motions

Ephesians 2:1 - 10 (The Message)

It wasn't so long ago that you were mired in that old stagnant life of sin. You let the world, which doesn't know the first thing about living, tell you how to live. You filled your lungs with polluted unbelief, and then exhaled disobedience. We all did it, all of us doing what we felt like doing, when we felt like doing it, all of us in the same boat. It's a wonder God didn't lose his temper and do away with the whole lot of us. Instead, immense in mercy and with an incredible love, he embraced us. He took our sin-dead lives and made us alive in Christ. He did all this on his own, with no help from us! Then he picked us up and set us down in highest heaven in company with Jesus, our Messiah.

Now God has us where he wants us, with all the time in this world and the next to shower grace and kindness upon us in Christ Jesus. Saving is all his idea, and all his work. All we do is trust him enough to let him do it. It's God's gift from start to finish! We don't play the major role. If we did, we'd probably go around bragging that we'd done the whole thing! No, we neither make nor save ourselves. God does both the making and saving. He creates each of us by Christ Jesus to join him in the work he does, the good work he has gotten ready for us to do, work we had better be doing.

But don't take any of this for granted. It was only yesterday that you outsiders to God's ways had no idea of any of this, didn't know the first thing about the way God works, hadn't the faintest idea of Christ. You knew nothing of that rich history of God's covenants and promises in Israel, hadn't a clue about what God was doing in the world at large. Now because of Christ—dying that death, shedding that blood—you who were once out of it altogether are in on everything.

Although this passage goes on to talk about Jews and Gentiles, it really reminds me of how "older Christians" forget what it was like before God saved us from ourselves. I am going to speak in general... I know this may not be true of all Christians, or all churches; but I do think it is true at least to some degree, to all of us:

We want our churches to grow, but we don't want to go out and witness. Someone said in my Sunday School class recently "It is easier to talk about church than it is to talk about Jesus". WOW, that is SO true. Why is it so much easier to invite someone to church than to tell them that God loves them? Or if we do invite them to church, or they find their way into our churches, we shower them with hugs the first few Sundays because we want them to feel welcome and stick around... but then when they feel comfortable enough to share their needs, sins, etc. we drop the ball... we don't meet their needs; perhaps focussing on our own needs and feeling too overwhelmed to help someone else. OR we think "I can't believe this person is living like that", all the while forgetting what we lived like before we were taught the better way by Christ.

Now, I know that this is not always true. Our church is very loving, and it has met the needs of many people. But I also know that I am guilty (probably like many other people) of living my every day life without REALLY looking for chances to share Christ with people. Imagine how much our church could really love, really minister, really serve God if "I" put forth my whole effort into reaching the hurting, the lost for God.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r_rmCeAzqKc
The Motions, by Matthew West

This might hurt, it's not safe
But I know that I've gotta make a change
I don't care if I break,
At least I'll be feeling something'
Cause just okay is not enough
Help me fight through the nothingness of life

I don't wanna go through the motions
I don't wanna go one more day
without Your all consuming
passion inside of me
I don't wanna spend my whole life asking,
"What if I had given everything,instead of going through the motions?"

No regrets,
not this time
I'm gonna let my heart defeat my mind
Let Your love
make me whole
I think I'm finally feeling something'
Cause just okay is not enough
Help me fight through the nothingness of this life'

Cause I don't wanna go through the motions
I don't wanna go one more day
without Your all consuming
passion inside of me
I don't wanna spend my whole life asking,
"What if I had given everything,instead of going through the motions?"

take me all the way (take me all the way)
take me all the way ('cause I don't wanna go through the motions)
take me all the way (I know I'm finally feeling something real)
take me all the way
I don't wanna go through the motions
I don't wanna go one more day
without Your all consuming passion inside of me
I don't wanna spend my whole life asking,
"What if I had given everything,instead of going through the motions?"

I don't wanna go through the motions
I don't wanna go one more day
without Your all consuming passion inside of me
I don't wanna spend my whole life asking,
"What if I had given everything,instead of going through the motions?"t

ake me all the way (take me all the way)
take me all the way (I don't wanna go, I don't wanna go)
take me all the way (through the motions)
take me all the wayI don't wanna go through the motions