The Problem With Churchianity

For the next few months, our church (Calvary Chapel of Wilmington - Calvaryofwilmington.org) is reading through the book of Isaiah. 5 chapters a week. I've decided that I'm going to blog my thoughts on these chapters as we go through. Hope you're blessed!

Chapter 1:

Isaiah was written by Isaiah the prophet. Tradition says that he was the cousin of King Uzziah. He prophesied for at least 58 years (739-681 BC). Isaiah's name means, "God is Salvation" pretty fitting seeing as his ministry mainly consisted of telling Israel to turn back to God, and that they could only receive salvation from Him. 

Isaiah is writing in a time when the nation of Israel is in political turmoil (in 722 Israel will go into captivity to Assyria) and in Spiritual decline. Nobody follows God anymore. 

In Isaiah chapter 1, Isaiah paints a picture of Israel being God's children. He claimed them as His own and He raised them, but they have turned away. 

Verse 4 says "They have forsaken the LORD, they have despised the Holy One of Israel, they are utterly estranged."

Israel had chosen sin over God, and it put up a barrier between them. 

We can be just like Israel. Our sin will always separate us from God. That's the reason that Jesus came. He came to break down the wall of separation! But we can still try and rebuild it. 

Christian, be careful. Stand firm in your faith and don't allow sin to divide you from your Creator.

God challenges Israel on this sin, He asks them why they're continuing in it. Don't they see what it's doing to them? Their country is being laid to waste because of these decisions. 

They need to turn back to God, but that isn't what they do. They decide that the best course of action to fix this problem is to make a bunch of sacrifices. They're giving offerings left and right, but it isn't helping. In verses 11-15, God says that He is sick of their sacrifices. Not because the sacrifices are bad, but because their attitude is incorrect. In verse 13, God calls them "vain offerings". They aren't helping anything. 

The problem that Israel has is one that we face all the time. Israel was trying to fix their problem with doing "spiritual" things. Today it might be seen in someone feeling guilty about sleeping with their girlfriend, so they go to church that week. 

I've coined this "Churchianity".

We think that all of our problems will be solved if we can check everything off on our Spiritual checklist.

Go to church. 

Tithe.

Read a pastor's blog and call it a quiet time.

The problem with "Churchianity" is that it deals with the actions without dealing with the heart.

It fixes the symptoms without ever addressing the cause.

Now understand me here, I'm not saying that these are bad things to do! 

The problem was not that Israel was making sacrifices. They were commanded to do that.

Israel's problem was that their heart wasn't lined up with their actions.

In verses 16-18, God shows Israel what a correct response looks like.

"Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean; remove the evil..."

"Cease to do evil, lear to do good;"

You see, God was going beyond Israel performing the correct actions, to them changing the way that they were living. He calls them to stop living in sin. To turn back to Him.

Verse 18 is beautiful.

"Come now, let us reason together, says the LORD: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool."

God's promise to Israel is that if they will turn from their sin and turn back to Him, He'll make them clean. He'll wipe their sins away.

Verse 19 adds a condition. It starts with the word "if". Israel has to do something.

"If you are willing and obedient." Not just willing, and not just obedient. You have to follow God with the right attitude. 

God continues through the rest of the chapter painting a picture of what Israel's sin has done to it. God promises that their sin will be dealt with, but those who turn back to God, and repent of their sin will be redeemed. 

It's the same for us today. If we look at the course of our lives, it isn't hard to see where sin took us, and (if we're saved) what God has redeemed us from. 

However, there is a choice to be made. Will you follow God? Will you repent of your sin, and turn to Him with your whole heart? He wants to wash you white as snow, if you'll let Him.

If you don't want to do that, you can see how it will go for you in verse 28.

"But rebels and sinners shall be broken together, and those who forsake the LORD shall be consumed."

The choice is yours.

Letting Go

Some of you may have heard of the song "Nothing I Hold On To" by United Pursuit. It's a great song, with easy to remember words. The bridge of the song is really simple, it just says, "I will climb this mountain with my hands wide open" 

These lyrics remind me of in Genesis, when God told Abraham to go up to the top of Mt. Moriah, and sacrifice his son Isaac. God asked Abraham to do this to test his faith. God had it all planned out ahead of time that a ram would be caught in a bush at just the right time, and an angel showed up to stop him from sacrificing Isaac. But Abraham didn't know all of this up front. 

Mt. Moriah was a few days away. So they packed everything up, the wood, the oil, all the supplies, and they got some of their servants together and they went off on this trip.

When they get near Mt. Moriah, Abraham tells the servants to wait for them while they go and sacrifice. In Genesis 22:6, Abraham says, "I and the boy will go and sacrifice, and we will return to you." 

Check out Abraham's faith here. Even though God told him to sacrifice his son, and he's ready to do it if that's what God wants, Abraham knows that they're coming back. You see a few chapters earlier, God promised that through Abraham's seed (Isaac), God would raise up a nation. Abraham knows that God isn't done with Isaac yet. 

So they are walking up the mountain, and Isaac asks, "Hey dad, where's the sacrifice?" Awkward question at that moment... Well, Isaac.... you're the sacrifice... Probably wouldn't be the most fun trip. But that isn't what Abraham says. In Genesis 22:8, Abraham tells Isaac, "God will provide for Himself the lamb for a burnt offering."

So they went up the mountain, with no offering but Isaac. 

What a picture. Abraham is letting go of everything that he holds dear. Isaac is the son that he was promised in his old age. It isn't like he has a bunch of other kids at home, or can have more kids. Isaac is their only shot. But Abraham walked in obedience.

Is God calling you to let go of some things like He did to Abraham? It would have been really easy for Abraham to get defensive, and say something like, "No, God! Not Isaac! YOU gave me Isaac!"

But Abraham didn't say that. If he had said that, he would have been elevating Isaac higher than God in his heart. 

You see, God wants our hearts to Himself. He'll give us blessings, and He'll put people in our lives that He allows us to share this life with, but ultimately, we are His. We've been bought at the price of the blood of a Lamb. 

All of this was a beautiful picture, because a few thousand years later, God would give His own Son as a sacrifice. God did provide the lamb, not only for Abraham and Isaac, but later for the whole world. Jesus' blood that He shed on the cross, and His death were the payment for our sins. The price that we owed was put on Him. He has purchased us with His blood, and that is why He can ask us to let go of these things.

Ask God today, "Is there anything in my heart that I've put higher than You? What changes do I need to make to keep You as the Lord of my life? Please give me Your Holy Spirit to walk in, so that I will have Your strength to let go of these things, and to follow You will all of my heart. Amen."