Heart of the Matter

'ello everybody!

Well here it is, one of my last post in this little mini-series. I was originally planning on a lot more detailed, and a lot longer series of posts, but I can see now that I'd loose your attention (if I haven't already LOL).

So, instead of continuing to plod along point by point, I'm gonna try and wrap it all up in one or two more posts. This is the heart of the matter. This is what I have been drilling towards with my previous posts all along. I quite bluntly brought out into the open a few of the things that we all think from time to time, because they needed to be said.

What I've been getting at these past several weeks (months?) is that though we may be doing a lot of the "churchy" things, we aren't doing them for any reason other than it's something we are obligated to do, because it's the rules. That should not be our motivation.

The heart of the matter, is a matter of the heart.

It seems we have lost the focus of Christianity. It has shifted from relationship to religion, and from love to a litany of rules. To make Christianity about rules and regulations twists it from the most beautiful thing to ever grace this planet into a thing of absolute depravity. It changes the life of a Christian from one that can withstand persecution and horrors because we have a relationship with a hero, with a father, to a life that IS persecution and horrors.

How many of us dread going to church on Sunday morning? How many avoid a "quiet time" because it is so unearthly boring? How many find the only highlight to mission work the fact that you can (at least) be with friends? Here is the question I have asked many times now: Why? Why, Why, Why? I stress the answer: Because we don't have a relationship with our creator. Because we are just "following the rules".

I'm sure someone is reading this right now thinking that I've gone completely off my rocker. They are probably saying something along the lines of "rules are important!"; that "to dismiss the rules of Christianity is a very bad thing!", of the Devil in fact. I would agree with them! I am not dismissing the rules, the rules are important! They tell us what God approves of and what He does not.

However, blindly following the rules, simply as rules is perhaps an even worse fate than not following them at all!

If you are blatantly disobeying the rules someone can come along side and show you the error of your ways, God will get "on your case" about it, you will feel guilty and know why. To (unknowingly) ignore a relationship with God by following the rules, just to follow the rules is missing the entire reason for those rules in the first place. You will find all the rules difficult, boring, dull, difficult to bear. You will feel that there is something missing, but not know what.

OK Greg, so you've spoken theoretically so far. All of this "we don't have a realtionship" and "following rules just because they are rules stuff" is well and good, but what about practically? What are you advising? Certainly you aren't saying that we should give up the rules? That would be madness and sin! How do you propose we gain this "relationship"? Don't we have a relationship as soon as we are saved?

I would answer that now, but this post has (again :) grown to be far too large already. Next post is where I want to really dive into the nitty-gritty.