Mon 1 Mar 2010
From Casual to Captive?
Posted by johnl under Sermons
David Orendorff Philippians 3:17-4:1 February 28, 2010
This is my translation and it attempts to stay close to the Greek both in words and sense. Any errors are mine.
3:17Brothers and sisters, come with me my companion followers and observe how those who are walking about are an example to us. 18For many of those walking about of whom I have often spoken, even now weeping I tell you, are hostile to the cross of Christ. 19Their final outcome is destruction, their god is the belly and the essence of their presence is shame, thinking about the things of earth. 20For our common wellbeing exists in heaven out of which we expect a savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body according to the power which enables him and subjects all things to him. 4:1Therefore, my brothers and sisters, whom I love as a servant and for whom I long, you who are my joy and my reward, in times like these persevere in the Lord, my beloved.
So far my Lenten thoughts are about choices. Last week it was the choices Jesus made following his baptism.[1] Today it is the choice Paul is challenging the congregation in Philippi to make. The challenge is particularly urgent because Paul is in prison and rightly expects that his death is near.
To better understand Paul’s plea it is helpful to understand Paul’s target audience. Early in his ministry Paul chose to be a pastor and apostle to God fearers. God fearers are gentiles (non-Jews) who attend synagogue but have not converted to Judaism; that is, though they worship with Jews they have not been circumcised nor do they practice kosher food laws. They are folks who are culturally Roman with religious inclinations toward Judaism.
Paul pleads with these God fearers to get off the fence and choose to build their lives around the faith of Jesus in God not around faith in themselves. He pleads that they be fully committed to the power of Jesus working in them, even if they, like Jesus, must die.
John Wesley makes a similar plea to the first Methodists. In his sermon “Almost a Christian” [2] he calls his listeners to be “Altogether Christian” rather than “Almost Christian.” Wesley describes “almost a Christian” as those who:
- Don’t murder, don’t oppress the poor, don’t cheat or defraud anyone and manage debt well. They value truth and justice. And, quoting Wesley, “There (is) a sort of love and assistance which they (expect) one from another.” “Almost a Christian” folks have…the outside of a real Christian. They don’t curse. They go to church, avoid adultery, fornication, and uncleanness and so forth.
In other words the “almost a Christian” is a pretty good person and someone we would be glad to have as a neighbor or friend. Wesley contrasts the “Almost a Christian” with “The Altogether a Christian.” He says the “Altogether a Christian” is one whose life is based in a faith built around Jesus’ “Great Commandment.” They are both internally convicted and externally active in love of God, neighbor and self. Wesley writes, “Whosoever has this faith, thus working by love, is not almost only, but altogether, a Christian.”[3]
Today the Book Study Group will finish reading and discussing George Barna’s “The Seven Faith Tribes.”[4] You might want to join them since they are having a lively debate with Barna on this very topic. Those Wesley calls “Almost a Christian” Barna calls “Casual Christians.” In an interview Barna says;
A Casual Christian can be all the things that they esteem: a nice human being, a family person, religious, an exemplary citizen, a reliable employee - and never have to publicly defend or represent difficult moral or social positions or even lose much sleep over their private choices as long as they mean well and generally do their best. …To them, Casual Christianity is the best of all worlds; it encourages them to be a better person than if they had been irreligious, yet it is not a faith into which they feel compelled to heavily invest themselves.
Barna defines “Captive Christians” thusly:
The lives of Captive Christians are defined by their faith; their worldview is built around their core spiritual beliefs and resultant values.
In contrasting casual and captive Christians he says: The big difference between these is how they define a successful life. For Captives, success is obedience to God, as demonstrated by consistently serving Christ and carrying out His commands and principles. For Casuals, success is balancing everything just right so that they are able to maximize their opportunities and joys in life without undermining their perceived relationship with God and others.[5]
I would debate with Barna on what he means by Christ commands, but never-the-less Wesley’s and Barna’s definitions pretty much describe the choice Paul (who, remember, is in prison about to be executed) is asking the Philippians to make. Paul, Wesley and Barna are asking their listeners to choose to make faith not just a part of their lives, but the center of their lives.
Now stop and check your thinking. I suspect that many of us are making the same judgment right now; “Am I a casual Christian or a captive Christian? Is Bear Creek made up of almost Christians or altogether Christians?” I beg you to stop this thinking and to suspend either self judgment or judgment of Bear Creek. It is the wrong question. To those of you who have graduated from the Amazing Grace Seminar, I say you should know better than to fall into the trap of Judicial Salvation. If God is first of all the judge then we all fail and are condemned. Even the best captive Christian has a long way to go to be an altogether Christian like Jesus.
