Enjoying The Faithfulness Of God
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Allison and I opened our home hundreds of times over the course of a decade in Chicago. We joined countless others in their homes or at parks, pubs, coffee shops, beaches, and beyond. It was a way of life.
We were adamant that the Christianity we grew up in was far too anonymous and private. We ached to help more people experience the liberation of being known and loved at the same time. The message of Jesus had to matter in real life and relationships.
We ached to help more people experience the liberation of being known and loved at the same time.
Make no mistake, there is nothing picturesque about it. Living transparently in community while constantly encouraging the discouraged takes a toll. In fact, it can become a religion in itself - something used to build a case for self-justification or a sense of worthiness. We definitely wrestled with this.
THE RELIGIOUS IMPULSE
But what we wrestled with even more was the religious impulse in our communities. More times than I took care to count, someone would come up to me and privately ask, "when are we going to start?" Something more always had to be done for our time to matter.
…"when are we going to start?" Something more always had to be done for our time to matter.
Mind you, this question was always asked part-way through a casual evening and the inevitable flurry of arrivals throughout at least an hour. People would be scattered about the house like a family reunion on Christmas Eve. Some were laughing in the kitchen, others enraptured in a debate at the table, kids running the halls like a playground, and others on the couch either crying or discussing the latest Bears loss.
The question always hit a tender spot because I knew how rare it is for people to find somewhere to belong that doesn't measure behavior. Christian community is often marked by prayer, Bible study, even the almost forced sharing of struggles and sins without the mess and safety of unconditional friendship. The wrong element is featured, and some communities even hold auditions of sorts or just come out and label themselves "exclusive."
I knew how rare it is for people to find somewhere to belong that doesn't measure behavior.
I love (and we practiced) prayer, Scripture reading, and confession. But what I longed for deep in my soul was a connection with other people who would revel in the undying love of God. In general, Christians in our church were not lacking ways to commune with God, but ways to commune with people.
WHY CHRISTIAN COMMUNITY IS OFTEN NOT FUN
This is more true of Western Christianity than we're willing to admit. We have book stores and churches full of ways to inch yourself closer to the kind of person you'd want other people to know. Even the practice of community has become a means to that end.
We have book stores and churches full of ways to inch yourself closer to the kind of person you'd want other people to know.
When people view their time at the Allen house on Sunday night as a way to become a better version of themselves (or to help others do the same), they miss out on the celebration of what has already become of them in Christ. They turn the experience into the exact evil opposite of what it is meant to be.
The truest experiences of life in the body of Christ come with no strings attached. The kind of reconciliation Jesus accomplished is not one you have to apply to your life like you apply lotion to dry skin. It is eternally complete and objectively true. It's something you slowly learn to trust and believe because Christ already applied it to your life.
CHRISTIAN COMMUNITY AS RELIGION
I want to draw more attention to all of this. In the name of Christian community, lots of Christians who came to our house became uncomfortable with how much time we spent freestyling and how seldom we offered a plan or teaching.
…lots of Christians who came to our house became uncomfortable with how much time we spent freestyling and how seldom we offered a plan or teaching.
"We started over an hour ago" would be my response most of the time. Some people wouldn't come back because their time was too valuable to be wasted like this. Others would love it and press in. I'd point out the beautiful value of a house full of people experiencing the freedom to just exist in mundane, ongoing relationships.
I'd help people explore the idea that spirituality doesn't work like corporate ladders or physical health. We'd grapple with the reality that no one can outrun the love of God. You came expecting to do something for God, but you enjoyed what God has done for you instead.
You came expecting to do something for God, but you enjoyed what God has done for you instead.
CHRISTIAN COMMUNITY AS CELEBRATION
Here's the moral of the story: Christian community is a celebration of the love of God. Christian community isn't the way you become more faithful; it's the way you enjoy the faithfulness of God. It is never a prerequisite to the love of God.
Christian community isn't the way you become more faithful; it's the way you enjoy the faithfulness of God.
You could really sum up all Christian practices that way. Religion addicts need miracles, not manuals. Religion addicts need to learn to let God love them. They need to be convinced that God isn't holding out on or threatening them.
We need to be convinced that self-justification is like chasing after the wind. The message of the Bible is not about changing God's mind but about changing yours. God has never needed to be convinced to love you - loving you is what God does by being God.
…loving you is what God does by being God.
You are the one who needs to be convinced that the god who only loves you if you love him enough is a myth. You need to be shown how to do what free people do. You need to be shown how to waste time and enjoy the other people around you. They are as free as you.
You are invited into friendship with God and with his beloved creation. You are welcomed into the eternal life, joy, and love of a God whose story is your redemption. Enjoy!
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