Wednesday, December 08, 2010

Living from the Inside-Out

So much of the way that Christianity is practiced in our culture strikes me as seeking growth and maturity from the outside-in. If we attend that seminar or conference; if we acquire more information; if we read that book; listen to that teaching series; read the Bible more (maybe try to get through the whole thing in a year); get our doctrinal ducks in a row; pray more; go to church more; serve in the community more; tithe regularly; submit to the authority of our pastor, priest or denomination... As if the performance of these duties or the acquisition of these bits of knowledge will produce greater levels of spiritual maturity.

Many of these things, in and of themselves, are good (though often misused and abused). The problem is the order of the process. What I'm learning is that adding doctrinal data or doing "stuff" is not the route to spiritual maturity. Rather, adding and doing will come as natural by-products of spiritual maturity. In other words, as we grow in our faith, we are moved and guided to learn more, to study the Bible more, to serve more, to give more, etc., etc.

The priority then, is not to focus on the externals--adding and doing. These things will not bring us closer to God. The priority is to *first* come closer to God and then allow Him to direct what we do. This is the inside-out approach.

Quakers like to say that "there is that of God in everyone". What they mean is that God is at work deep inside of each one of us (no one is excluded). God has planted a seed (another common Quaker metaphor) deep inside each person. As that seed of God's active, in-dwelling presence is nurtured and begins to grow from within, its tendrils slowly reach out into all aspects of our lives and begin to bear fruit.

In his letter to the Galatians (particularly the 5th chapter), Paul urges us to "walk by the Spirit", to be "led by the Spirit", to "live by the Spirit" and to "keep in step with the Spirit". The result, Paul tells us, is that we will bear the "fruit of the Spirit", which is "love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control."

The Spirit is within. The effect is without.

William Penn stated it beautifully:

If you would know God and worship and serve God as you should do, you must come to the means he has ordained and given for this purpose. Some seek it in books, some in learned men; but what they look for is in themselves, though not of themselves, but they overlook it. The voice is too still, the seed too small and the light shineth in darkness; they are abroad [outwardly focused] and so cannot divide the spoil [reap the reward]. But the woman that lost her silver found it at home, after she had lighted her candle and swept her house. Do you so too and you shall find what Pilate wanted to know, viz., truth, truth in the inward parts, so valuable in the sight of God...

Therefore, O friends, turn in, turn in, I beseech you...


3 Comments:

Blogger forrest said...

Utterly true-- and yet God does also provide external means (and direct us to them internally, of course.)

We're 'in' a world, constantly interacting with other elements, all of this also included in God's intention.

Anyway, a badly needed corrective for the common modern reflex approach: "What is the most rational [assuming that means external] method we can think of to solve this!"

10:14 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Luke 10:39-42. Its easy to think that effort would receive some reward, be it spiritual gain. Jesus made a point of telling Martha that Mary had made the better choice. Which was to sit at His feet and listen to Him.

6:15 PM  
Anonymous Jim Schultz said...

I think Jesus spoke to this in Matthew 23, verses 25 & 26. When I think of this scripture I try to picture cleaning the inside of a cup without cleaning the outside as well.

9:54 PM  

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