How deep is your life in Christ? Is it lacking depth or feel superficial sometimes? Having the unique opportunity to be involved in ministry everyday, I get the chance to peer into peoples spiritual lives. It's hard to believe, but there are so many that have such a shallow acquaintance with God and yet have the arrogance to think that they are a blessing to Gods' ministry. I'm amazed at peoples ability to take ownership over the most stupid things and fight for it as if Jesus had died for it and not us. Kansas said it best:

“And if I claim to be a wise man, well, It surely means that I don't know.”

Is it so easy to attack others beliefs so as to avoid examining our own? I mean, we are right and they are wrong so they must be told, right? I just have to say that sometimes I'm so disgusted by the way Christians act, so arrogant and self righteous , that I feel like I should apologize to someone for the way they act. How did we get so shallow? Is your faith in Christ simply skin deep?

You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love. The entire law is summed up in a single command: "Love your neighbor as yourself." Galatians 5:13-14

Really? Serve one another? Love your neighbor as you would want to be loved? That means it doesn't matter whether a guy is an atheist, gay or been divorced even though you know it's wrong. That means it doesn't matter how a church service should or shouldn't look like. That means, the way you think it should be done, or how important you think it is to have a certain spiritual gift and whether or not you use it enough, doesn't matter. That means through all the religious nonsense and bits and pieces we want to call our own and die for, don't stand for squat in comparison to serving eachother in love. Just because it's not right doesn't mean it's time to form a mob! Let it go people! Stop running around trying to make sure you understand it all or putting out pointless fires. It's time to go back to basics.

1. It's time to start loving people unconditionally again. That means loving people and not expecting anything in return as well as loving them no matter how wrong they are. We have to release the joy we have for the father we follow and stop worrying about whether or not Christianity is serving us like it should.

2. It's time to make sure other people know who God is and the benefits of a journey with him. Have we got so comfortable in the fact that we found God that we have forgotten that someone told us in the first place? We have to stop worrying about raising people from the dead, speaking in tongues, getting the books of the bible memorized or shopping only at the “good Christian store”. It's time to realize someone showed you Christ and now it's your time to return the favor, not just once, but every opportunity you get for the rest of your days on earth.

3. It's time to realize you are not Gods gift to Christianity. The church is not your personal soapbox. We need to stop treating it like a club for those who believe what we believe. I want to go to church for community, encouragement and a family of believers that is ever growing! I don't want to sit in the same stagnant group of people that is not going anywhere or impacting anyone.

4. It's time to change. This one is personal only. We can not change anyone, we can only offer support and wisdom along the way. Ultimately people will make the final decision and this is why we need to stop making it our burden to change those around us. Back to basics means, we realize we will forever be a work in progress, so stop being so judgmental.

Step away from the shallow Christianity I see so many infected with. Search for a depth in Christ that only he can give. Remember, it's not about us. So take this quote and put it to heart. The next time you feel offended or as if you know whats right, make sure you have this down first and it may save you a lot of heartache.

Oh God, I have tasted Thy goodness, and it has both satisfied me and made me thirst for more.
I am painfully conscious of my need for further grace.
I am ashamed of my lack of desire.
O God, the Triune God, I want to want Thee;
I long to be filled with longing;
I thirst to be made more thirsty still.
Show me Thy glory, I pray Thee, so that I may know Thee indeed.
Begin in mercy a new work of love within me.
Say to my soul, "Rise up my love, my fair one, and come away."
Then give me grace to rise and follow Thee up from this misty lowland
where I have wandered so long. - A.W. Tozer.

I heard someone say that church is the fuel that gets him through the week. That seems so wrong. Is that what church is? Is it a simple drive-in and fuel-up, so you can get from point to point until you run out again? I commute to Decorah from Waukon, and as every day goes by, I watch my fuel gauge drop until I need to go fill it. I hope my life with Christ is nothing like this. Think of it this way; What good does gas do for your car, if you don't use the gas to go places that are important? What happens if you fill your tank at the end of every week, but you never use that gas to take your car to the mechanic or the car wash? It does nothing for your car.

This is why church shouldn't be a fuel pump. People go get energized and happy, in hopes that it will fill them with enough strength to make it to the next Sunday, without dying along side the road somewhere. On top of that, why should you have to have church to get through your week? Is church nothing more than your source of courage or perseverance to keep going? If so, you are missing the point of church. God wants to use your church experience to get you motivated to affect the world you live in, not just navigate it safely and efficiently. Church was never intended to be anyone's gas station, God wants more out of us than to “make it through” our weeks.

So here it is: Church is not the fuel to get you from place to place, but the vehicle in which you are traveling in. You need to take church with you everywhere you go. The church God wants to create, is the one that goes where God has plans to affect peoples lives. Just like going to the mechanic or car wash, you need to get tuned up and washed clean so you can start over and be in the world with a passion for the masses. Sunday morning church is a tool to use in your drive with God, but not the only source of your faith. We need to stop longing for Sunday to come so we can feel better about our struggles and start knowing God is always there, all week long. We have to stop living up to the stereotype that Christianity is a crutch, by showing we can live in confidence day to day and not just on Sunday morning.

When I was little, I remember getting my Nintendo video game system. I remember it so much, I can recall how the box smelt when we opened it. Thanks to my dads, now regrettable choice to buy me one for Christmas, I've become quite the video game fan boy. Aside from the few games I can remember having a lot of fun playing, I unfortunately remember another part of my video gaming experience a lot more. I remember 1^st player. The amazing power of the first controller. It had to be mine and I would do anything to get it. Why you ask? Well its obvious! First player got to be Mario in Mario Bros. First player got to pick the game settings and enter the game itself, before anyone else could. First player, was in control.

Overall, there really wasn't that much of a difference between first and second player when it came to the gaming experience. Where the difference came from, was the ability to know that I ultimately had the control of how these games would be played. I visited a church meeting/service of a group of people who wanted to start a church. The overall feeling I got while listening to them talk, was as if they were fighting for first player. It sounded as if they knew how church should be done (which is not how all the other churches in the area are doing it of course) and they were going to show the town how to do it the right way. The more I watch people go through the motions of “living life like it was intended to be lived” I find it to be more like “living life for control of how life should be”

It says a lot about a small child that refuses to play a game when he can't be first player and it says a lot about an adult who hates the church because he couldn't have the control he desired. I've heard so many stories about the people who turned away from a good thing, because they couldn't express themselves like they believed they should. It's not the leaving that is so wrong, by all means, if you don't fit in or feel God calling you to your current position, then go find where he is. The problem is in the “up in arms”, “fight for the right” attitude that comes from being told no. Why cant we have grace in the differences we don't understand, rather than having to prove that the way we think it should be done, is the best way? It is simply amazing how many people aren't happy if they can't have first player and the utmost control over certain things.

The problem with leaving something with the “I'll show you” attitude, is that no matter what you do, it will never be built with God in the place he needs to be. That wounded attitude will only attract other people who feel wounded and will ultimately turn your mission into showing the world why you were right. Think about it next time you refuse to play along when you don't get first player. Think about how little your control and influence on situations matter to God and the people your putting them through. More people need to realize God already has first player and most of these selfish thoughts wouldn't happen in the first place.