Holy Week: It is finished...

"When he had received the drink, Jesus said, 'It is finished.' With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit."  John 19:30

Some have said the church is the hope of the world.  That's true, so long as Jesus continues to be the hope of the church!  

This week is not only a celebration of Jesus' victory over sin and death on our behalf; but a celebration for the church.  That's because Jesus brings the message of grace alone to a church often laboring under the burdens of performance-based Christianity.

Hmm.  I sometimes wonder if our churches have become more "Nike-Victory-Like" in our discipleship, rather than "Jesus-Victory-Like."  I wonder if we've unintentionally adopted a worldly war cry of, Just Do It, rather than a biblical war cry of, It Is Finished!

Or can there be---  a combo meal of sorts?

One major way Jesus' biblical discipleship can be resurrected in us, is through the painful process of self-forgetfulness.  Currently, there's a bunch of spiritual narcissism inside the church where we're obsessing over how we're doing.  Big churches do it, little churches do it...and church plants can quickly fall into the same pit.  We're obsessed over whether we are doing things right or wrong in worship, in our small groups, or in the visitor follow-up with our marketability.  We obsess because we want to do better and fix people and their problems.  I've been guilty of that!  Trouble is, it can lead to church performance, rather than church discipleship, as the driving purpose of church.  It can lead to accomplishing worldly goal-purposes, rather than accomplishing God's kingdom purposes.

Having said all that, please hear me also say that wanting to do better is not a bad thing, so long as we understand that only as we first follow Jesus we will always be in the right.  I've heard it said, "Discipleship is a process of paying more and more attention to God's righteousness and less and less attention to our own."  I believe that's true.

That's why hearing Jesus declare this Holy Week from the Cross, "Come and follow me, and I will...finish it, becomes our redeemed battle cry of, Just Do it!  

Just follow me, says Jesus,  and I will do it.  I will redeem all things.  You don't have to finish it.  You don't have to even start it.  You simply need to believe me, trust me, follow me, and then anticipate something great is going to happen for you, through you, for others--- to the glory of our Father!

With that, I bless you, dear friends, with a powerful Holy Week of celebrating and receiving Jesus' Victory performance!  It is the true hope for the world when it's the true hope of the church in the world!