Confessions of a Recovering Pharisee

I’m curious what a safe or normal life looks or feels like.  I’ve never experienced it so I’m curious what it is like.  Since I was born I’ve never known normal.  My parents served in a faith based ministry and our income was dependent on God and the generosity of His people.  We had some lean times but we always were taken care of.  We never went on normal vacations yet we had supporters who sent us on vacations.  We had months were my parents weren’t receiving pay checks, yet we had more food than we could eat.  We never had the wealth of the world but we had love and excitement. 

My parents are still in a faith based ministry.  My brother and sister are not in vocational ministry but they are followers of Jesus and very active in their respective churches. But they live more normal lives then me. I was the crazy one who wasn’t satisfied with being a Coach/teacher or a businessman.  I had to live a life of reckless abandon.  What is wrong with me?  Is it a gene?  Is it a loose screw?  Or is it a call?

Sometimes I wonder what normal or safe feels like? I wonder what kind of harm I have allowed my family to endure? I wonder what it would be like to make a comfortable living and be active in my church as a layperson?  I wonder what it would be like to not risk?  I wonder what safe looks like?

What do you think?

I had the privilege of serving on staff at a dynamic church in Jacksonville, NC. Jacksonville is the home of Camp Lejeune. We met some extremely cool men and women who were sold out to God and our nation. I love the new Marine advertising campaign which says “We don’t take applications, only commitments.” That is so true of the men and women I’ve met who serve in all of the armed forces. They aren’t just there for a job, they are committed to serve.

I believe the church needs to adapt this slogan. My experience is that we have a lot of “safe Christians.” When is the last time you saw God do something that only he could do? How many times I have heard and seen people put God in a box? I’ve been guilty of this myself. How many times do we say no to ministry opportunities because we think it is impossible. Well last time I looked in Philippians 4:13 it says:

I can do everything through him who gives me strength.

It doesn’t say I can do all things on my own. It doesn’t say we live on facts and figures. Too many times we say no to God before we ask what He wants! We are living a “SAFE CHRISTIANITY!”

I used to live like God could do everything and then I got complacent. But God has a way of shaking you up. It started last summer as my friend Mike Landrum and I began reaching out in our Samaria and started to see God move. Then I heard Craig Groeschel speak a dynamic message called “Practical Atheism” and I realized I was a practical atheist because I was talking about what God had in past tense and not what He was doing right then. I repented that day and decided I would no longer live that way.

Nothing about Jesus and God is safe. When he calls us he demands not just commitment but submission! Look at what Jesus said is involved in following Him:

Luke 9:23

“If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.”

The 1st Century Jew understood this meant 1 thing—DEATH! Taking a cross meant that a person was going to their execution. If Jesus were saying it today it would probably say, “take up your electric chair, lethal injection or firing squad.” Nothing about Jesus and living for Him is safe!

I get really bugged when followers of Jesus don’t even trust God. It bothers me when so called Christ followers don’t believe “God sized” stories or say it is just a coincidence! I don’t believe in coincidences! My God is bigger than me. If I understand everything then why would I need God? Then when someone lives a dangerous Christian life they get ridiculed for actually trusting God. I don’t get it.

In Matthew 14 Jesus was walking on the water while the disciples were in a storm.  All the disciples were scared to death but Peter asked Jesus to let him come to him on the water.  All the other disciples must have thought he was crazy.  But Peter is the only one who didn’t play it safe and got out of the boat.  Only Peter can say he walked on water!

I want to challenge you to get away from the safe, religious Christianity and get out of the boat and see God do amazing things in your life today!

What do you think?