Everyone Has a Personal Relationship with God.

Today I preached the Gospel.  As best as I could with the aid of the Holy Spirit I shared the Gospel with family and friends of a deceased sister in Christ.  As the foyer overflowed with people, mingling, talking, and slowly making their way to the downstairs dining facility, I overheard the plight of a lady – maybe a little older than I am.

Her condition prompted me to ask her if she wanted help using our elevator to the lower level.  She happily accepted and that began a very, very long 3 minute talk.  As I recall it went like this:

Lady:  “That was a nice service . . ..”

Me: “Thank you.  I appreciate it that.  It was an honour to officiate the service for _________________ .”

Lady: “. . . ‘course I don’t agree with you.  I don’t believe in church.  I have my own direct line to God.  I think church is in everyone’s heart.”

Me:  “Of course I don’t agree with you, either.  Do you want to talk about it?”

No answer as she walks away.

What a sad conversation!  What a revealing conversation. It is true; everyone has a relationship with God – by their own definition.  Unfortunately there is only one definition of a relationship that matters.  Jesus makes it plain: “Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6, NIV).  In all kindness, it really doesn’t matter what I think, or what anyone else thinks.  God sets the terms of the relationship.  We don’t. On the surface it seems spiritual to say that you relate to God in your own chosen way, but it is arrogance.  The holiness of God, His ultimate uniqueness and unblemished perfection demand that we come to Him on His terms. 

Neither is the worship of God a private, intuitive, deeply personal experience.  It might surprise some people but a saving relationship with God is neither mystical nor esoteric.  You cannot be a God-worshipper and ignore God’s people, the Church. Most of the exhortations to love one another and serve one another would be meaningless without the Church.  Most of the issues and instructions in the New Testament are for the Church, to be lived out in community – as the Church.

Unfortunately all of us have a personal relationship with God.  There are some relationships that can be defined as redemptive leading to a family-like union with the Triune God; for others it is reproving, leading to a condition of guilt, and ultimate, eternal banishment.