This is Paul’s point exactly when just a few verses earlier in Philippians 3:9 he writes, “not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but one that comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God based on faith.” It is not about what we have accomplished or chosen, but about our faith, our trust in the power of God to work in us and through us.
Because we are here worshipping together all of us have chosen, albeit in diverse ways, to follow Jesus. Among us there are varying degrees of commitment and experience. But all of us, who pray for it, are in the process of being transformed by the love of God from casual to captive Christians. All of us, who pray for divine transformation, are almost Christians becoming altogether Christians.
I don’t know about Barna’s intent, but the question Paul, Wesley and I want to pose is this: Do I, do you, do we daily pray to be transformed into Jesus like divine servant love? Do we want to be more holy in the best sense of the word? Are we individually and congregationally folks who want the Holy Spirit to continually “transform our lowly body to be like (Christ’s) glorious body?” Do we feel with our heart and know with our head that to resist this transformation is to be an enemy of Christ who died on the cross to reveal the love of God for us? Do we feel with our heart and understand with our head that our common wellbeing depends on the miracles God can work in us and through us when we build our lives on the faith of Jesus? The question is not whether I am an almost casual Christian or an altogether captive Christian. The question is do I desire God to make me a “more like Jesus” Christian who lives ever more faithfully the Great Commandment to love God, neighbor and self?
I was looking for something else on the internet this week and found by chance (another word for God’s grace) the history behind one of Bear Creek’s favorite praise songs, “Now is the time to worship” by Brian Doerksen. I think it is a good example of the transformation process that heals us and the world. On a blog site called “Grays Matter” Larry Gray writes:
In the summer of 1997, Brian and a team of investors lost more than $1 million dollars in a failed ministry project. His family lost their home and he fell into deep depression. He moved to England to start over as a worship pastor. He soon learned after the move that 3 of his 6 children had a form of mental retardation called Fragile X Syndrome.
(In Today’s Christian, 2005, Brian wrote) “One morning, I went for a prayer walk, to pour out my heart to God.” … As I was walking, I heard as clear as a bell, ‘Come, now is the time to worship … ‘ I thought, Wow! The call of worship is being sounded all of the time and in all kinds of ways. I was sweating, and walking, and singing that line over and over again, just sensing God’s nearness.” [6]
Like all of us, Brian’s first choice was to make the faith of Jesus a part of his life. In his own words Brian writes, “The call to music ministry came in my teens. I was excelling in sports, following hard in my older brother’s footsteps when one night I had a life changing experience alone in my bedroom. A presence of love and power came into the room and seemed to ask me this simple question, “Will you give me your life to serve me?” After saying yes, I found that the desire to be involved in sports was gone, and in its place was a desire to play music for God.”[7]
Over time faith moved closer and closer to the center of Brian’s being and living until, by Wesley’ and Barna’s definitions Brian Doerksen was probably well toward the altogether captive Christian end of the continuum. But though Brian follows Jesus he is no Jesus and is weighed down by his failures and his care for his children. In a crisis of faith Brian talks to God and God replies, “Come, now is the time to worship. Come, now is the time to give your heart…” And by the gift of a song Brian is transformed from despair to hope.
Shortly after this Brian and his family left England to return to Abbortsford, B.C., his home town. Faith in God became even more fully the center of his life and music ever more completely his expression of faith. Eventually he was even able to buy back his family home.
So it comes to us. One of the choices of Lent is whether we will pray that God continue to transform us so that the faith of Jesus becomes ever more fully that upon which our lives are built and hence that by which the world is healed. I pray that we are continually remade by divine grace into ever more Jesus like Christians whose inner self and outer self live in love of God, neighbor and self. Shalom and Amen.
[1] Luke 4:1-13
[2] You can read Wesley’s “Almost a Christian” sermon at http://new.gbgm-umc.org/umhistory/wesley/sermons/2/
[3] John Wesley, John Wesley’s Fifty-Three Sermons, Sermon II: The Almost Christian (Abingdon Press, Nashville, 1983), Ed. Edward H. Sugden, p. 36
[4] George Barna, The Seven Faith Tribes: Who They Are, What They Believe and Why They Matter
[5] http://www.barna.org/barna-update/article/13-culture/268-casual-christians-and-the-future-of-america
[6] http://larrygrays.blogspot.com/2009/05/is-this-good-time-to-worship.html
