Encountering God: The Antidote for Religious Regulation

We are excellent at religiously regulating our lives around a set of principles and practices.  We do it all the time, and manage to hide behind all sorts of theology and practice; but nevertheless, it will not do.  There is something beautiful about being in Christ, a mystery of union that is only supernatural.  We need God to renew our minds so that we can step into a life of power and transformation that supercedes our 'normal' standards and experiences.

So, what are we talking about here? Primarily that we are excellent at supplementing and compartmentalizing our lives.  We know intellectually many things about the Christian life and what it means to follow Jesus.  We have many phrases like wwjd, our faith journey, and learning to walk the Christian life.  I believe that many times these phrases are used out of an incomplete revelation that keeps us stuck following principles rather than living a life from the inside out.

Let me try to explain that further.  Living by a set of principles means that we intellectually understand what to do in a given situation.  For instance, if a neighbor needs to borrow something from us, we know that it is the right thing to do to lend it to them.  Likewise if our church is taking an offering, its the right thing to do give a tithe.  We do this based on principle, which means that we choose to do it becuase we agree with a truth value.  I dont think that all principles are bad, in fact they are necessary, but living only by principle causes us to miss out on our relationship with God.  If we only live on a plane of self regulation, we will never experience God the way we are intended too, neither will we be able to truly display His character to the world around us.

Whenever we live or think in principles, we have placed ourselves in the realm of process, and strive to outwardly manifest what the principle dictates.  Does that make sense? If I 'know', that as a Christian should love the poor, I can try to express what that love would look like outwardly. I can try to get passionate, to make mayself feel bad for them, and pump myself up in prayer and good deeds to help them. But a principle will never birth true love and compassion in my heart, or the power to be able to do something about it,we need something else for that.  Principles can  cause us to become self-reliant and self-sufficient. because we want to produce something we are lacking. 

In the western world, and in the western church, this is a very common mindset. We recognize where we are and where we want to go, we see the lack, and try to produce a solution. Often times this leads us to religious regulation, where we know what to do and how we should be, but continually fail to manifest it.  I have heard many sermons, lessons, and bible studies, that seek to set up principles to moderate morality.  We see a problem or an issue, and the way we try to move towards a solution is to say "do this" or "don't do that".  Because we cringe at immorality we set principles into place to regulate behavior. But we can always treat a symptom without ever healing the disease.

This is ultimately manipulation on a grand scale.  We see someone misbehaving so we try to regulate them by instilling fear, shame, and/or guilt in them. We say "this is what you are doing" and "this is what you should be doing".  We play up God's righteous anger, or we try to force people to feel really bad about their sin and shortcomings.  We do it all to change and shape what they are producing in their lives, acting like a potter molding clay.  Although God blesses us at the point of our revelation, and clearly brings about transformation and salvation in this process, I don't think this type of ministry is as effective as God wants it to be.  It also doesn't really capture what Jesus really accomplished on the cross.

It is clear that this form of teaching, regulation, and fear-based manipulation doesn't do the job.  We still have a church culture that looks very much like the world, still sinning with no power of the kingdom to display.  Many of our programs and teachings rely on psychology, philosophy, and sociology, to influence and motivate us towards Jesus. We have 'fix yourself' style messages and programs, where people place themselves on the conveyor belt of our christian industry.  'Add this, take this off, we need more oil here!'

The Bible is full of principles to follow, good advice, and instruction.  The letters of Paul are full of them, often to Gentiles who had no knowlege of righteousness and life in God.  The principle however, outside of encounter with God, would be useful only for instilling pride or shame. The principle can only be put to use with an encounter with God Himself.  

So, what do we do, when we recognize lack? What should our response be when God calls us to transformation.  We are called to abide in Him, to walk with Him, to regularly experience, feel, and recognize the manifest presence of God.  God wants us to know Him, not as a truth value, but as a person.  We have alienated experience in our church culture in our pursuit of absolute truth, and this has left us without the very power and presence of God.  When we abide in Him and He in us, we star seeing transformation in our lives from the inside out.  We start behaving in ways, feeling things, and growing in wisdom that cannot be produced by mere study and hard work.  It is easy to tell when somebody 'walks in the presence of God', becuase they are supernaturally producing love, peace, and joy to the world around them. 

I have seen others and have experienced myself, that an encounter with the very presence of God brings about enormous transformation in very short period of times.  When we walk with God, in His very presence, we become like Him.  We 'become what we behold'.  It is almost like osmosis, needing very little effort on our part but surrender and desire.

So, here are some 'principles' to follow.  Ask God to come, to send His Holy Spirit. When we see lack, are in the face of temptation, in the middle of joyous occassions, and in every and any point in our life, acknowlege him.  Ask Him to teach, shape, reveal, bring joy, peace, and faith.  Talk to Him, be with Him, thank Him.  Scripture tells us to rejoice continually and pray without ceasing.  This is only possible if we actually become prayer itself.  Being a Christian is much more a state of existence rather than an activity.  It's not so much a life based on principle as it is life itself.  We exude the presence of God because He lives in us.  If we lack we ask for encounter, for infilling, then we wait until we get it.  When we have faith and trust, we manifest a different lifestyle then we do in fear and anxiety.

It is not really about following Jesus, it's not about learning to walk out our faith, neither is it about doing the right things and avoiding the wrong; it's about knowing, understanding, and being with God Himself.  When this is our goal, our motivation, and our life-style, we are transformed from one degree of glory to another into His very likeness. 

Father please release us from our religious self regulation and bring us into an encounter with you.  Produce in us mightily your fruit, your character, and your works.  We want to see you, to know you, to touch you.  Help us to believe and manifest the truth that you are in us and we in you.  Allow us to be aware of your presence always, and to live for, from, through, and in you at all times.  Amen