Spectator Sport Christianity

I never really enjoyed watching sports on TV. Go ahead. Be rude and say that I need to be more "manly" and participate in the ritual of gathering around a flat rectangle on a wall to scream and yell at minuscule impersonations of real people who will never hear me. Go ahead. I dare you.

I always preferred to be the one out there playing the games that people watched. Granted, I'll never be as good as the people who get payed Niagaran amounts of money to throw, kick, or hit a ball, but I see involving myself in something as way more engaging than sitting back and letting it happen in front of me. I know some people agree, and I know that some people think I just need to buy a jersey, make some spicy wings, and spend a Sunday watching the game with friends to really know what the experience is all about. Ok, I'll give you that.

However, I contend that we apply this style of inactive observation to other areas. We would rather hire a guy to come and fix our toilet than put our hands down the bowl and get the offending obstacle out. We would rather let the government give us our monthly benefit than get up and go to work. We would rather watch the wife cook than get up and mix our fingers in the beef.

We've turned life into a spectator sport.

And I fear that the worst casualty of this reality is our walks with God. We're content to sit in a pew and get fed by a ministry as long as God doesn't actually require anything of us. We're fine being told things that make us feel fresh-bubbly-tingly (I'm copyrighting that...) on the inside, but we avoid things that will actually convict us to the point of making us change. We're good with hearing someone pray after a sermon, just as long as we're not expected to actually find a silent time of solitude on our own and chase after God in secret prayer. We've become great cheerleaders who "Amen, brother!" the work of warriors in God's Kingdom, but we refuse to take up a sword and become ourselves the very men we applaud.

For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ, being ready to punish every disobedience, when your obedience is complete. (2 Cor. 10)

Men and women of the church, we've got to stop with this notion that the Gospel is dedicated to making us feel good. I'm tired of people talking about God as a source of warm/fuzzy therapy instead of the source of all glory and power Who filled us with this strength that we may go out conquering in His name and for the sake of His glory alone. I'm sick of cultural Christianity.

I'm sick of spectating.

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