it's a place that resonates with me, not only for the teaching of its pastor, Rob Bell, but for the things they believe in. you see, at Mars Hill, they actually attempt to live out the things they're learning from the Scriptures. oh, I'm sure not perfectly. but at least they're making a good showing of it. except that's just it - it's not for show. it seems to be bigger than that, as if they actually believe the things they preach.
which makes sense, actually. especially when you consider that what you do is a natural outcome of what you truly believe. an author I like to read says it quite pointedly this way: "what I believe is not what I say I believe; what I believe is what I do." see, what he's getting at in that power-packed tidbit is that you can't take people at their word for what they believe. oh sure, we'd like to. but history, and the Scriptures, teaches us that it's quite easy to profess one thing - even a noble thing - but then to go on living contrary to that. sometimes the hypocrisy is obvious, sometimes its subtle, but truly the proof is in the pudding. or the doing.
the point? you will only act on something if you truly believe it.
which means...if you want to know what someone believes, look at the way they live.
JESUS hits this truth hard as HE summarizes HIS sermon which has been famously recorded by HIS follower named Matthew (in the book of Matthew, of course). this is how HE put it:
"Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock. Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won't collapse because it is built on the bedrock. But anyone who hears my teaching and doesn't obey it is foolish, like a person who builds a house on sand. When the rains and floods come and the winds beat against that house, it will collapse with a mighty crash."
Perhaps the most intriguing, and revealing, part of that whole passage is the idea of sand. Now, to most of us, that word conjures up images of playing on a beach as a kid, with a pail and a shovel, making some sort of structure, be it a castle or house or even a simple "mudhut." Eventually, the water would come (or we would help it) and wash away the sand, causing our structure to fall in upon itself, crumbling into the from from which it came. No surprise there.
So looking again at JESUS' words, our response must naturally be, "of course, only a complete fool would build on that type of surface." Unless there is something more going on here than meets the eye. And given that it's JESUS, you can figure that there probably is...
Which is why it's important to understand some context. See, in JESUS' part of the world, there is something called sandstone that abounds everywhere. And the thing about this sandstone is that it appears to be rock. To even the trained eye, it looks like stone (hence, the name). And further, it feels like rock - hard and impenetrable...solid. For all practical purposes, it's stone.
Which works quite well to build a house upon.
Until water comes.
And THAT seems to be what JESUS is driving at in this teaching, as much as anything. He knows that water will come - in the form of violent storms and destructive wind. And when it does, the foundation of the house will be revealed for what is. Which is exactly what happens in our lives...
It's not the sunny, pleasant, safe times that reveal what we're made of. No, not at all. In fact, during such times, having a foundation of sandstone looks alot like having built on rock - with very little perceptible difference. See, it's only when all hell breaks loose, when the **** hits the fan, and when the going gets tough, that the foundation shows through. yes, THAT is when what we believe, who we trust, and - more importantly - who we follow is revealed.
I think JESUS is driving at the idea that you can subscribe to a religion, you can claim to be a Christian, and that you can spend plenty of time acting religious and pious, but that when storms of life come (and they will come - if you have any doubt, read the book of Job in the Old Testament), what you truly believe will be exposed.
Will you trust GOD and move closer to HIM? Will you pray and meditate on the Scriptures and listen for HIS voice and dwell in HIS comfort? Or will you take things into your own hands and try to figure out every detail and manage every aspect? And will you push for what you want, what you need or what will work out best for you - whatever it takes?
See, like everything, it comes down to a question of who you trust and what agenda you follow...you and yours or GOD and HIS?
May you build wisely now...before the clouds ever gather...
::
to trust You with my life, to believe You all the time
and to leave my doubt behind - oh, to trust You with my life
and to give You everything, all the deepest parts of me
and to know You're always right - oh, to trust You with my life
To Trust You | Ginny Owens
