Monday, April 23, 2018

Our Original Conviction

“See to it, brothers and sisters, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called ‘Today,’ so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness. We have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original conviction firmly to the very end.” (Hebrews 3:12-14 NIV)

Yesterday, I spoke at a church, which supports the campus ministry I lead. When I talked with the pastor several weeks ago to arrange the visit, he gave me this command: “I want you to PREACH!” So I did. I PREACHED! In case the all caps don’t convey my meaning clearly, he wanted me to tell the truth plainly, not holding back in fear of offending his congregation. 

So I told them this truth: By and large, the American Church is lousy at making disciples and I see it clearly in the students coming onto campus claiming they are Christians and come from Christian homes. For the most part, they show little evidence they have been schooled in the Scriptures, have a clear understanding of what it looks like to follow Jesus, and are able to explain the Gospel in a clear, articulate way. This after having spent 18 years being raised in a Christian home and participating in what their churches offered for children and youth! If compared to the markers of a good public education, by any measure it would be a failure or seriously flawed. I brought an indictment against the American Church in general and allowed them to draw their own conclusions about their own responsibilities and shortcomings. 

At the church door, as I greeted the parishioners on their way out, the responses of many were interesting. “I really enjoyed that,” was the most common response. “Good to have you here,” was another frequent one. And a few said, “That was a good reminder,” or something similar. And this is exactly what I expected. I have preached in churches many times over the years, and where it is customary for the pastor to stand at the door and greet people as they leave, these are the normal responses. If I desired to have my ego stroked, these are the things I would want to hear, but I was hoping for expressions of true conviction rather than platitudes.

If we are followers of Jesus, at the time we first made that decision, it was made with deep conviction. If it was authentic, our sin weighed heavily upon us and we were in desperate need to get right with God. However, over time our fallen nature naturally leads us into complacency. The fire of God’s grace and mercy lessens and we begin to go through the motions of faith as the essence of it fades. We get stuck where we are or, worse, begin to recede into who we once were before meeting the Lord. We become a shell of what God intends for us. And so, when the truth is spoken, it rolls off of us like the proverbial water off a duck’s back. It has no impact on our thinking or on our lives.

This is why I believe the Hebrew writer exhorts his audience (and us) to encourage one another daily so we can avoid the spiritual complacency to which we are so prone. Once it sets in, our hearts become deceived and hardened. Daily encouragement from fellow believers is essential if our original conviction is to remain strong and fresh. 

Today, where are you compared to your original conviction to follow Jesus? Have you grown complacent? Are you merely going through the motions? Has your heart become impervious to the truth? If so, there is a simple solution: Confess and repent. Then seek out others who are living out your original conviction to help you find your way back to it. Our calling as followers of Jesus is not to step in behind Him and coast thereafter, but rather to maintain our original conviction for the remainder of our lives.

© Jim Musser 2018

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