There was this movie back when I was in high school called “Weekend at Bernie’s.” I thought it was pretty funny at the time, but it is really a pretty stupid comedy.
As an example that God can really use anything to reveal Himself as He chooses, God’s been bringing that movie up in my mind over the last week or two. I don’t think His intent is to get me to watch the movie again, necessarily, and even though I haven’t seen it in a while, I can’t say that I can recommend anyone watch it. But it is what it is.
If you haven’t seen the movie, there are these two young executives, Larry and Richard, who get invited out to this beach house by their boss, Bernie. Bernie is in with the mob and then gets taken out by the mafia by lethal injection right before Larry and Richard get there. The two young men ultimately realize that Bernie is dead and for plot purposes decide they have to pretend he’s alive so they won’t be blamed for his death. There’s a party that night and other shenanigans over the weekend, where the bulk of the comedy is how creative they get as they convince people Bernie is alive and a party animal.
God has been dealing with me about the heart of true Christianity. If your expression of Christianity has to be maintained or sustained by you, then you are the basis of that religion. In reality, Christ sustains and maintains you, and any expression where the opposite takes place or is given place is dangerous.
But there are many who work really hard at keeping up appearances as if dead religion actually works. There is this great passage in the prophets where the prophet goes into how insane idolatry is. You get a piece of wood. You make a bowl out of it or a plate or something else. Then you carve a god out of it and bow down to it, worship it, and ask it to help you. It cannot help you. You are the one who has power over it. You have to prop it up and dress it up and keep it clean. In fact, idolatry at its heart is worshipping the “work of your own hands.” Doesn’t have to be even a physical item, just worshipping the things you can produce in your own strength.
The expressions of worship that bring life are from the Spirit and exalt fruit that only God can produce. There are many buzzwords to describe such a life, but no matter how you label it, it is stripped down to an understanding that of yourself you can do nothing, but with God all things are possible, that you love God without compromise and others as He has loved you. That is normal Christianity. Unfortunately we’ve assigned normal Christianity to the work of others, people we call saints or mystics or ministers, so we can kinda just live our own lives and then feel pretty spiritual about it.
At some point when I discuss these things, I get the usual statement from some: “Well, everyone is different. There’s no right way.” That sounds all nice and inclusive, but it can only go so far. I’ll give an example.
To be healthy you need to eat right, exercise, and sleep well. Lack in these areas cause problems, even serious problems unto death. There is plenty of freedom within these principles of health (what healthy foods you eat, when or how you exercise, etc). But to use that freedom to then justify eating junk food, complete inactivity, and insomnia is dangerous. There are some really creative arguments in the Church today as if living in an abusive way is healthy. And they love the one example they can find of the lady who lived in complete gluttony and self abuse and grew to be a hundred and eighty. Never mind the overwhelming majority of other people who have seen fruit from healthy living or died young from cancer or something from the lack of it.
The Bible says God has “ways.” Christ named Himself “the Way”. One of the names of the early believers had to do with their following the Way. There are ways, right ways, to do things, that are of Christ and not of you. And they produce fruit if you will follow those ways and try your best not to mix His ways with your own, or anyone else’s, really.
I have little to lose by calling dead things dead. I have everything, eternally, however, to gain by calling that which is of life, Life. Those that very creatively prop up Bernie can do what they do, but I’d rather tell the party-goers he’s dead and deal with whatever consequences occur. Better in the long run.
Peace.
[...] out with a quote from one of those brothers I mentioned above. Britt said it best in his excellent Weekend at Bernies Christianity post: At some point when I discuss these things, I get the usual statement from some: “Well, everyone [...]