Christian 2.0

There are 1000 levels of growth on the path to ‘become just like Jesus’. Heck, there are probably a gajillion levels of growth but I’m sure it’s beyond my ability to comprehend. There is just no end to His potential (and ours with Him) but none of that is really something that we are taught these days. Not really.

The message from the Church to Christians in America today is generally:

• You should go to Church

• Be a good person the rest of the week

• Go to Heaven when you die

But what Jesus prescribed for all of us is vastly deeper than any of that.

It took me 20 years of ‘being a Christian’ to become aware of this reality. I fear in my blindness that I still only know the half of it. I wish that wasn’t the case but I’m incredibly grateful to be even slightly less blind (again).

I’m not here to point a finger at anyone other than myself. Although I will say that it seems that nearly the entire Church in the western world has fully adopted this posture.

The invitation to go deeper is a gift - not a chore. It’s an opportunity to experience vibrant REAL life on earth right now AND for eternity. Not just existing on our own strength while giving some level of honor to God.

The alternative is to just continue on as what Christian Smith called Moralistic, Therapeutic Deists. What he meant was something like this:

• Moralistic - Just be a good person

• Therapeutic - Focus on self-help. Maximize your life. Live well.

• Deists - Yes I truly do believe that there is a God but he’s not really involved in my day-to-day life unless I need something. Other than that, I just live how I live.

That’s not what The Gospel is about. Now I see more clearly. I can’t unlearn it now. None of it is easy. Knowing it is not living it. Let’s go try to live it.