Simon Says…
When I was a kid, one of my favorite games to play was Simon Says.
Do you remember this game? I think kids still play it. Although it doesn’t require a device or a controller or a screen. So, some of our kids may have never heard about this game.
All you have to do to play Simon Says is listen to Simon and do exactly what Simon says without messing up even once and if you do that, if you follow the rules and the instructions exactly then you win. If you don’t, you lose, you’re immediately out!
Our Christian Version of “Simon Says”
I think this is how many of us have approached Christianity for a long time. We grew up with a list of rules, things to do and things we can’t do.
So our Christian version of Simon Says went something like this…
Simon says, You have to read your Bible every day.
Simon says, Pray every day.
Simon says, Close your eyes when you pray. Now open them. Oops, Simon didn’t say open them and we didn’t say, In Jesus Name, Amen, so you’re out!
Simon says, Go to church every time the doors are open.
Simon says, Take communion every Sunday.
Simon says, Sing 728B. Now sing that new song the youth group loves. Oops, Simon didn’t say you could sing that new worship song, you’re out!
Simon says, You can’t dance, drink, smoke or date boys that do.
As a dad of two daughters, I’ll admit, I kind of like that one!
Here’s what we never said but we implied by our theology of rules, with our Christian version of Simon Says, with the list of things you have to do and list of things you can’t do, that if you can keep the rules then you can keep God happy. If not, well then… we’re not really sure if you’re going to get to go to heaven or not!
What happened to the gospel?
What’s happened is that we’ve made the gospel, we’ve made our Christianity, all about being forgiven so we can get to Heaven. But Jesus isn’t calling us to keep a list of rules so we can get a ticket into the pearly gates when we die. That’s not the gospel. That’s not exactly good news!
He’s calling us into a different way of living. And it’s not about the rules, it’s about something far better.
At one time, there was a man by the name of Paul who was one of the best rule followers you could ever meet. Before He met Jesus, he was quickly rising to a position of prominence within the Pharisees, a group of religious leaders who were really concerned with keeping the rules, the Law of Moses.
The Law of Moses was the written code that God had given his people at Mount Sinai after he delivered them from Egypt. There were 633 different commands that the Pharisees had parsed out within the Law of Moses.
Their primary concern was keeping the law, living by the rules, and making sure everyone else obeyed the rules, too. It was a massive game of Simon Says and they got to determine who was in and who was out.
Paul was really good at playing the game. He was so convinced that these new Jesus followers were breaking all the rules that he took it upon himself to track down, imprison, and even kill those people who called Jesus the Son of God.
That was, of course, until he met Jesus. When he met Jesus his life changed. A complete 180. And instead of trying to stop people from following Jesus he became the most influential person in all of history leading people all over the world to Jesus!
The Game of Simon Says is OVER!
Here’s what Paul said to a group of Christians living in the ancient city of Rome about the law…
So, my dear brothers and sisters, this is the point: You died to the power of the law when you died with Christ. And now you are united with the one who was raised from the dead. – Romans 7.4
In other words, the game of Simon Says is over.
When you died with Christ (Romans 6!), when you were buried with Him in baptism and raised to new life in Christ, you died to the power of the law and now… here’s the unexplainable, incredible good news… YOU ARE UNITED WITH CHRIST.
You are one with the One who loved you so much he gave His life for you so that you could live!
Then he says,
…now we have been released from the law, for we died to it and are no longer captive to its power. Now we can serve God, not in the old way of obeying the letter of the law, but in the new way of living in the Spirit. – Romans 7.6
This is a new way of living! It’s no longer about keeping the rules, living by a list of things you have to do and things you should never do. It’s about a new way of living in the Spirit!
Rules or Relationship?
Are you in a relationship with a list of rules or with Jesus Christ? Are you busy keeping rules or engaging in a relationship? Here’s the difference:
One gives life. One does not.
One brings joy. One brings misery.
One says, Work harder. One says, Come to me all of you who are weary and I will give you rest.
One says, You’re not good enough. One says, There’s nothing you could ever do to make me love you less.
One says, Do more. One says, It’s done. It is finished!
One says, Follow the rules. One says, Follow me!
As a follower of Jesus you live the same way Jesus lived, by the power of the Holy Spirit. You can’t live the Christian life without the Spirit of Jesus empowering your life.
The Jesus life is the Spirit-filled life. It’s a life that is all about relationship and all about the way of love.
And if you want to see what a life looks like empowered by the Holy Spirit, just take one look at Jesus.
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