When I first began dating my wife, I noticed that she carried just such a mobile phone. It was large and bulky in my opinion. But she took it everywhere with her, and I started to notice just how handy it was. As time went by, I found myself at a local Sprint store, standing in line to purchase two new "flip phones." They were only thirty-five dollars each (as long as we signed up for a data plan of course). Overnight, my communication niche had changed. But there was also a learning curve as well. These handy little things had quite a bit more to them when it came to texting and video.
I spent the better part of three hours after we got home, pestering my wife for details about how to activate some of the new and interesting features. Choosing a unique ring tone, setting up a background photo, and doing basically everything except placing a normal phone call; what is the fun in using a cell phone to actually call someone? There are too many other fun things to do on it!
I eventually mastered that little phone. Who knew it would be so simple? Flip open the top, and begin pressing buttons. But the fact remains, at first I resisted the change - and I was embarrassed about being confused about something new. And that was before smart phones - now you can check email and organize your entire life on something that fits in your pocket.
This personal story reminds me of the infamous interaction between Jesus and a Pharisee named Nicodemus. John 3:1-3 recounts it like this, "Now there was a Pharisee, a man named Nicodemus who was a member of the Jewish ruling council. He came to Jesus at night and said, 'Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs you are doing if God were not with him.' Jesus replied, 'Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.'"
The story continues with Jesus explaining to a very confused Nicodemus the particulars about how the Christian believer can have assurance in his or her salvation. Oh to see the look on the Pharisee's face that evening! He had to re-learn everything he thought he knew.
It is a very telling account of how people deal with confusion when it comes to spiritual matters. You will notice that he came to Jesus at night, so that no one else could see him asking questions. Plainly put - I believe he was also embarrassed. After all, he was on the ruling council, and one of the religious elect. And I think his confusion about the process of being born again is more widespread than the church would like to believe. Ask the typical parishioner sitting in a Sunday morning service if they are "saved", and you may get some strange looks.
Saved how? Saved from what? Do I look like I'm in danger or in need of a rescue?
Navigating through some of this confusion is important because it is something Jesus wants us to do. Throughout the four Gospels, he gives us parable after parable in an attempt to describe the kingdom of God in simple terms that we can understand. It is like a mansion with many rooms, we are told. It is like a small mustard seed that grows large and tall, we are told. But what happens if the church misses this gift of grace tucked away so masterfully in the Bible? What are some of the symptoms of being confused about salvation?
If we return briefly to my example of the cell phone for a moment, an analogy springs to mind. When I was stubbornly reticent about joining the rest of the world and purchasing a new phone, I noticed that I had become almost arrogant and prideful in my resistance.
"No way, you aren't fitting me with one of those little pocket sized phones," I would say to myself.
I believe it can work the same way in the spiritual arena. We can become prideful and even a little frustrated when someone keeps bringing up this idea about being born again. Can't they see that the rest of us are busy working away in our ministries and trying to make sure church runs smoothly? We don't need one of those little flip phones ... we have a perfectly good land line. Now stop babbling on about all of this being saved stuff, and let me get back to work.
Nicodemus had a similar reaction to Jesus upon hearing the Good News. John 3:4-7 continues, "'How can someone be born when they are old?' Nicodemus asked. 'Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother's womb to be born!' Jesus answered, 'Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit, You should not be surprised at my saying, 'You must be born again.'"
But he was surprised. Nicodemus was Jerusalem's religious elect. He was a member of the Jewish ruling class, and probably made many important decisions about the church during his time. But he knew enough to know that there was something more to God's plan than simply 'doing church well.'
He came to Jesus at night, when no one was around to see him. He was embarrassed, but he went anyway. Jesus didn't turn him away. In fact, God will not turn away from anyone who calls on him. He will patiently explain to us his plan for both our personal salvation, as well as his future plan for redeeming the entire earth and everything in it.
And now we have come down to brass tacks, because there are many who have gone to church their entire lives but do not know Christ. One of my favorite Scriptures is Romans 10:9. It is both simple and profound at the same time, and I enjoy it so much because I think it is almost impossible to take out of context.
It says, "If you declare with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord,' and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved."
You will notice here that this text says nothing about how you should dress on Sunday morning, or how many ministries you should lead. It makes no claim that you need to make a certain amount of money or drive a particular kind of car. Its meaning is too important for any of that. We are to declare Jesus verbally, and believe on him in our hearts. We are to admit that we have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, and that we need him to help us. And not in that arrogant sort of way that leaves room for us to view him as just a wise person or a good teacher, but to understand that he is God's son, and that nothing less than inviting him into our lives to stay will suffice.
It should also be noted that the Great Commission in Matthew 28 commands that we are to baptize believers in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. And so I will mention it here as well. It is a good and necessary thing to be baptized after coming to God. It is a way of showing the outside world that we have tucked away Romans 10:9 in our hearts and in our minds.
I should also mention that soon after unpacking my new cell phone years ago, I felt the sting of this realization: how silly I had been to stubbornly postpone this new way of using technology to communicate. I imagine that Nicodemus felt the same way after leaving his evening discussion with Jesus. There is a better way to communicate with God - there is a more direct path. It is free, and it is available to anyone willing to investigate it. But then, you have to take the cell phone out of its packaging in order to hear the voice on the other end.
.
No comments:
Post a Comment