7 You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you, for he wrote,
8 ‘These people honor me with their lips,
but their hearts are far from me.
9 Their worship is a farce,
for they teach man-made ideas as commands from God.’”
10 Then Jesus called to the crowd to come and hear. “Listen,” he said, “and try to understand. 11 It’s not what goes into your mouth that defiles you; you are defiled by the words that come out of your mouth.”
12 Then the disciples came to him and asked, “Do you realize you offended the Pharisees by what you just said?”
13 Jesus replied, “Every plant not planted by my heavenly Father will be uprooted, 14 so ignore them. They are blind guides leading the blind, and if one blind person guides another, they will both fall into a ditch."
*Matthew 15.1, 7-14 (NLT)
The disciples seem surprised: "Do you realize you offended ... by what you just said?" Of course, Jesus knew he would offend the religious elite. Jesus was countering abuses and burdens of religiousness that too often failed to speak from a true heart and to nurture hearts longing for connection with God, not just the institution, the belief system, and the rites.
Again, we see Jesus speaking of the essentiality of the true heart in genuine religious faith:
22 On that day many will say to me, "Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?" 23 And then will I declare to them, "I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness."
*Matthew 7.22-24 (ESV)
Lawlessness need not be the gross sins that we often focus on as evil. Lawlessness may be anyone parading as an example or expert in spirituality and misleading others thereby.
Ultimately, faithful spiritual devotion in and service to Christ and His Body entails truly knowing, and intimately, Christ in oneself. This does not demand moral perfection or doctrinal inerrancy; this requires the Word living within the inwardness of being in faith, hope, and love.
Fortunately, the spiritual, true Christian is not left to his or her own resources. Rather, as Main posits, there is the availability of a plenitude: "The Christian call to transcendence is a call to utter fullness of being."
Therefore, the spiritual journey may well begin, most truly, at the point of utter surrender to the ineptitude of your own resources. Ironically, we manifest the nearness of the Word when we transcend ourselves, rather than assert ourselves, and receive the influx of divine Grace. Transcendence arises from self-abasement. Without self-abasement, over and over, there is no walking the Jesus Way of spirituality.
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1) What are the essentials, in your estimation, of a true, spiritual Christianity?
2) What are traits you look for in a spiritual leader? Can a religious leader fail to be a spiritual one? Explain.
3) Are you a spiritual person? If yes, share how you have come to be a spiritual person. How you are growing to be more of a spiritual person.
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*Charitable contributions would be appreciated to assist Brian in the continuance of his work of ministry. For contributions, contact Brian at barukhattah@embarqmail.com .
*Brian's book of spiritual love poetry, An Ache for Union: Oneness with God through Love, can be ordered through major booksellers, or through the Cokesbury on-line store, at www.cokesbury.com .
*Brian K. Wilcox lives in Punta Gorda, FL, and Clearwater, FL, with his wife, step-son, and two beloved dogs. Brian has an independent writing, workshop, and retreat ministry focused on Christians living as spiritual disciples of Jesus Christ in everyday life. He serves the Christ Community United Methodist Church, Punta Gorda, FL. Brian is vowed at Greenbough House of Prayer, a contemplative Christian community in South Georgia. He lives a vowed, contemplative life and inspires others to experience a more intimate relationship with God-in-Christ. Brian advocates for a spiritually-focused, experiential Christianity and renewal of the focus of the Church on addressing the deeper spiritual needs and longings of persons.
