The “Staged” Christian
Life
Marsha Deveaux Johnson
God recently gave me a vision of the life of a
Christian portrayed on a performance stage.
I was challenged by Father to review some of the “staging” that goes on
in His children. This message is timely,
relevant, and should be heard and heeded by the body of Christ. The “staged” Christian life brings no glory
to God.
Staged = “designed to project a superficial image”
Staged Action: Deception
Open Door:
Staging by design is set
up to be superficial and without depth and reality. This opens the door for deception. The “deeper” Christian life is found in the
pursuit of obedience to God’s word.
Closed Door:
Saying, seeing,
proclaiming, and living by what God’s word says and demands
Staged Action: Larger than life Appearances
We believe that our
actions are “larger than life”, meaning that everything we say, do, accomplish
revolves so much around ourselves that Jesus Christ is not the center of our
lives.
Open Door:
The presence in our lives
of self centeredness, self importance, self promotion, inordinate self-love, the
“Me First” mentality, worshipping the vision of ourselves as we
are seen by family, friends, enemies, and self, all of these open the door for
the destruction of the God-life (Zoe).
Closed Door:
Doing what Jesus said to
do, deny self, take up His cross and follow Him.
Staged Action: Props
Staging uses props. By design props superficially give a façade,
a picture, a support that cannot sustain real usage. There is no substance to a prop. It is one sided, without depth, without
reality, without God.
Open Door:
We prop ourselves up with
people, places, and things that are created rather than with God our Creator. How have you propped your life? Are friends, family, money in the bank,
political influence, and power sustaining you?
If you are spiritually “propped” up by anyone or anything but God the
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, you will fail in your efforts to live the
God-life (Zoe).
Closed Door: Place all of
your dependency upon Jesus Christ. He
alone will sustain you.
Staged Action: Revolving Sets
Staging makes use of
changing sets to portray different scenes at different times.
Open Door:
Christians sometimes show
different images (faces) to different people or circumstances.
Closed Door:
Complete transparency with
everyone, depending totally and only upon the Lord Jesus Christ.
The spiritually
transparent life is ordained by God.
Close the curtain on “staging” your life.
