that actually fuels their faith are blessed indeed if, in fact, it is a faith that continues outside of ritual gathering and is not just to check the faith box.

What is the spirit of the word ‘gather’? How about two people sharing Scripture or two people praying together on a phone call? Does that count?

Let us not ignore that history is replete with atrocities committed in the name of ‘Christ’ which is the first argument Christ deniers pull out like a flamethrower. My only rebuttal is to point out that wolves know how to wear sheepskins and satan is good at destroying from within.

Religion that is in constant reorganizing/redefining because someone decided that the Word needed to be reinterpreted ends up redefining faith which then often fails us and thus leads away from Christ with deceptive philosophy and human tradition.

Walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith. (Colossians 2:7)

But Christ Himself - sans all the bells and whistles and baggage - never fails us. He is always available. We just have to earnestly seek and ask.

Seek and ye will find, ask and ye will be given - that’s not about finding a Mercedes in your driveway (regardless the prosperity preachers’ interpretation).

So what is the point?

What if faith is not an either/or construct - dependent on belonging to an organization - or not? What if it’s about determining why we actually worship - is it our buildings and traditions, the where, what and how we worship?

...or the Who.

Did Christ come to start a new religion or did He come to be the final perfect sacrifice, ending the old covenant, that had amassed more than 2000 manmade rules over the centuries? Did He come to free us and provide a way back to the Father?

When He ascended to Heaven did He take all that was holy with Him including the definition of ‘Temple’? Was that so we were no longer required to worship ‘places’ ‘things’ and ‘doings’ anymore?

Did the Last Supper represent more than just Christ’s last meal - both an ending of an old and a beginning of a new?

Rephrasing the original question:

If Jesus was all you had would He be enough for you?

“After they had eaten, Jesus asked Simon Peter, ‘Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me more than these other things?’” (John 21:15).

Many precious believers are in love with the things of the Lord, but they are not in love with the Lord Himself. Many Christian workers and ministers are in love with the Lord’s work. Almost without realizing it, the work of the Lord becomes more important than the Lord of the work.

Is Jesus enough?

Chip Brogden - https://theschoolofchrist.org/is-jesus-enough?

Addendum:

Before I posted this I saw two news items which makes me wonder if we are not being alerted to something we need to pay attention to. If a supreme court of a country can rule that words in a twenty year old pamphlet that define the Christian interpretation of male and female as ‘hate speech’, then how long before the Bible is also classified as hate speech and banned?

And this:

So I repeat the question:

When, not if, Christianity is either completely redefined or outlawed, will Jesus be enough?