Even So, Keep Coming, Jesus

I recently heard a statement that made me sit straight up in one of those, “Aha! Of Course!” moments. Here it is: JESUS DID NOT COME TO EARTH TO START ANOTHER RELIGION.

Read the recorded words of Jesus in the Gospels of the New Testament and you will not find a single statement about an organizational strategy for starting a new religion.

Ø He did not declare where a headquarters should be. In fact, he told his followers to scatter from where they were and go to the remotest parts of the earth with his message.
Ø He did not establish any leadership certification ceremonies. In fact, he said that those who aspire to greatness among his followers must learn to be the servants of others.
Ø He did not establish any elaborate liturgies. In fact, he cautioned we should do our praying and giving in private (Matthew 6:1-6).
Ø He did not organize any capital funding campaigns for organizational expansion. In fact, he said his followers should simply give to the poor because laying up treasure on earth usually doesn’t turn out too well (Matthew 6:19).
Ø He didn’t acquire property for either himself or his successors. In fact, he predicted the complete destruction of the centerpiece religious edifice of his day.
Ø He did not develop any bylaws, dogmas, or rules of order. In fact, he said the only way anyone would be able to tell who is really following him and who is not is by how we love one another (John 13:35).

He did speak of “build[ing] my church,” but only in the context of affirming that the rock solid declaration that he was “the Christ, the son of the living God,” would eventually result in the demolition of the “gates of hell” (Matthew 16:18). The phrase “building the church” as we use it today is very different in meaning from what Jesus was speaking of when he turned the phrase.

So, if Jesus wasn’t starting a new religion, what was he up to? He was establishing God’s kingdom. The lead off request of his prayer time was “your kingdom come, your will be done “on earth as it is in heaven.” There it is! Jesus envisioned an earth encompassing “kingdom” that has been gaining momentum ever since. It is the influence of God upon our very movements, breathing and existence (Acts 17:24-28). I, like many who read this, have wasted a lot of time and energy trying to get to God through religious endeavor. But, I’m pleased to announce that coming to a neighborhood near us all is the kingdom of God. In fact, there is mounting evidence that it’s here already. Maybe you saw on national TV last evening how people across this country and beyond donated tens of millions of dollars to alleviate poverty globally. That’s real kingdom stuff! Even so, keep coming, Lord Jesus.

IF YOU'RE GOING TO CHANGE, EDITH, HURRY UP AND CHANGE!

Dan Sullivan, in his insightful booklet, How the Best Get Better (© The Strategic Coach, Inc.), makes the following observation: “All stages of individual growth come from having goals—desiring something new, better and different. At first, goals liberate and motivate us; once achieved, they hobble and hinder us. Working to achieve a set of goals motivates us to develop specific relationships, structures, and personal habits. Once the goals are achieved, these same relationships, structures, and habits—now firmly entrenched—become The Ceiling of Complexity that prevents the next stage of growth. People become the prisoners of their own success, sometimes for the rest of their lives (p.9). He goes on to say that only by establishing new goals are we then forced “to develop new relationships, structures, and habits.”

Assuming that Mr. Sullivan is correct, the question I must answer is, am I more about maintaining what I’ve already accomplished, or am I more about moving forward and upward in personal growth? The more I strive to consolidate gains and fortify already accomplished goals the less likely I will be to adapt sufficiently to produce positive change and greater success.

Change resisters want to hold fast to the norms of earlier success. They do so at great peril. Whenever one stops looking for ways to break away from the “stuff, details, complications, conflicts, and contradictions that come from doing things a certain way for a long time,” one stops growing. . When I stop growing, I start dying. It’s that simple.

I am challenging myself daily to do something new and different than I did yesterday.