The Church loves its history. It loves its past successes and triumphs. We should celebrate the amazing things that happened in the past. The testimonies of what God has done are an encouragement and build faith for the future. But, what we tend to do is camp there. We want to reproduce our past glory and not keep moving as the Spirit moves. I will post more about this in the future as I have a number of examples of this problem, but I wanted to get one of my favorites posted to start the discussion.
If Jesus walked into your church, and you knew it was Him, everyone was in awe, gathering around Him, worshiping, asking for healing and otherwise just exuberant at the situation. Then He says, “I want everyone to follow me outside, I have something wonderful to show you.” As enthusiastic people flowed outside the front door they see a bus (or a fleet of buses, depending on your church). Jesus stands at the open door of the bus with a trash bag beckoning everyone to come. “I’m going to show you amazing things. You’re going to do amazing things. Come with me. We leave in five minutes!”
A fair number of people approach the bus. The aforementioned trash bag has been allocated for the purpose of collecting personal items. “Cell phones, wallets, … in here. You won’t need them for a while.” At the five-minute mark Jesus, leaving the trash bag outside, closes the door and makes an announcement. “One more thing, if you go with me, you can’t come back.” With that, he takes the driver’s seat and prepares to leave. Suddenly, the rear emergency door opens, and the head count is quickly reduced by a fair percentage. The bus rolls away, emergency door flapping like an old screen door in a Kansas wind. A crowd is seen clamoring around the trash bag like crows on roadkill.
Returning to their assigned pews, someone picks up the microphone, prays for the safety of those on the bus, and begins to explain away what just happened. Resolved to maintain their status quo even if it costs them a road trip with Jesus Himself, they hold on to the predictable, comfortable, quantifiable present.
The point here is to illustrate, in silly but albeit real terms, we cling. We cling to what we have created. We cling to what is familiar. We cling to what we can explain. We cling to what is safe. Like the Rich Young Ruler in Matthew 19, we cling to our past obedient moments and success and lose sight of Jesus in the process.
In John 3:8 Jesus says to Nicodemus, “The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.” (ESV). What will you do when the Wind of the Spirit is blowing change into your comfortable world? Hoist the sail or lower the anchor?