The Best Is Yet To Come Door 1: Jesus Christ

As mentioned in the previous post, my church is exploring The Best Is Yet To Come: 7 Doors of Spiritual Growth by Pastor John Kieschnick from Gloria Dei Lutheran Church in Houston. So far, I’ve been enjoying this series immensely, because it’s not a run-of-the-mill series that sells phony feel-goodisms of “get your best now!” or finding your purpose in life or any other word of faith, seeker-sensitive fluff.

What excites me about this series is that Kieschnick’s entire purpose is to refocus people on Jesus, the cross and real worship. He explains in the introduction:

“Today, many people examine the claims of Jesus because they know deep in their gut that there has to be more to life. Some are trying to fill the hole in their hearts with corporate success, some with possessions, and some are just “raising hell” to give themselves a thrill. But in their quiet, reflective moments, they long for something that really satisfies. …”Countless others have settled for a bland, lifeless form of Christianity. They sing the songs and hear the messages, but they are distracted by the cares of living. They once had a burning love for God, but over the years, that flame has died and is now only an ember. They still feel close to God from time to time, but these are fleeting moments. They used to make bold decisions to speak out for Christ, give sacrificially, and meet needs wherever they found them, but now, they just go through the motions of attending worship most Sundays, giving a little out of their surplus, and are no longer excited about the ministries of the church. Still, the ember is there. If exposed to a little fuel and oxygen, I believe these people can flame again!”

He’s right. People who go through the motions are kidding themselves. Merely attending church is not an act of worship.

Kieschnick uses “doors” as his organizational vehicle in presenting seven ways to help Christians grow spiritually in a deep, meaningful—and lasting—way. The “doors” involve witness, worship, connections with other believers, prayer, Bible study, service and giving.

The first “door” is Jesus Himself. The Lord even describes himself as a door or gate (depending on the translation) in John 10: "I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep. All who ever came before me were thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them.” What does this mean? Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life, and no one comes to the Father except through Him.

That, in essence, is the key to everything. When you realize that Jesus is understood to be the centerpiece of all Christian worship and understanding, God’s graces, mercy, forgiveness—and wrath—come into focus.

An important concept that I'm glad the pastor focuses on is that following Jesus does not mean law OR gospel. Both are equally necessary for Christians. Law, as Luther said, "creates a thirst and leads us to hell; the gospel satisfies the thirst and leads us to heaven." We need both of them -- and that is what Christ explains in his sermon on the mount. (Remember, Christ explained that He came to fulfill the law, not destroy it.)

Pastor Kieschnick also expounds on God's grace, that free gift of God that we receive undeservedly, but without which we are totally lost. Grace, he explains, is Christ-centered, received through faith (and faith alone!) and remains with believers forever. I wasn't enthusiastic to see him cite Purpose Driven Life as a good source for talking about grace, so I would rather recommen Philip Yancy's brilliant and searching expository, What's So Amazing About Grace?

Jesus as the first door to spiritual growth should be "basic Christianity 101," but considering how far afield the faith has gone in America today, it's sadly a very necessary lesson for mature Christians.

In all, it's a very good begining, and I hope this book eventually enjoys wide distribution.