Following Judah's Lion

What Has Slipped?

Heb.2:1 - Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip.

Let them slip? It seems many of the things of Christ have not only slipped, but they have been abandoned. Notice the word “therefore”. It refers back to the content on chapter one which deals with the superiority and exclusivity of the Lord Jesus Christ. Above the angels and certainly above mankind, the Lord Jesus is the Son of the Living God who has created everything and sustains it all. There is little awe and wonder, much less sacred reverence, for the Person of Jesus Christ these days even inside the church house.

And when Paul refers to “the things which we have heard” he doesn’t mean some dry doctrinal treatises which inform but have little effect upon our hearts and lives. There is a vibrant and genuinely mystical relationship available to every believer that goes far beyond being a baptized member of the local church and adhering to the redundant back and forth every week. We must desire to be like Him.

II Cor.3:17-18 - Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. 18 But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.

When was the last time you were changed? Do we not seem to rely on our original conversion experience and the initial changes that accompanied it? But Paul tells that we should be being changed from one realm of glory into the next by the Holy Spirit. And after the “I quit smoking, drinking, and cussing” testimony, the growth in the Spirit becomes much deeper and requires time in the Word and much time in prayer. It is a labor of love to be sure, and the rewards far outweigh the labor.

Being consumed with the things of this world is the death knell for any spiritual growth. Slowly but surely any relationship with Christ begins to erode even though there are outward behaviors that seem to be somewhat religious. And as the late Dr. R. G. Lee used to say, our spiritual lives seem to be a “shallow stream of piety that runs a fresher course on Sundays”. Even the Apostle Paul, who saw Jesus and was taught the gospel from Christ Himself, said these words about himself:

Phil.3:10 - That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;

Where is the desire to know Him more? Where are those sufferings that are linked directly to our wonderful Master that we might embrace? Where is the power of His resurrection that keeps us far above any circumstances and the usual moaning and complaining? Can there be anything more disturbing and paradoxical than an heir of eternal life complaining about anything? To know and walk with Jesus is life abundant and eternal. How dare people define abundant in terms of the material in this world. That is why the health and wealth false gospel is so damaging. The preachers get rich upon the offerings of deluded and Biblically illiterate people and not only preach a Santa Claus Jesus, but openly do so without reservation.

What else have we let slip? The average evangelical preacher spends much of his time doing things that should be done by other servants of Christ. The elders in the Book of Acts appointed deacons to serve the Grecian widows because they refused to compromise their prayer life and ministry of the Word. But today’s preacher attends most committees, is involved with the building program, and fortunately can purchase his messages on the internet. With a few added personal anecdotes - Viola! - He has his sermon. Fasting? Hours in the prayer closet? Weeping over the lost? Please, get real.

When was the last time your preacher ascended the pulpit looking tired and haggard because he was up praying most of the night? When was the last time he delivered his soul and not some sermon? When did he lose control of his emotions and weep while he entreated the lost to believe on Christ and beseeched the saved to repent and awaken? When was the last time anyone came to the gathering expecting to be changed again and not just expecting this Sunday to resemble all the rest infinitum? What things have we let slip? You do the math.

Even among the “discernment” group they scour the internet for doctrinal departures, and when such departures are located they pounce upon them with erudite relish, but they are still blind to their own dry and dead assemblies which are little more than self congratulatory sessions of “orthodox” doctrine. It is a subtle reality than one can embrace all the orthodox doctrines taught in Scripture but still reflect significantly less of Christ personally than some who may have some doctrinal abnormalities. Indeed, while chasing others they have let many things slip themselves.

So what are we to do if indeed we realize that we have strayed from Christ in many ways? Should we compare ourselves with ourselves and soothe our consciences because we are no better or worse than other believers, including the preacher? Or if there is still a spark, a still small voice that beckons us, should we unload our lives and fall on our face, physically and spiritually, before God and entreat Him to break up the fallow ground in our hearts and lives? Let us reopen the investigation into just what it means to be a disciple of the Lord Jesus.

Lk.14:33-34 - So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple. 34 Salt is good: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be seasoned?

OK all ye who loudly proclaim the Scriptures are to be taken literally; have you forsaken all? Just what is the Lord Jesus saying here? It stands to Biblical reason that Jesus does not mean we have to leave our spouses or our children or our homes, but that still does not dilute the arresting content of the Master’s statement. Seldom is that statement dealt with today, and when it is it is usually deconstructed in a way which spiritualizes it in order to make it plausible and convenient for us all. But the very nature of this statement is inconvenient at its very core. It is time we realize that loving and serving the Risen Christ in this fallen world is always inconvenient on many levels, and according to this world it is implausible. We have let things slip.

You and I are not responsible for the church at large.

But we are responsible for the spiritual depth of our own lives.

Reclaiming that which has slipped is a good place to begin.