The trap of "Cause"

The purpose of Christ is not social Justice, a moral society, or a means for the advancement of any other cause we may have bought into. I know that sounds rough but listen longer.  This is an easy trap; to worship the religion (Christianity) rather than Jesus himself. It happens every time we put the focus on what a relationship with Jesus produces rather than relationship with Jesus itself. The power of the Gospel is not in what it produces but who is producing it.

Here is the other trap; when we begin to chase after the outcomes of a relationship with Christ rather than the relationship itself we cease to hear from Christ which was the power of the relationship in the first place. Instead now we hear some set of moral values or code and somehow build a system that we feel is maintainable and make it the standard of which we live by. We call it being a good person.  A moral code was never the standard.  The standard was Jesus and his spirit that reveals all.  Revelation is the power of Christ. His ability to reveal truth not our ability to discover it.  The standard of God is Jesus. It always has been and always will be.

Why this is a big deal to me is because at GraceRiver Church our mission is to "lead people to real life in Jesus."  I don't think I have ever been a part of a church who has gotten this so right before.  What I mean is that for GR real life isn't an invitation to being a better person or adopting some code of conduct.  The invitation really is to life in Jesus.  Everything is built around the presence of Christ in our lives and not our ability to just be better people.  I love that about our church.  This is why I know GR is on the cusp of something great.  Because we are a body of people who deeply desire to know Christ and have him alive in us.  So when we invite people to GR we are inviting them to that life; real life.

-From chapter 24 of The Screwtape Letters.