Keeping it Simple

We all have our beliefs and persuasions, and from my perspective Christianity should not be as complex as many try to make it. I like to follow the KISS principle (keep it simple saint). The longer I have been a Christian, the more I see this as being all about Jesus; relationship with Him and what that results in.

The tenants of faith for me are getting distilled down to three simple points;

1. We need to love and worship the Lord,

2. We need to be encouraging and interacting with our fellow Christians with a free flow of life and love,

3. And we need to be reaching those who are not Christians with a gracious and accepting love.

I have been a local church man most of my life, and I find that many people apply focus and efforts on so many things that the message of the centrality of Christ and the simplicity of the Gospel is lost. I recognize that I can do the same thing that I see many do, and that is to get involved in religion, programs, and position. In Mark 16 Jesus tells us that the signs will follow them who believe, yet so many of us get caught up in the trappings of ministry that there are times that we can seek after and follow the signs instead of Jesus.

I am praying for the day that we will see Christians step up, step into a new reality in Christ. That we will become citizens of a heavenly kingdom (Heb 11:13-16), and that we will follow the example of the first Christians (Acts 2:46, 47). These verses are not about what position you have in a church or ministry, they are not about what it is that you do, or even about how many people follow you. I think these verses are about letting the love and life of Jesus flow in us and through us.

I believe that if we really follow Christ as He followed the Father, that if we really have living and vital relationships with Christ, that we are not going to have to have so many programs and conferences and means to get people into the Church - they'll be knocking the doors down to get in.

Yes, there is more and it's not always easy to be simple, but it’s a good way to focus our faith. Paul was pretty strong in his writings about following Christ and having a real relationship. Let us follow hard after Christ and let us press on in Him.

My heart is for us to have close and personal relationships with Jesus, where we all share Him together. John 15, where He teaches on abiding is a simple and powerful truth. The word abide says a lot, it means to be vitally united and to maintain a living communion – wow!

Let’s all focus on Jesus and on what He is about. Let’s have close and fruitful relationships with Him, ones where it’s all about Him. May we all know this simple, yet deep message, and may we not be caught up in religion or in the activities of Christianity where we miss it. May we all be pressing in to know Him and for Him to know us too. I pray that none of us wind up on the wrong side of the question Jesus poses in Matt 7:21-23.

Let’s keep it simple saints.