In his article titled “When Are We Going to Grow Up?: The Juvenilization of American Christianity” Thomas E. Bergler examines the trends in evangelical Christian circles over the last fifty years. One can see interwoven throughout the article the increasing focus that many evangelical leaders placed on the relatable-ness of Jesus. “Christianity is a relationship, not a religion” is a mantra that has extended beyond the confines of youth groups and conventions. It is still making headlines through popular spoken word YouTube videos.
It is of course, true, that Christ is the means by which His followers can have a relationship with God, however this does not mean that God is like us. Instead, God is at work in the hearts and minds of His followers to transform them to become more like Him (See Rom. 12:2 and 2 Cor. 5:17). Unfortunately, oftentimes in our quest to stress the relationship one can have with the Most High God through the sacrifice of His Son, we forget that God doesn’t desire this relationship to leave us just as we are. Instead, He desires to work in the believer’s life to accomplish things of eternal significance.
Which means that our focus shouldn’t be on the ordinary things of life. We should be seeking how God wants to use us to accomplish things that reflect Him and His glory. We shouldn’t be content with the commonplace, but instead look to the eternal and significant.
Jim Elliot stated it well when he wrote, “Forgive me for being so ordinary while claiming to know so extraordinary a God.” As Christ-followers may we, to an increasing degree, reflect the majesty of our Savior.
