I Want to Be a Sheep (Part 5 of 5)

Eventually, the servers at Google North American Division International Coop, Inc., LLC, Corporation started throwing smoke and emitting high frequency noises so I had to stop googling. Drats. I was forced to stop and think.

People fainting over a man because they think he’s going to transform the country—maybe even the world. Man says “I’m confident we can create a Kingdom right here.”

New Agers, based on the teachings of “Jesus” and various other spirits, say humanity is on the brink of a spiritual awakening.

Emergent church leader says, “(What if Jesus came) to start a political, social, religious, artistic, economic, intellectual, and spiritual revolution that would give birth to a new world?”

Throw out traditional Christian teachings on Satan and the end-times! Sadness, pain, suffering—these things only exist because we humans haven’t gotten it right yet. If we try harder, if we become more spiritual, if we continue to learn, study, gain more knowledge, learn more, study more, evolve more, then pain, anger, hate, murder, oppression—we can eradicate them all! So, what do we need to do? We’ve got to fix it! No. Not just “it”. We’ve go to fix everything! We’ve got to try harder. We’ve got to become better people. We must! Better, better, better, and better! We’ve got to keep getting better, and keep getting better, and keep getting better, and keep getting better, and keep getting—

Does anyone else feel a little overwhelmed?

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." Matthew 11:28-30 NIV

I am not divine. Satan wants me to think I am.

No matter how hard I try, I cannot perfect myself or this world. Satan wants me to think I can.

Jesus knows I am limited in my strength, power, and ability. He knows me better than I know myself. He knows which parts of me need broken and recast, which parts need polished and touched up. And he’s there to help me do just that—at any moment, any hour, any time of day, at the drop of a hat, he will help me. When I’ve made a mess, he will help me clean it up. When I’ve been knocked to my knees, He will pick me up. When I’ve been slapped in the face, He will take way the sting. He’s there. He’s there to listen to my cries, my shouts, my praises, my repentance and my grief. He’s there to forgive me, to love me, and carry me when I am weak. To smooth out my rough spots, wipe my tears and cleanse my mind with cool, clean water. What a relief.

Now, that’s what I call a spiritual awakening.

So why do I want to be a sheep? Jesus refers to his followers as sheep: "My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me." John 10:28 NIV. Does that mean I have to grow wool, crawl around on all fours, and eat straw? Luckily . . . no. Rather, I need to do as Peter said in Acts 2, verse 38: “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins.”

Yet, I think still hear some naysayers. “What about people who followed Christ’s commandments but never went to church and consciously accepted Him as their savior? What about people who love God, but follow other religions, or people who never had the opportunity to hear the gospel? What about everyone else? Are they all goats who will be sent away to eternal punishment?”

Those are tough questions, and my only response is this: I don’t know. I don’t know and it’s not my job to know. That’s God’s job. He is in control. I am not. He is divine. I am not.

But, I do know this: God is merciful, loving, just, and he hears my prayers.

I also know this: I want to know Jesus—the true Jesus.

I want to be a sheep. How about you?

I Want to Be a Sheep (Part 4 of 5)

So, feeling sufficiently satisfied that the true Jesus does in fact exist, I continued googling. Cerebral masochism perhaps? Google was happy to oblige.

Apparently there is a movement in Christianity which calls itself “emergent”. I have heard the term “emergent church” now and again, but have not given it much attention. Now that I know a little more about it . . . well . . . a hem.

As an aside, I’m not a big fan of denominations, but I do understand why they exist. We are human. As such, we are flawed. We disagree, we divide—sometimes painfully, but also sometimes peacefully, agreeing to disagree. As humans we are also diverse. Some of us like classical music. Some of us like traditional hymns. Some of us like pop music. Some of us like silence. Some like dim lighting and candles, others prefer bright lighting. Some are talkative and out-spoken, others are quiet and reserved.

Christ’s church reflects this diversity. The various denominations disagree on surface issues, like how to conduct weekly church service, but for the most part they agree on the core issue—that as fallen humans we are saved, not through works, but by God’s grace, which is gifted to us when we make the conscious choice to accept Jesus as our personal Lord and Savior. When I envision the Christian church, I do not see divided denominations, nor do I see a Catholic/Protestant divide. I see a unified group of people who have decided to follow Christ, however uneven and winding the road may be.

Now, back to the emergent movement, and more specifically, to the leaders of the emergent movement. They desire to reach postmodernists, a group of people who are not easily defined but who, for the most part, believe truth is subjective or further, that it is unknowable. The emergent leaders ask a good and valid question. Can we “send” postmodernists the gospel in a way that it reaches them rather than becoming hung up on the postmodernist’s skepticism and distrust? The emergent leaders acknowledge that this skepticism and distrust is often rooted in legitimate grievances with the church. So, they seek to deconstruct the traditional ideas of “Sunday church” and “the Christian walk”, and reconstruct them in ways that are more comfortable and welcoming to postmodern seekers. I have absolutely no problem with this.

I do have a problem with the way some emergent leaders seem to be deconstructing Jesus’ message and reconstructing it to fit harmoniously within the postmodernist’s worldview. In his book, The Secret Message of Jesus, Brian McLaren states, “What if Jesus' secret message reveals a secret plan? What if he didn't come to start a new religion—but rather came to start a political, social, religious, artistic, economic, intellectual, and spiritual revolution that would give birth to a new world?” Sound familiar? (If not, reread Parts 1 and 2. Quiz later.) Further, to make postmodernists feel comfortable, some emergent leaders seem to be teaching a kind of universalism—that is, Jesus came and died to save all of humanity regardless of whether an individual accepts His gift or not. Which means, although a personal relationship with Jesus Christ is encouraged, I guess it is not required. (My bad.) Which means, many paths DO lead to the top of the mountain. I’m OK, you’re OK. It’s all good!

Wait. What just happened?

I smell a rat.

Stay tuned.