One of the most heartbreaking things to me as a church planter and pastor is seeing all of the disunity that can result from special esoteric forms of Christianity that have crept into many churches over the years. Forms of Christianity without the true, real substance of what it means to live life with Christ permeate Christianity today. Forms of Christianity that emphasize the pursuit of things, special giftings and abilities that only some believers have (others are made to feel “second class” since they don’t have the special giftings and abilities), special leadings, esoteric experiences, elite teachings that no one else has like “us”, quick fixes for illnesses or sufferings and even special signs from God - all as a means to help us become more spiritually mature. Yet, ironically, they all miss the true life that God wants us to experience. All of these “things” miss the whole idea of following Christ - of being a disciple of Christ.
The way of following Christ is the antithesis to the pursuit of these things. Following Christ means living by faith, laboring in love and being unwavering in hope (1 The 1:3). Faith is having the conviction of things to come based on our past experiences with God working in our lives. Love is sacrifice. Love means putting the interests of others before our own. Hope keeps us going because we know the end result: becoming more and more like Christ. The more and better life that Jesus mentions in John 10:10 is found through an intimate relationship with him by faith, love and hope.
Following Christ means realizing that suffering, trials and testings over time (James 1:1-4) build into our lives the fruit of the Holy Spirit which is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23). God’s way of building these things into our lives doesn’t come by anything other than a life of close intimacy and surrendering to Christ in every area of our lives.
God wants us to become more like Jesus - not focused on an inauthentic spirituality that often creates a “we have it” and “you don’t have it” kind of division in the church - and leads many into putting experience on the same level as Scripture. This is exactly why Paul wrote to the Corinthian church. They were doing the same thing. Yet, these same kinds of “we” vs. “they” things are going on in some church communities today and distracting people from experiencing the real life that Jesus has for them.
If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing. 1 Cor 13:1-3 (ESV)
So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love. 1 Cor 13:13 (ESV)