Being "Un - Rule - ly"

I should have known as soon as I started reading again that I'd probably have to stop and write my thoughts again. I really should sleep, but oh well.

Towards the middle of chapter 3, Mike returns to children, reminding us how we 'help' [my word] our children to grow by teaching them the do's and don'ts of society. "They learn how to behave, how to conform to the cultural 'norms' for the greater good [italics mine] of society [or the church]." They learn the rules, become orderly, and responsible members of the "civilized world." However, in our responsibilities of helping them "grow up," have we not also robbed them of the ability to discern when to follow the rules, but also when to break them? Which is more important, the rule(s) or the Rule Maker? "Christianity is this wild religion that has always been more concerned about following Jesus than following the rules of Jesus."

Think about it, when you first became as Christian (as we call it), you didn't know all the "rules," all you knew was Jesus. But then you started to learn all the rules of how to be a "good" Christian, or a "good Baptist, Methodist, Presbyterian, etc." Christianity became more about what was best for the "church," not what Jesus wants for his people. "The church is always worried we might make a mistake."

But aren't mistakes the trademarks of growth? My favorite quote in the world says: "I'd rather try to do something great and fail, than to do nothing and succeed." - Norman Vincent Peale. Just look at all the stories in the Bible. It's full of people who screwed up; not only once but over and over again. I've only read about One person who was perfect. Mike says, "The church should be the one place in our culture where mistakes are not only expected but welcomed." But what does the church expect (especially of its leaders/pastors, ministers, etc)? PERFECTION!!! That's the rule of the church, not of Jesus. Yes, Jesus said, be perfect as your Father in heaven is perfect. But I don't beleive that was his point (that's another "wondering" for another time). How many times did the disciples try to throw in the rules? No children close to Jesus. Or how about the Pharisee's rules? No healing on the Sabbath or eating with 'sinners.' But everytime, Jesus got right back in their faces reminding them that its not about the "rules" its about following Him. Jesus didn't come to replace one set of rules (the OT) for a new set of rules. He said it himself, he did not come to abolish the law (the rules) but to fulfill it. "Jesus kept saying 'Follow Me' not 'follow my rules.' " Most of us have spent our entire life as a christian more worried about following the rules, learning what we can't do, than following Jesus and "celebrating what we can do in Jesus."

I'm going to admit something. I'm in the process of jumping thru all the hoops (following all the rules) it takes to go back to school and get my Ph.D. and hopefully someday being a professor somewhere. But my biggest fear is that I won't be accepted back at my almamater because I don't follow the rules all that well. Don't get my wrong, I'm going to do everything they ask of me: GRE test, research paper, reference forms, etc.; but I just don't do rules well. I know for a fact I don't think or believe like most, if not all of those "in charge" of my acceptance and/or future at this seminary. Being a Baptist seminary, a "Southern" Baptist seminary at that, I am very familiar with their "rules" and I'm just not sure what will happen. Just like Mike Yaconelli, I'm more concerned about following Jesus than following a bunch of man-made rules. I am more and more facinated with Jesus everyday, but I am also more and more disallusioned with "the church" as each day passes. I have experienced so many of the churches "rules" that I have nearly left the ministry (currently I am not serving in any church & have removed my church memebership from my previous church) and The Church, permanently. My hope is that, inspite of my "rebellious" nature, they will see my love for Jesus and for the future of His church. I want so much more and this seemed like a way to make that happen. So that's the direction I'm headed at the moment.

So, in closing. I encourage you who dare to read this to...think. Follow Jesus before you follow any rule; of the church or otherwise. Don't be afraid to break the rules either. Jesus broke the rules all the time. And in so doing, he showed the world how to live; to really live. For the most part, I've never regretted breaking the rules, b/c each time I did it, it was for something more important in the long run. I promise that I will keep breaking the rules until the day I die or Jesus comes to get me. And one day I will hear "well done, my good and faithful servant."

That's enough for tonight I think.