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28
Aug

Jeff’s ‘Why’ (the Remix)

   Posted by: Jody Smotherman    in Uncategorized

Jeff’s initial guttural scream of ‘why’ has triggered a thought avalanche in my soul. It seems as though the evangelical church in America is enamoured with events. If not, then why do stadiums fill, Dove Awards happen, and the conferences replicate like rabbits? Events are by nature singular in scope and temporal in effect. The Gospels claw away at this paper mache notion of events causing real change. Jesus spent three years with the twelve apostles. If events work so well in making us like Christ then the twelve should have been sanctified shortly after the first healing and feeding of the masses. Christian ‘events’ are retreats at best and Band Aids at worst.

Last night my four and a half year old daughter was wanting her cupcake before her meal. I told her to wait and be patient. She replied “But Dad, being patient takes a long time.” In one statment she summarized why Americans, and American churches, give in to the tyrant known as instant gratification. Events are instant gratifiers. Paul speaks of sanctification as a process. While salvation, or the new birth in Christ, occurs instantly little else in our spiritual following of Jesus will.  Jesus said that to be a disciple meant to take up the cross daily. It is a process. A blessed and gloriously, joyful  and hard process. It is not an event. While we see many significant events in God’s Word we must remember that they are the supplements, not the meal. Christian events may enlighten and encourage, but do they effectually endure?

Joseph (aka Jody)