"Wipe Your Own Behind"

This a conversation I had with my three year old a while a go:

"Daddy, I am done going poopie," Seth called from the bathroom.

"That's great, Seth. Wipe your bottom, flush the toilet and wash your hands," I replied.

"I can't wipe my bottom. Daddy, can you do it?" Seth asks with the most pitiful voice he can muster.

I think to myself, "I can't blame the kid...why would he want to do the nasty business of wiping, if he has someone else willing to do the job?"

"Seth, you can do it, buddy."

"No, I don't want to. Pleeeeaaasssseee, Daddy."

"Seth, there comes a time in every big boy's life when he must learn to wipe his own behind. Today is that day for you," I said, followed by detailed instructions of which I will spare you.

The bathroom was quiet for a moment. Then I heard a flush of the toilet. Followed by a small, but very enthusiastic, "I did it, Daddy! I wiped my bottom all by myself!"

"Great, job, bud, I knew you could do it," followed by some applause and cheers on my part.

Church, there comes a time when every Follower of Jesus must wipe his or her own behind. It is called spiritual maturity. While it is much more pleasant for each of us to let other mature Followers of Jesus wipe our spiritual behinds, it is also spiritually deadly.

The Apostle Paul makes this clear in Ephesians 4:11-16. Here he offers a great encouragement to those who are willing to grow up in their faith:

"11 So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, 12 to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.

14 Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. 15 Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. 16 From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work."

I am thankful that you, my brothers and sister of Living Hope are willing to grow up in your faith. I was sharing in Living Hope 101 on Sunday that about a year ago a gentleman asked, "What are the perks of membership at Living Hope?" I am so glad he asked that tongue-in-cheek question. It has allowed me to directly state why we value membership at Living Hope.

Membership at Living Hope has only one perk and that is death. When you become a member of Living Hope you are making a commitment to die with us.

The members of Living Hope are committed to dying in being real. "Confess your sins one to another and you will be healed," James 5:16. To risk that kind of vulnerability requires a death to pride, fear and personal preference.

The members of Living Hope are committed to dying in being transformed. Romans 12:1-2 says, "Present you bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God--which is your spiritual worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind." Giving your whole self to God so that he might change you from the inside out from now until the day you see him face to face requires a death. It requires a death to justification of sin and rationalization of selfishness.

The members of Living Hope are committed to dying in being connected. Romans 12:15 says, "Rejoice with those who rejoice and mourn with those who mourn." Connecting with the Body of Christ requires a death to expecting the Body to connect with me before I will connect to it. It is your and my responsibility to take the effort it requires to connect and stay connected. It requires a death to the lie that I can grow in my faith as a solo Christian.

The members of Living Hope are committed to dying in being poured out. In Matthew 25 Jesus makes it clear that one day we will be judged based upon whether or not we fed, clothed, cared for, visited the "least of these brothers and sister of mine." Jesus makes it clear that if we are unwilling to die in giving our time, money and effort to those in need, then we will one day die forever. We do not serve others to save ourselves, but if we are saved then we will serve those in need in following the example of our Master, Jesus Christ.

This Sunday we will welcome 12 new members who are willing to accept the only perk to membership we offer and that is death in being real, transformed, connected and poured out. I want to thank all of our members who faithfully live up to the commitment you made to dieing with us. If we ever reach a point in our faith in which we are unwilling to die in being real, transformed, connected and poured out, then we are nothing but dead weight to the Body of Christ that needs to be cut off.

So, thank you for being church that does not expect any one else to wipe your behind. "Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ" Ephesians 4:15.