Beautiful Of Soul

Sometimes it seems like our whole world is falling apart, like everything is getting worse. I don’t mean to sound so skeptical, but it is hard sometimes for me to see how the kingdom of God is defeating the kingdom of darkness in this world. Sure there are plenty of people who profess to be Christians, having raised their hands and said a sinner’s prayer, but are they new creations? As I consider the full meaning of the Gospel, as told from Genesis through the New Testament, I wonder about its full expression here and now, specifically in my own life. There is a longing inside me to be perfect, to not screw up; then when I do screw up there is a longing for people to just let me be human. How do I balance a longing for transformation and holiness with the shady and sinful self I know? How do I unconditionally love those that I hate? How will I ever see the power of God with such faltering faith?

The recent fall from glory of another “powerful” Christian leader is challenging, especially knowing that he probably sat where I sit today and thought it unimaginable that he would ever end up in such a crapy place. In my humble opinion the real problem is the power that men seek, may I never seek it, power and influence (even if wielded for so called Christian purposes) is dangerous and seems like the antithesis of the gospel. We are called to die and serve more and more as we mature, yet those we hold up as the leaders of the church often seem like they are being served and gaining power. Humility vs pride seems to be the main battlefield of Christians leaders today. Clearly when the gospel wins out, humility wins out. Being a servant leader, picking up the cross of Jesus, hardly seems to be a recipe for power and influence.

So if political power is not the answer for bringing the kingdom what is? Jesus did speak politically at times, but it was clearly a path he avoided on the road to his throne. What about preaching, is that the way for the kingdom to come? It sure seems like the protestant church has long believed that preaching is the central piece to corporate faith, but Jesus not only spoke but lived a subversive message. There are times when I get discouraged, looking around and not seeing the healing power of the Gospel manifest in the world. Instead of a church that is bringing healing to the world through love and grace, I feel like too often we have the crusader mentality of coercion and manipulation. Where is the darkness being pushed back and the gospel winning out? Some Christians seem more interested in pushing democracy and capitalism, and satisfied to have a faith that insures them a place in a far off land called heaven where they will not be held accountable for what they did on earth because of Jesus blood.

The big picture is discouraging, but I do know people who are seeking the truth, longing for healing, and living out the new creation. There are those who still long for peace, who love unconditionally (no really, they love regardless of religion, gender, race, or sexual preference), and who know that if what they believe is true than it has to make a difference in our world. The Gospel has to make the world a better place, not just for Christians, because those who have become new creations are living out a different kind of humanity. They possess a beauty of soul that does not require a defense or explanation because it stands out as true and powerful. A quiet submission to the work of the Holy Spirit, lived out in a real world, is how we see the kingdom come. In this awesome book I am reading right now, Streams Of Living Water, there is a quote from Frank Laubach that has challenged me this week “God, what is man’s best gift to mankind? To be beautiful of soul and then let people see into your soul.”

This is my journey, possibly our journey, into the beautiful darkness of God. So often we are afraid of intimacy and transparency because of what others might see in our souls, but the gospel releases a power in us to enter into the most holy place and be transformed into the likeness of Christ. To plunge into the deepness of God and to be overcome by his consuming fire, as Merton put it “to join the fellowship of burnt men”. May we truly be lost in the consuming depths of our great God.