In Pontiac, Michigan there is a night
club called Clutch Cargo’s. The local
radio stations regularly had commercials for their upcoming concerts, parties,
and special events. The thing that is
interesting (and a little unsettling) about Clutch Cargo’s is that their
building used to be First Congregational Church of Pontiac. The architecture is clearly ecclesiastical,
but now instead of being move by the Spirit, those who gather can be moved by
spirits (as in gin, vodka, etc.).
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| Clutch Cargo's, Pontiac, Michigan; formerly First Congregational Church of Pontiac. |
Sadly we can find more places like
Clutch Cargo’s around the world; buildings that were once churches that have
folded and put to new uses. To my mind
these recycled buildings are symbolic of the Christian who turns away from the
Gospel, as he says in v. 6, “I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting
Him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel….”
Our lives are meant for the habitation
of the Holy Spirit. We are redeemed by
Jesus’ blood when we believe the Good News of His death and resurrection. (This is opposite of the Clutch Cargo’s
phenomenon; our lives having reflected the nightclub priorities of self-indulgence,
we were bought back and filled with faith and forgiveness through Jesus.) To turn away from that good news (a good contemporary
English rendering of the old English word “gospel”), or to replace it with a
different gospel, takes us back to putting ourselves at the center of our
universe – perhaps not hedonistically, but certainly to our detriment.
This gets played out in our lives every
day. A key area in which it shows is
where we find authority for our lives.
Over and over again we want to make ourselves the arbiters of truth, and
the tools we use to decide can range from our feelings (“It just feels right.”),
to logic (“If this is true, then this must be also.”), and include other
self-made metrics.
I am not saying feelings or logic are
bad. I am saying that they are Fallen
and subject to sin. I am saying that
because of that Fallen-ness, that sinfulness, they are unreliable for finding
the Truth that brings us salvation. Salvation,
then, must come from outside: from God Himself. It is the authority of the Word of God that makes
us know our sins are forgiven, and shows us God’s approval because of His
gracious love.
Father, fill me with Your Spirit and never
leave me, nor let me leave you.
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