Something to Think About and Discuss...

In his book, "Christ, the Sum of all Spiritual Things", Watchman Nee says something wonderful about what God has given us in Christ Jesus. I'll quote from him and then suggest a question for discussion with others. Nee says the following:

"There is nothing more important than to know the Lord...Knowing Him requires a spiritual seeing ...everything depends upon Christ, and not upon us...When we first became a Christian, we were inclined to do everything ourselves, fearing lest nothing would ever be done or matters would fall to pieces if we did not do them...Later in having seen the Lord to be our life, we know that all is of Christ and not of us. Consequently, we learn to rest and to look to Him...

"What we need to comprehend before God is that in our experience...(it is) not that He gives us light, but that He is our light; not that He leads the way, but He is the way; not that He gives us a life, but He is our life; not that He teaches a truth, but He is the truth. What Christ gives is His very own self...

"Christ does not come to sanctify us, He comes to be Himself our sanctification. Our sanctification is not a thing, an action, or a behavior. Our sanctification is a person, even Christ...

"Thank God, Christ is our redemption as well as our redeemer. He is our sanctification as well as our sanctifier. He is our righteousness as well as our justifier. He is our wisdom as well as the One who makes us wise. Christianity is none other than Christ Himself."

The question that I suggest worth taking time to ponder and to discuss with someone else is this: if we truly believe that Christianity is more about getting to know and trust a Person than about adhering to particular doctrines/beliefs, how might this change the way we live and how we relate to others? I believe that if the implications of this are carefully and prayerfully thought out and talked out with others, we could be surprised at how it might shape and reshape our mindsets about what it means to be followers of Jesus (both individually and collectively).