As I have the opportunity to talk to people in the community of faith, I am finding a hunger among them; a desire to return to the basics of our faith. A yearning to abandon all the glitz and show of ‘church’ and get back to simple, REAL worship of our Lord. I feel it in my soul, as well. This ‘back to basics’ craving is even invading bookshelves in Christian bookstores. Crazy Love by Francis Chan and Radical by David Platt challenge Christians to assess their faith and return to a simple, yet deep faith in and worship of Jesus.
Many long for no more:
• Passionless worship
• Watered down sermons
• Attending church to be seen and recognized
• Turning a blind eye to the hurting and hopeless
• __________________ (You fill in the blank)
No more!!!! Let’s do church and worship and faith the way Jesus and His followers did it because time is short and people are dying without Jesus every day! Passionate worship of the risen Christ with a focus on the gospel and serving others is what ‘church’ looked like in New Testament times.
To that end, I feel the Holy Spirit calling me to write a series of posts going back to the basics. For those of us who have been Christ-followers for years or decades, these posts may seem boring or irrelevant to you at this point in your walk with Christ. I ask you, please, don’t let familiarity rob you of the opportunity to experience the wonder of the gospel once again. Journey with me Back to Basics!
Let’s begin by pondering the reality that the God of the universe, the One who created everything out of nothing (ex nihilo) gave His only Son to die a horrible death on a cross to pay the penalty for my rebellion and yours. He did not do it because we deserved it or because we had earned it. No, Jesus died so that you and I would never have to be separated from God.
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| Picture taken by my friend, Kristy Peney |
Within each of us there is a God-shaped hole that can only be filled by God’s presence and person. Today, I invite you to share a bit about your faith journey. Your personal story of your walk into faith is just about as basic as it gets and is a wonderful tool to lead others to know Jesus.
- When did you realize that you would never be good enough to make it to heaven on your own?
- Where were you when you decided to ask Jesus to forgive you for your rebellion and come live in your heart forever?
- Who played a key role in pointing you to Jesus?
- How has that decision made a difference in your life?
Let’s get Back to Basics.
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