Boxed In!!!

We live in a secular world in which we are defined by, and act according to, the title we carry, the position we hold, the category into which we fall, or the group with which we associate.

If you are a doctor...you act healthy whether or not you are truly sick and diseased. If you are a janitor...you act as though cleanliness matters to you whether or not you are actually filthy.

If you are a general in the military...you act powerful and full of courage whether or not you are truly weak and full of fear (no offense intended here Doug, just a good illustration - you are definitely outside the box). If you are a private in the military...you tend to act indecisive and irresponsible whether or not you are truly quick minded and able to lead an army.

If you are rich monetarily...you tend to act as though you are better than everyone else whether or not you have any true wealth. If you are poor monetarily...you tend to act as though you are less than others whether or not you are truly rich.

Doctors and janitors, generals and privates, rich and poor - acting according to the pre-set rules, traditions, stereotypes, opinions, and assumptions that go along with their title, category, position, or group. Acting according to their box!

Intentionally or Unintentionally, we slowly succumb to the rules, traditions, stereotypes, opinions, and assumptions...the box. We begin to act like the box according to which we are treated. We lose our own identity to the box. We lose our freedom to the box.

Suddenly our lives become all about the box and everything in the box. Nothing outside the box matters. Nothing outside the box is as worthy as what is inside the box. Everyone outside the box is wrong, but all of us inside the box are most always right. If you do not fit inside my box...I will tell you what you need to change in order to fit. If you do not want to follow the guidelines of my box...well...you must not be worthy enough to be in the box.

And then one day, usually without thinking about what we are doing...we close the lid of the box so that no one outside the box can get inside the box...and we lose ourselves in the darkness.

And before we know it...we are no longer anything...but the box.

We are boxed in!

Unfortunately, the world of Christianity follows suit. Other religions may follow suit as well, but I can only speak to Christianity with any smidgen of experienced wisdom. Christians' actions, thoughts, and beliefs are developed and defined based upon their chosen box of Christianity. Some examples of Christian boxes are baptists, nazarenes, methodists, pentecostals, presbyterians, non-denominational (although they pretend NOT to be a box), church of Christ, and many MANY more.

Then there are boxes within each box such as independent baptists, free will baptists, and southern baptists, presbyterian church of america, presbyterian church of the united states of america, and orthodox presbyterian church.

Then we have different titles for those within the denominations depending on your category or sub-category...reverends, pastors, brothers, sisters, priests, bishops, apostles, deacons, elders, lay persons, etc.

We have all allied ourselves with categories, sub-categories, and titles. Each of these titles define us. Each of these categories bring with them doctrines, beliefs, and traditions which shape us into who we are and who we are becoming. And we are treated by others according to that box.

And if we are not careful...if we do not stay focused on the one unquestionable, undeniable, indisputable, absolute Truth...we begin to focus more on our own boxes; the rules of our boxes, the traditions of our boxes, and the opinions, interpretations, doctrines, and theologies of our boxes.

And before we know it...We Have Boxed Ourselves In! Shut off from everything outside of our box. Who are we? I am a baptist, boxed in from anything methodist. I am a presbyterian, boxed in from anything nazarene. I am a pentecostal, boxed in from anything church of Christ.

Then we have box wars. We should accurately called them family feuds (think about it). Each box tells mean jokes about the other boxes. My box strives to have more people in it than your box. My box's traditions are more important than your box's traditions. My box's theology is obviously correct, while your box's theology is so far off you just might need some extra grace to get into Heaven. And the ultimate...My box is going to Heaven, but your box is on its way to hell.

And satan smiles...from ear to ear!! Mission accomplished!!

Reggie McNeal says in his book, The Present Future, that the church is obsessed "with internal theological-methodological debates designed to determine who the true believers are while the world is headed to hell in a handbasket."

We get so caught up in whose box is the best box that we forgot that the ONLY Truth that actually matters is that Jesus Christ came to earth in the flesh and died as the final sacrifice for the sins of whosoever (no matter what box you come from) believes in Him and accepts Him as their personal Savior.

And that has nothing to do with boxes!

I must admit something to you. I have been a part of several different boxes in my journey with God...methodist, baptist, non-denominational, presbyterian, nazarene, vineyard, etc. And I am guilty of succumbing to some of those boxes in the way I have described above.

I have spent a good portion of my Christian walk focusing on the box in which I found myself instead of the sacrifice of Jesus which tears open all boxes.

I am not so naive to believe that one day (before Jesus returns), we Christians will break down our boxes and come together as truly One Body of Christ. Humans have something that will always cause division and separation...pride.

We have our own opinions, our own ways of doing things. We have our own insatiable need to feel and think and prove that we are the right ones and those others who have different opinions and different ways of doing things are without question, the wrong ones.

I leave you with a few final bites of food for thought...

When you get to heaven...

Will those who were sprinkled be in a worship section further from God than those who were dunked?
And what about those who were neither dunked nor sprinkled? Do you really think that God might only allow them to hang out in an adjacent room or leave them standing at the pearly gates?
Do you really think that those who believed in the absolute free will of man will be allowed to sing more praises to God than the ones who believed in the absolute sovereignty of God?
Do you really think that those who lived an entirely sanctified life on earth will be able to feel the presence of God in Heaven more so than those who did not?
What about those who believed that the Bible is a bunch of divinely inspired stories vs. those who hung on every word of scripture as inerrant? Which will get more solos in the choruses of Heaven?

Are any of these things really going to matter when you get to heaven?

Will there be boxes in Heaven? And if not...why should we have boxes here on earth?

Now I must say this...boxes are not inherently evil. I am not saying that we should have no doctrine. Structure and organization are good and when used properly...it ties us together and facilitates our relationships and communities as Christians.

BUT...the name of your denomination will not save you...

"...let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead--by this name this man stands here before you in good health. He is the Stone which was rejected by you, the builders, but which became the Chief Corner Stone. And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved."
Acts 4:10-12

For those of you who are not Christians (if you have read this far), I pray that you have not been misled by the boxes that we humans have created...for Jesus Christ came to break down all boxes.
For my brothers and sisters who are new to the Christian faith, I pray that you never succumb to the darkness of a box.
For my brothers and sisters who are like I once was...boxed in, I pray that Jesus will shed light into the darkness of your box and empower you with the freedom that is given through His sacrifice and resurrection as He has done for me. It is only His freedom which will give you the strength and the courage to tear down the walls of your box.

Bless you all, emman