What Does It Mean to be FREE?

Got some rambling to do here .. and have a question for you:  If asking Jesus Christ into your heart brings with it the promise of freedom, what does freedom really mean?  Here is what Jesus told us:  "If you hold to my teaching, you really are my disciples.  Then you will know the truth and the truth will set you free."  (John 8:31-32)  

So I ask again, what does "the truth will set you free" really mean?  Has the truth set YOU "free" and how would you explain this to someone who is not a believer in Jesus Christ and ... how would you explain this to a child?  How many believers (not counting Tim Tebow!) do you know who have learned the truth and the truth has set them free, because they live as though they are free!

Had lunch and a conversation with a friend recently where I said if I had it to do over again, I probably would not have sent my children to Sunday School; I would have taken them with us to church and we would have gone home.  My friend asked why, and we talked briefly about the things I would have missed out on, like getting to know her and so many more people in my life because of Sunday School.

I came home and thought long and hard of all the friendships I've gained over the last 30+ years through Sunday School.  I thought about all the years of class parties, retreats, potlucks, etc., and wondered:  Is that what God had in mind for the Church when He wrote the Ten Commandments in stone for us?

I thought about entering church for the first time as an adult, a wife, and a mom.  I remember being swooped up and encircled by friendly, outgoing people who were so glad we were there.  It wasn't long until we were very busy with new friends going out to eat, going on various vacations together, sitting around playing cards and games together, etc., etc.  It was a lot of fun ... and I was so relieved to know my children were learning the TRUTH of Jesus Christ in their Sunday School classes!  

It was years later when I realized there wasn't a single Christian in my life who wanted to talk about the hard truth of Jesus Christ.  No, not one.  Why did we need to?  Wasn't it enough to go to church, listen to a sermon, go to an adult Sunday School class and learn about all the trials, tribulations, aches and pains that were going on in each others' lives so we could pray, encourage and support each other?  Wasn't it enough to plan projects that would bring more people into the church ... and projects that would enable us to serve others?  Wasn't it enough to attend all the Bible studies and classes offered so we could be more knowledgeable of the truth?  Did we really need to discuss it outside of church?

So here I am, more than three decades later and I wonder, is church the way we are doing it, what God had in mind for us when He gave us His Ten Commandments?  Is all the socializing we do and our kids/grandkids do ... is that what He had in mind when He sent His Son to us to show us the Way, the Truth and the Life?  When we look at each other in the Body of Christ, what do we see?  Do we see each other as true disciples of Jesus Christ because we know the truth and we have been set free?  Or do we see more bondage, more brokenness, more despair, more distractions ... more dependancy on people to meet our needs than on God to meet our needs?

Before you get in a spiritual huff here, just think with me.  Where did you learn the "truth" that, "God loves you just the way you are," without, "but He will NOT allow you to stay that way?"  

Where did you learn the "truth" that, "God just wants to bless you," and, "He just wants to give you the desires of your heart," without, "when your desires are His desires for you?"

Where did you learn the "truth" that, "If Satan comes a-knocking at your door, you can just tell God to take care of it?"  I call these "truths" and others, Christianisms; things we learned from fellow believers that they learned from fellow believers and we are passing onto fellow believers.

Back to Jesus' words.  When you take a good hard look at the Church and yourself, has the truth set you free?  Do you consider yourself "free"?  Have you decided how you define "free?"  

Here is how I have learned to define it:  I am free when I have learned His truth from Him; not the church, nor great books, nor great speakers, and this freedom will produce in me a passionate desire to share what HE taught me. When I am free, the evidence will be the same as it was for the sinful Samaritan woman at the well.  This woman listened to Jesus, left her old life and immediately shared what He told her to all who would listen.  It was in receiving the truth directly from Jesus Christ that she was able to leave her past, her guilt, her shame, her dependence on men/people and whatever else kept her trapped in her prison of pain ... to be free to live a life of a true disciple ... a disciple of the truth ... and she passionately SHARED the truth.    

So, why do we need the church?  As I've written numerous times here, we need the church; we need pastors to teach us what John 5:39-40 means.  We need pastors to teach us that we are not to rely on the church but we are to go directly to Jesus Christ for our teaching.  We need pastors to teach us that it is not in studying the Scriptures that we find freedom, it is in going to Him directly, listening to Him telling us specifically what and how we are to live and then do it.

We need pastors to teach us that it is OUR responsibility to take Deuteronomy 6 seriously, and when we do take this seriously, we will probably find it's impossible to obey ... because we have too much going on.  We have too many church functions to attend.  We have too many friends to socialize with.  We have too many cards to send and visits to make.  I realize I am sounding like a broken record here as I repeatedly share how the Church has abandoned Deut. 6 in exchange for a gospel that offers great friendships, but the truth is, the Church (generally speaking) doesn't seem at all bothered that when we depart from Deut. 6, we have departed from God's commands.

If this isn't true, then why are so many Christians so discouraged, so broken and so in need of friends, instead of having a passion to reach OUTSIDE of the church?  As a Nana who is taking Deut. 6 seriously, NOW, I can tell you that when you teach children the truth, you have no time or desire left for anything but the truth.  You can't carry on a conversation without the truth!  After all, HE IS THE TRUTH ... and He is supposed to be what comes from you ... right???    

What I know for sure today is that God knew when He gave the Ten Commandments to Moses to give to us, He knew if we followed them, we would have no time or desire for anything but Him.  He knew we would have no time to get all caught up in all the busyness of the world, the distraction of wealth or food or hobbies or anything else.  He knew we would never be so fulfilled, so satisfied, so healed, as we would be when we decided to take Him at His Word.  I'm so grateful for His promises that give us comfort and hope, but oh, I am even more thankful for His commands that won't permit us to rely on anyone but Him for His all powerful, and life-changing truth!