The Normalcy Exodus

God's people are in need of another exodus, my friends. You remember the first one…When the Israelites had been captured by the Egyptians - a civilization known for sophisticated commerce, abundant resources, and heavy taxation. When that superpower forced them to work long hours in exchange for food and housing. When they did the same mundane tasks every day with no expectation of escape because after long enough, it just felt normal.

Our need for exodus is not so different, is it? In the last 50 years, we've accepted an alarming amount of inferior ideologies and behaviors as normal. These norms were never presented to us in some stark moment where we could collectively object to them. Instead, they were reinforced over decades of God's standard not being upheld in the name of comfort, convenience, or ignorance. We've slid into a complacent place, y'all. And it's ok to slide as long as we are willing to admit it to ourselves and help each other off of the slippery slope.

Yes, God's standard is audacious and living for Him is completely counter to the culture. Yes, we are called to be utterly devoted to His ways inasmuch as is humanly possible. Yes, it's our responsibility to be students and seekers of Him in spite of our obligatory [and optional] schedules. Sounds challenging, I know. That's because it is. This is the reality of accepting Jesus and it's time we stopped diluting what saying "Yes" to him means.

For starters, it means you believe ridiculous things like swarms of frogs and parted seas, guiding lights and descending manna, talking donkeys and muted priests, pregnant virgins and worshipped babies, bodies back-from-the-dead and ascensions into Heaven. It means you believe in uncommon ideals like purity, sobriety, humility, service, generosity, and submission as opposed to immorality, excess, pride, selfishness, greed, and rebellion. Most importantly, it means you believe Jesus is who He said He was and that He accomplished what He said He would. And even though the Gospel has infinite depth, the simplest version of it is just that: He is who He said He was.

So, what then? We just believe it and we're set, right? Well, kind of. Belief is most definitely the initial requirement and serves as the foundation of our life with Christ. But, that life with Christ is meant to be an active one. If we do not answer the call to action, it's like pouring a concrete foundation for a house but never framing walls on it.

We've all driven by construction sites and seen a freshly-poured slab, and we'd have to admit that it would look pretty empty if the contractors stopped there, but they don't. They frame walls, run plumbing, wire electrical, hang sheetrock, install doors and windows, paint it, and furnish it with appliances. And even once the house is considered "complete", the homeowner will continue to maintain that house with cleaning, upgrades, repairs, and additions as time goes on. The work of maintenance and improvement never ends, but none of the work is possible without the foundation being set it stone (pun intended). You see the synergy?

The same is true with our faith. We are called to build upon the foundation of effortless salvation with actions that ironically require effort. Picture it this way: A young couple is getting married and a family member's gift to them is to pay for the foundation of their first home. All the couple has to do is build upon it as they are able. If they never continue construction out of avoidance or busyness, the gift is still theirs, free and clear. But, they will miss out on the beautiful potential that the foundation was intended to help create. The authors of the Epistles consistently use verbs like do, walk, serve, run, work, labor, strive, and act as responses to our foundation of belief.

Now, to the hard part. What exactly does it mean to be active in our Christian life? People usually agree that we should be doing something, but what specifically? This is where the theology has been watered down over the years. We've been told to be quietly moral as we secretly infiltrate the world. To "be a light" at our job. That someone will eventually notice that "there's just something different about us". But, I don't really see that in the New Testament. What I see is men and women being BOLD. There was a contagious excitement about the freedom they'd found. They couldn't contain the joy of being delivered, forgiven, and accepted. They loved each other enough to be honest, even in disagreement. They saw things in black and white and openly addressed the grey. They embodied being set apart because they identified as a chosen group of people called to worship God and share His truth with others.

But, here we are 2,000+ years later and the sentiment is very different. Becoming a Christian enacts a specific set of rules that we've assumed are standard protocol: attend church regularly, tithe to said church, comply with the religious constructs without question, and never, ever cause a scene. The system feels freeing in the moment, but over time, it can subconsciously and inadvertently replace the true purpose of salvation: ongoing relationship with God. We trade the secret place for sermonic lecture and never sing the song in our hearts because we are busy singing someone else's. This doesn't just happen to congregants - it happens to pastors, too. Why do you think we are facing an epidemic of moral failures in church leadership? It's not because they were all evil people with bad intentions. It's because they forsook their first love and allowed synthetic substitutes to take priority.

Am I saying it's wrong to attend church or give a percentage of your income to ministries making a difference? Absolutely not. What I'm saying is that we've gravitated toward a culture where doing so takes precedence over the more important disciplines of the Christian life like dialogue with heaven and quiet moments reflecting on the striking concepts in the Bible. By-and-large, we aren't doing that and the statistics are clear:

• 26% of Christians pray daily (Beliefnet research)

• 34% read the Bible at least once a week (American Bible Society State of the Bible Research)

• 30% volunteer their time with a charity (Lifeway Research)

This data can help us draw some obvious conclusions and supports my above claim of misplaced priorities. It also prompts some serious questions: Are we introducing people fully to the Christian faith before they respond? Are we discipling them thoroughly and properly once they profess their faith? Are we encouraging them to study and seek on their own or merely enabling weekly reliance upon church leaders?

But, the most important question to me is: Are we taking personal responsibility of our relationship with God? Because if we are, He will answer the question of "what should we be doing?". His consistent entanglement in our lives will give us eyes to see opportunities and courage to take BOLD action. In nurtured relationship, we become a vessel for Him. In neglected relationship, we lose our confidence and forget our calling. Which do we want?

It's time we redefine what it means to be a follower of Christ. It's time to redeem the compromised reputation [and statistics] Christians have in this country. We can't accomplish that with better church attendance and more downloaded podcasts. Those things can be a complement to our walk with Him, for certain. But, we only turn the tide in the trenches of our own faith, pouring out our heart to Him in prayer, letting Him in to see the things we try to hide, and cleaning out the corners we've left unswept.

Here's my closing question: If God wasn't omniscient and omnipresent (all-knowing and all-present), and His relationship with you was dependent on you making the first move, what would he know about your life? Your issues? Your dreams? Your regrets? Talk to Him. Ask the hard questions you've assumed were sacrilegious. Confess your struggles you've been too shameful to say out loud. Give thanks for His faithfulness in spite of your weakness. Go there. Even if it's uncomfortable and awkward at first. GO THERE. I promise that peace, hope, joy and yes - BOLDness will follow [super]naturally.

As much as it wasn't the ancient Isrealites' destiny to remain slaves in Eqypt, it's not the modern Christian's destiny to remain normal in the world. Old Testament deliverance was drawn up to rescue God's people from their inferior reality and reconcile them back into relationship with Himself. New Testament deliverance was designed with the same exact intent. His efforts have always been about reconnecting us with Him, His ways, and His purpose. May our efforts be to respond with reciprocity.

Let the normalcy exodus begin.