DIG – When did we stop asking questions?

…And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.  

Matthew 7:24-27 ESV

 

The resounding, repeated, pounding-on-my-heart that the Father has been punctuating: We are a people called to pursue excellence. In everything. At all times. But during some of these times, friends, it will require getting your hands dirty.   

ASK. 

No matter how much you love your church, your podcast line-up, or the best selling self-help you just finished, if you aren’t asking questions you need to start with asking “Why?”. Because we weren’t empowered with the Word of God on our night stand to blindly trust the voices vying for our attention; instead, we are called to make the Father’s heart our own, by seeking HIS face. If we unquestionably assume that the person speaking, the song singing or the pages flipping are infallible because they were delivered with passion and a platform, we could be building with sand. 

The Lord looks down from heaven on all mankind to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God.
Psalm 14:2 NIV 

When was the last time you wrestled with the Father? Truly sought? Dug so inwardly deep that you exposed new ground?  Recently, my shovels have been out, followed by pages of research and regular hot-swelling tears churning in my spirit. With fresh earth under my nails, I’m asking new questions.

Because, if the defense of your faith is: “I’ve always just believed… I’ve been told… I think God would say… I feel like…” our then-current “convictions” are apt to be passively replaced with a more contemporary view as our mood swings allow.  

Do not, however, conflate asking difficult, God-seeking questions with having a defensive or disrespectful posture to those on the serving end.  Ultimately, you can become an even stronger team player, armed with the motivation that comes alongside conviction and the power of newly exercised muscles. 

If you, like me, love your church and its leaders, honor it by getting mud on your shoes and bringing to the table of ministry feet firmly rooted in truths you’ve sifted through personally. 

PURSUE. 

For years, I sat in the sterile back room of our tiny expat church in Germany with my restless toddlers and a small box of broken toys.  There was no iPad check-in welcome area; no “tree of life” to climb in the foyer.  At our best, we had crayons for the kids who could sit still in the service (who are these magical tiny people anyway?)  

We desired a Christian community and needed it in English. But we didn’t have the option of church shopping, debating worship styles, or finding the perfect blend of our Charismatic/Presbyterian backgrounds. This was our option and our pastor, while both kind and sincere, was writing a book on Revelation.  His passion was the “coming apocalypse” and we tend to lead with our passion. It wasn’t a simple message to digest and more and more parents found themselves in that cold back room with me.  

That uncomfortable environment caused me to seek the heart of God in ways I’d escaped while growing up in the comfy church pews back home. And it changed me. Changed how I would listen, process, internalize. And, while it reinforced some foundations of my faith, it revealed a need to cast a more critical eye on portions that I may have lackadaisically considered gospel.

But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.
John 14:26 ESV

So where do we turn for help? The Holy Spirit is alive in us so WE can access Him and filter God’s Word through our tender desire to learn the mysteries of His truth.  A necessary helper, as there are endless opinions and convictions in this Christian community, called the Body of Christ (1 Cor 12:27). Regardless of the topic, I don’t—and shouldn’t—expect the place where I land to be identical to yours.  Except for one. On the spectrum from Lutheran to Pentecostal, the non-negotiable is simple and singular: Jesus… his life, his death, his resurrection.  The rest…

For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears.
1 Cor 13: 9-10 ESV

 

PROCESS. 

I recently digested two podcasts back-to-back from respected leaders at two incredible churches, both eloquently and convincingly delivered, yet entirely contradicting, despite the occasional recitation of the same scriptures.  Alternate conclusions for how we, as Christians now reconciled to the Father, are to live out our daily lives. If the end game, eternity with the King, is the same, do the details of our life after we “raise our hand” really matter? I submit that it must, for, with God, nothing is wasted (John 6:12).  And excellence isn’t cultivated in complacency.

REPEAT.

Bottom line?  No matter how much you insta story #churchhome OR how often you complain about a Sunday service when you get in the car…. Please, can we just get honest enough to admit some things today?… the pendulum of the Christian faith swings wide.  Yet, despite our cultural brokenness, we are not in a spiritual recession. Churches are flooded — growing at unprecedented rates.  Led by men and women champions of our Savior who are among the most well-spoken, well-versed and charismatic leaders this world has ever seen. But no ONE place in the expanse of this A.D. world has cracked the code.  So, when receiving the Word, ASK the question: Why? And then start the digging.

Never underestimate the power of your most personal relationship with the creator of the universe.  Do not dismiss the tools with which He’s equipped us, individually, to pursue His ways.  And in the seeking, know that you are found, completed, and guided because you have the power-filled gift of the Holy Spirit that is your built-in compass. Use it.

If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.  James 1:5 ESV

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