AS HE WALKED

AS HE WALKED:

Slap-scluck, slap-scluck… You ever walk on a wet beach with sandals? First the flat sole of the sandal meets the wet sand with a “slap,” then the sucking sound comes as it pulls away “scluck!” Slap-scluck, slap-scluck... One day, about two thousand years ago, Jesus walked along the shore of the sea of Galilee, slap-scluck, slap-scluck… He saw two men, brothers in fact, Peter and Andrew. They were just going about their daily routine, working with their nets, when Jesus called out to them, "Come, follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men." Immediately there were three pairs of sandals moving forward in a rhythmic concert of purposeful fellowship. Slap-scluck, slap-scluck...

Assurance is a funny thing. The only things we want assurance about are the things we value greatly. A few short decades ago, when everything was NOT disposable, Americans wanted assurances regarding virtually everything. Even toasters came with a guarantee. Eventually guarantees turned into warranties, and warranties turned into ambiguous legal jargon, fine print, disclaimers, customer service numbers, foreign call centers, hold, transfers, hassles, and headaches quickly morphed into the disposable era we now live.

But for the really important stuff we still want guarantees. We want assurance from banks regarding our money; so in the U.S. we use banks backed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC). When we’re serious we want assurances regarding relationships (covenant agreements); so we pinky swear, do spit handshakes, sign contracts, prenupts, obtain licenses, or engage in some other cultural / legal ritual in order to secure those elusive guarantees and assurances.

Regarding money and finances Jesus said, “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:19-21).

We want assurances that protect our money, and assurances that protect our hearts, not only because financial and emotional stability are highly valued, but because they provide us with a sense of peace regarding the future. But the truth is we don’t have any assurances regarding our finances or relationships. Everyday banks close, stocks tank, corruption is revealed, contracts are broken, lawsuits are filed, and ultimately jobs are lost, fortunes go up in smoke, and assurances fall by the wayside. Everyday spouses leave, kids are diagnosed, loved ones pass, secrets are disclosed, and the imaginary peace of our sparkly snowglobe worlds of security and assurances are violently shattered on the unforgiving pavement of reality.

Significant change in our lives most often comes at times of heightened or deepened emotions. The most significant change that can happen in anyone’s life is what the Bible refers to as being “born again” (John 3:7). Becoming a child of God doesn’t happen by human will, a parent’s decision, intellectual ascent, by reciting an incantation or prayer, or through a magical water ceremony. Instead it comes exclusively by the power of God - by grace through faith. Frequently this “revelation” comes at moments in life when our imaginary snowglobes of peace, security, and assurance are obliterated. It comes when we are left questioning, wondering, doubting, crushed, collapsed, and devastated. When the selfish kingdoms we’ve constructed come crumbling down beneath the enormous magnitude of reality and truth, when the final strand snaps at the end of our rope of delusional grandeur, that is when our hearts finally cry out in honest desperation for the assurance of eternal significance and redemption.

Cultural Christianity, the kind Paul wrote to Timothy about, which holds “to the form of religion, but denies its power,” is a contemptible and sordid version readily accessible and grossly prevalent today. It is a fraudulent and misguided version of Christianity that asks little, demands nothing, and (not surprisingly) demonstrates no legitimate power or influence upon the starving and decaying world around us. Tragically, ideas and concepts of sacrifice, sufferings, obedience, perseverance, and good works are considered abhorrent and subversive - despite their integral, universal, and explicit nature throughout Scripture.

To this, the writer of 1 John stated, “The one who says, ‘I have come to know Him,’ without keeping His commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoever keeps His word, truly in him the love of God is perfected.” The author notes that our assurance of knowing Christ comes not via some historical experience or mystical ceremony, but quite simply “by keeping His commands.” But because we are a sordid lot, rank with villainy and scoundrelism, it is insufficient to leave it wide open to intuitive apprehension or expression. In fact, this exact issue of subjective interpretation was the undoing of Israel’s religious leaders. Therefore, the author eliminated all occasion for ambiguity and tergiversation in concluding “the one who says he remains in Him should walk as He walked.”

Chances are you’re not a fisherman. You might be a student, a lawyer, a salesperson, a government employee, or an entrepreneur, or a soldier. Today, just like those two brothers who were working with their nets along the shore, there’s an opportunity for redemption right where you are. It’s not about claiming Christ to secure salvation and avoid eternal torment. Instead, it’s about knowing Christ, walking with Him, and walking as He walked in order to have life and have it abundantly.

It has been about two thousand years since Peter and Andrew followed Jesus to become fishers of men. It’s been about two thousand years since those sandals made that beautiful sound slap-scluck, slap-scluck, along the shore of the sea of Galilee…

So what about you? Are you ready to follow, to fish, and to walk as He walked? Are you ready to join the rhythmic concert of purposeful fellowship?

Slap-scluck, slap-scluck…

Blessings and Merry Christmas,

-Kevin M. Kelley

aMostUnlikelyDisciple.com