We Won't Get Fooled Again

WE WON’T GET FOOLED AGAIN

During the 1950’s the average family began to see some prosperity and had an accepted set of morals and even went to a church. The “Leave it to Beaver” concept was alluring. And when some of us came to faith in Christ we were introduced to a system of do’s and don’ts. We were presented with some parameters within which all who believed in Jesus must fit. Most of us bought into it. Of course there were those rare rebels like Keith Green.

But as we walked with Christ through the years we began to see things about which we could not understand. I mean the church was openly capitalistic and enjoyed most of the trappings of the hedonistic culture. It just did not make sense. But even while many in the congregation walked in compromise, they seemed to have a list of things which must be considered taboo in order to be “right with God”. The usual list consisted of rock music, long hair, loose clothes, beards, modern Bible versions, and anything that could be construed as “hippie”. And with that we all fell in lockstep.

Now it wasn’t enough just to have or even agree with that list. You must judge and criticize anyone who violated any of its tenants or even those who fellowshipped with those who did. And this was no game; this was serious. The preacher had several choice rants that would pepper his sermons concerning compromisers. Of course we never heard about the evils of violence and war, or the evils of greed and capitalism, or the evils of condemning sinners. Those things were accepted norms within our brand of evangelicalism or fundamentalism.

But we had been fooled! This was not Christianity at all, but a mangled brand of legalism and Americanism. It was a revelry of rules and regulations, all of which detracted from the Redeemer Himself. And it was a breeding ground for self righteousness and a national fervor hidden in a matrix of certain moral standards. This cookie cutter religion imprisoned us in a doctrinal case of ice and even mocked any attempt to pursue a deeper life with Christ. The Bible was twisted, and to say evangelism was shallow would be kind. But we were part of the right spiritual clique.

But as I said, somewhere along the line something did not seem to add up. And when we opened our hearts and compared what we thought and said with what Jesus thought and said there was a startling disconnect. We discovered that the American church has slowly but surely created a brand of Christianity that seemed most unlike Jesus. How could this have happened? And when you venture into any kind of sincere questioning you were looked at with suspicion. It was a difficult time for many of us.

But when the Spirit sets you free you experience a comfort that can only come through His ministry. Even though you have no idea where this might lead, there is one thing you know for sure. You can never go back. Religion has the odor of decay. And adhering to a set of rules grows very stale very quickly. Although it tends to self righteousness, it imprisons people. And many of us became entrenched in such a system because we erroneously thought we were impressing God. We were not.

Of course there are things we should not do as well as things we should do. That is clear in Scripture. But separation from the world should not be our spiritual badge. What should be the hallmark of our faith is the strength and spirit in which we live the Lord Jesus. Sinners that walk in darkness should see in us a light that draws them to Christ. Our lips and our lives must be speaking and showing forth the Word of Life. And most projected is our love that always associates itself with Christ Jesus. In a world of greed and hate and self our lives should be the observable antithesis of all that.

But somewhere along the line man has taken the sacred freedom in Christ and turned it into denominations and cliques and rules and regulations. And in so doing the church has cast out the ministry of the Holy Spirit in favor of the assembly line construct. And when you become a part of legalism you immediately become self righteous. That alone should reveal how unchristlike it is. Moses brought rules; Christ brought life.

There was a day some of us were fooled, but we will not be fooled again.