Status Quo Christianity

I have been forever ruined for just the same old, same old of normal Christianity. I have fed on the books of Tommy Tenney and Ruth Ward Heflin. Both authors’ theme is along the same line, stressing a message I believe the Spirit of God is stressing to the body of Christ today. I highly recommend these authors. Reading these books has done two things for me: First, they have given me a greater desire to experience more of God, and, Second, they have given me HOLY DISDAIN for status quo Christianity.

 

The dictionary defines status quo as: the existing condition or state of affairs. I believe that is what we have in the Church today. The same existing condition just exists. We seem to be satisfied with the status quo. Everyone believes that there is going to be a great last day move of God’s Spirit in the earth before the Lord can return. Most believers even want to see it and pray for it to come. Yet what puzzles me is we expect to do the same things we have always done and somehow expect to get different results. The truth is if we only do what we have always done we will continue in status quo Christianity. God deliver us from the status quo!

 

Don’t misunderstand me; I am a firm believer in the timing of God as well as the SOVRIENTY OF GOD, (a doctrine many in the Body of Christ seem to have forgotten.) However I also believe we have a part to play. I still believe that God responds to the hunger in the hearts of His people. I believe if we want to experience more than we are experiencing right now we must do something beyond the status quo that we have been doing. A friend of mine once put it this way: “We have too much safe Christianity today; we need to get Radical in our Christianity.” I wholeheartedly agree.

 

The admonition of the Word is very clear: “Do not call to mind the former things, or ponder things of the past. Behold, I will do something new…” Isaiah 43:18 & 19a NASB I can’t help but think if God is going to do something NEW, perhaps maybe we should too. He told us to forget about the way we have always done it. I don’t think it would be too much of a stretch to say, FORGET ABOUT STATUS QUO CHRISTIANITY BECAUSE I WANT TO DO SOMETHING NEW! I believe it is time for us to adopt the philosophy of the Apostle Paul: “No, dear brothers and sisters, I am still not all I should be, but I am focusing all my energies on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead.” Philippians 4:13 NLT Paul said he focused all his energy on forgetting the past. It is time for us to forget the past and the way we used to do things. As long as we keep doing what we have always done, I doubt that we will see the new thing that God desires to do.

 

In one of my favorite parts of Tommy Tenney’s book, “God’s Favorite House” he described a scenario that unfortunately I am all too familiar with. “Frankly, I think we have lost our ability to honor God in our churches. We sing our praise songs with enthusiasm for a little while, but as soon as some of the more radical people in the congregation begin to press into genuine worship, we start glancing at our watches. We might as well say what is in our hearts, ‘Okay, God, we sure would like it if you would come, but if you don’t do it pretty soon, we know how to go on without you. We have a schedule to keep, you know.’” (Page 50, bottom of page) How sad you must be thinking. However, I have come across this mentality all too many times in the last several years.

 

We have been doing the status quo and going on without God. We have had His omnipresence, but not His manifest presence. There is a price to pay for His manifest presence and the status quo isn’t it! I don’t want to go on without God (His manifest presence) anymore. Jesus said: “You’re blessed when you’ve worked up a good appetite for God. Matthew 5:6 The Message Have you worked up a good appetite for God? In the New American Standard Bible, it goes on to say that those who do will be satisfied. How satisfied are you? I am not satisfied with the status quo anymore! I want more! Jesus said I could be satisfied, and I intend on doing just that. It is time our appetites for God increase.

 

A phrase that I have adopted of late is “Divine Dissatisfaction”. I believe that is what God wants and expects from us. I believe by His Spirit He is releasing something in the hearts of His people that is crying: “There must be something more! I am not satisfied with just this! There has to be more!” One of my favorite modern worship songs by Jonathan Stockstill called: “Chasing After You” carries this thought:

 

There must be more now Father
There must be more now Spirit
There must be more now Jesus
Rain down Rain down

 

Not that we are ungrateful for what He has done and is doing, but rather thankful for what He has done and is doing, all the while realizing that there is still so much more that He has for us and not being satisfied until we see it. When we want more of God as bad as the man in the dessert wants the next drink of water then we are ready for more.

 

Change never comes until people believe there is a need for change. An alcoholic never seeks to get clean until he realizes that he has a problem. I know that the Church in general has had a problem; we have been stuck in status quo Christianity. I hope this blog helps you realize the paralyzing effects of status quo Christianity and gives you enough of a righteous indignation to do something about it. Let’s put status quo Christianity on the cross, develop a greater appetite for God, and walk in His manifest presence.