The Construct

I can tell you what Jesus is doing in your life right now.  Is it because I'm a prophet or I secretly know something about you?  No, its because the Scriptures says Jesus is sanctifying all of us.  He is wanting to get into deep places in our hearts to so we can be aware of them and re-calibrate our lives towards his ways. This process can be hindered by how you practice church.  

What we tend to do in church is adjust behavior so that we are seen to be a well rounded member of the community.  If we get good at this we can begin to be deceived about who we are.  I know leaders in the church who actually believe they are the constructed person they are in public.  All well and good if they are showing a good example I guess it's fine!  But wait.  If they are living a lie about themselves they will never be able to face the truth about the fractures and faults in their lives.  If we are behaving just for show that's one big problem.  If we start to think that's who we are we have bigger problems.

It is necessary for the Lord to show us who we really are at core level. It isn't to harm us but to have us properly measure ourselves against His Holiness and Righteousness.  Many churches fail to tackle these sorts of issues because who wants to be confronted with the wretchedness of 'self?'  I'm not in any way suggesting that believers should be spent wrecks when coming to meet together.  The answer to a 'holy construct' is not to conduct a guided tour around 'My Dungeon Self.'     A believer who escapes the construct and denies themselves the holy theater can allow the Lord to expose their core self.  Then they can go to the Lord and be transformed.  The difference is that the change of behavior comes from a transformed self not the outward measures to appear 'church fit.'

Why do we do this?  What drives that desire to be seen as 'of the Lord?' A born-from-above believer already is 'of the Lord.'  I think this exposes a deep problem us Westerners have.  Social rank has become part and parcel of church life.  Downton Abbey shows us how people had a 'place' in society decided by heritage and subsequent economic ability.  There's a lot of that in church but it becomes something more dangerous.  People try to out-rank people by demonstrating how 'of the Lord' they are.  This happens mostly in the mega-church set up where 'becoming' is synonymous with blessing.  To be 'added to' in life is portrayed as the more spiritual you are.  Of course God can add to you, but the basis of following Jesus is 'death to self.'

The yielding, abandonment and submission sounds like a load of limping around... not attractive to the lost. But it is what occurs when this is done properly that is attractive to the lost.  The 'glory to glory' that ensues from a life committed to walking in this 'death to self' leads to light and life.  There's no construct or theater needed... you are the genuine article!  This is another reason the Lord wanted the ekklesia to be simply a family meal together around the Lord... so he has a chance to get in and among our deepest issues to transform us.  In the sociopolitical environment the historical church has to be, there's less likelihood anyone would be exposed enough for this to occur.  In the churches I've been to if you had a suggestion of failure or struggle in your life it would relegate you to the bench.

Gary Ward