The Main Thing is to Keep the Main Thing the Main Thing
Monday, it was the Baptist guy who knew the ‘church-speak’ but who’s now figured out he didn’t know Jesus at all. Yesterday, it was the guy whose wife was kicked out of her Catholic family because she married him… a Protestant.
Growing up and living in a “Christian” country, how do we get so screwed up?
I think it’s because we’ve forgotten the main thing. We’ve let “church” take the place of God. And we’ve neglected, or maybe never understood the “Holy of Holies.”
On the first Easter, that was the place in the center of the temple where man connected with God. Where God was present. Where prayer was intimate. Where relationship was real-time. In Old Testament parlance, only the High Priest could go in and hang out with God and it was only once a year. The “Holy of Holies” was so sacred, they tied a rope to his leg so he could be dragged out if he died, it was that holy!
Outside this space was the temple…the “church” if you will. All God’s children (the Jews) could go there to worship, make sacrifices, give offerings, and hear the Scriptures read & taught. Outside the temple was the courtyard where anyone could go. That’s where the merchants were when Jesus turned over their tables and kicked them out.
The ‘main thing’ for us is that central place. That “holy of holies” where we meet with, talk to, and are personally loved by our Heavenly Father. Remember at the moment Jesus died, the veil that enclosed the “Holy of Holies” was opened up? Ripped in two. And it ripped from above, from top to bottom, as by God Himself, not by men who could have torn it from bottom to top. It was God, inviting ALL OF US in. Through Christ’s death, we are all made equally holy. Jesus’ death gave each of us access into the “Holy of Holies.” Same as the most holy man anywhere. No one can take away that unfettered access, that 24/7/365 availability, that unconditional, unwavering love for the Christ-follower. It’s personal, alive, interactive, and real.
The ‘temple’ represents my church. Or your church. It’s where like-minded people gather to worship. It’s where Christ-followers are connected by their love of Jesus and their responsibility to love and serve each other. It may be important, but it’s not the main thing.
The outer courtyard represents the rest of the world. The place we go to live, work and relate after we’ve connected with God in the ‘Holy of Holies.’ And after we’ve done ‘church.’
The main thing is to grasp and enjoy that continuous fellowship with the Father. That’s what He created us for. The church we attend, the ‘religious tradition’ we were raised in, even the faith we want our children to have, all that’s secondary to connecting with God in a personal way through Jesus.
That’s the main thing.
Question: Have you let ‘church’ become the main thing? Do you have the guts to move church to second place and make the Father first? Share your thoughts here.
Breathe New Life Into Your Discipleship
Small group mentoring can help you engage your people, build your core group of leaders, and transform your church. Our free resources equip you with all the tools you need to launch a sustainable mentoring program.
Responses (1)
Regi,
It is so true how we get off the “main thing”. For the last year or so I have been realizing that more and more. I “grew up in” the church, and I have come to realize (and even reached out to some of my old cronies lately on the subject) that, although I thought I had a relationship with God, I believe I actually had a relationship with a “story”. Granted, the story of faith and redemption through the Cross as it is laid out in the Old and New Testaments is a pretty good story, but without the relationship with The Man Jesus, it is really just words on paper (or font on a screen in this case).
In any event, the main thing for me is to press in, and press on, this notion that I can know Jesus (I mean really know Him… call Him my friend!). It’s even hard to believe when I write this, and even harder to believe that for years and years, and dare I say generations and generations, we have put the story in front of the Man. That’s what I had been doing, and what is easy to slip into continuing to do in the day to day and mundane “busy” life, but the closer I seek to get to Him, the farther away I realize that I was.
Anyway, I just wanted to share with you, and I sincerely enjoy all of your posts… this one just “rang the bell” on my shoulders since it has been top of mind for me recently. Thanks for putting these encouraging words out to us so consistently. I really enjoyed getting to hear you firsthand when we were at the last Souly Business and I served the table, but these posts help keep me grounded to my number one responsibility as a Christ follower… to be a servant leader (first in my home and then in the community).
Thanks and have a great week Regi!
-cb