[supplement to sermon ‘Community of Worshipers 1: Identity]
TROPE
YES, the whole thing about ‘the Sunday Christian’ has become an over-used TROPE.
Sorry, but it kinda works here.
I wish I had time to write about the disco-dance of writings in Christendom right now [2023] regarding the ‘Sunday Christian’, the person who occupies a pew-spot or cumfy seat in a ‘church’ service or activity on Sunday (or Saturday night, as is the meeting pattern of some). However, the distinctly Biblical-Christian behaviour kinda stops there. Recent polling data says that over 50% of people who attend PRotestant churches in America don’t believe that salvation by Jesus Christ is the only path to eternal life with God in heaven.
On one hand, these writers are being highly ‘critical and concerned’ by the downward-spiral of ‘modern church life’ into something any New Testament character [especially Jesus] would not recognize as being ‘authentically Christian’.
However, these same-said writers don’t want to overly offend their ‘buying’ readership, because they are all rooted in that rather ‘modern’ system.
COMPARE AND CONTRAST
Here is a ‘compare and contrast’ of the inner life of that ‘Sunday Christian’ to a John 4:19-26 ‘God-Worshiper’
| [ attributes ] | ‘Sunday Christian’ | GOD-Worshiper |
| Posture of Heart and Affections | Participates and attends religious functions, church services and occasional acts of charity | Is complete immersion in the Manifest Presence of GOD [ 60 sec/min, 60 min/hr, 24 hrs/day, 7 days/week, 365 days/yr ], Step-by-step, moment-by-moment, impossibility-after-impossibility, Conversational-dialouge, Student-apprentice, surrendered, son/daughter-to-Father, Unquestionable love and goodness, Relationship |
| ‘Alone with GOD’ time | Rare, ‘chore’, crisis-mode, unsure what to do | Frequently, daily, hunger, part of the Journey |
| Anticipation of GOD-Presence | Church-time, ???, has rare and un-specific sense of GOD-Presence | Cannot wait, Pressing in, faithful anticipation HE will be there |
| Pursuit of GOD, ‘Pressing In’ | Church-time, special services, may have programmed readings and devotionals | Daily, constant, journey, journal |
| Prayer life | Formal, crisis, begging, ???, ‘not sure how it works’ | Conversational all day, breathing, aggressive and sure: |
| ‘Answers to Prayer’ | Varies, some attributed to GOD and some own efforts | perceives high degree Divine involvement in life, small and large |
| Thanksgiving to GOD | Formal, ‘obvious’ events, varying | Constant, ‘small things’, quick to give thanks |
| Praise to GOD | Church-time, muddied/unsure | Constant, builds Trust |
| Scriptures / Bible read/study | Formal, verse-salad, ‘chore’ | Constant, ‘Word is alive’, hunger |
| Divine intervention ‘perception’ | Mixed, credits moral codes and effort | High, sees co-laboring with GOD as full of Grace and Mercy |
| Ability to hear GOD communicate/Listening for GOD | Formal, historical, ???, may have had some ‘vague Presence’ experiences | Journey, anticipation, ‘heightened’ perception, has GOD-encounters regularly |
| Closeness to GOD | Varies, struggle, lens thru crisis and circumstances, GOD ‘far off’ | Journey of knowing GOD as Ever-Present Father, Friend, King, Good, and Faithful [re-writie of personal story], close and active |
| Overlap of Work-Family-Rec life with GOD-pursuit | Church-sponsored activities / cultural celebrations | Living out ‘Your Kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven’, partnership with GOD |
| ‘worship’ expressions | Church activity, song-service, tithe/offering, ‘break-thru’ events | All-of-life ‘Corem Deo’, joins Body of Christ, everything ‘unto Him’, Un-ashamed |
| Presence of faith, hope, love, charity, kindness, fruits of Spirit in life and character | Some, struggles with ‘doing good’, some break-through, [? desperation] | Purposeful pursuit into full son-ship/daughter-ship, evidence of Spirit-born character |
| Struggles with fear, anger, sense of abandonment, use of control | Varies, difficulties and struggles | Purposeful pursuit of GOD, increasing hope, increasing victory |
| Miraculous/signs/wonders/healing/ freedom experienced and realized | Varies (Church activities), | Significant, enhanced recognition |
TAKE-AWAY:
My apologies to all those authors who are trying not to call out ‘the Sunday Christians’.
Actually, I’m not trying to call them out.
I’m trying to INVITE THEM to their TRUE IDENTITY of a WORSHIPER, part of the ‘new creation’ reality of sonship/daughtership (John 1:9-14)
written by crisbaj
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