I have been a Lutheran my entire life. As the son of mostly German parents and grandparents who were also Lutherans (with just enough Italian to provide the last name Petrillo), I was baptized into the Lutheran church when I was two months old. To sweeten the deal, my godfather was also a Lutheran pastor and my father was a Lutheran pastor as well. When I was 16 years old, I was blessed to meet an amazing girl who was also a lifelong Lutheran (the daughter of mostly German parents and grandparents who were also Lutherans). We were married before the age of 20 and became parents to our first lifelong Lutheran at the age of 25. Two more young Lutherans would follow in the years to come.
As a lifelong Lutheran, I’ve always been blessed with the peace that passes all understanding by knowing that God is in control of all things. I’ve been doubly blessed because Debi knows this too and that has helped us weather some pretty trying times in our lives. As a couple, we’ve also never had to argue about differing religious views or about how we should raise our children with regards to their faith. We both learned early on that we are saved from our sins by God’s grace alone through faith alone and that there is absolutely nothing we can do to earn God’s grace (that’s why it’s called grace after all). All you have to do to have eternal life is believe that Jesus is the Son of God, that He suffered and died for our sins, and that He rose again three days later and lives today. And as far as this life is concerned, love God and love others, and you’re all set. Being Lutheran was easy. By extension, being a Christian was easy too.
I don’t know if the church said it wrong or I heard it wrong (probably both) but, somewhere along the line, my Christian faith got further diluted to mean simply believing in Jesus. I don’t think I’m alone in this because if you look up the word “Christian” in the dictionary, one of the definitions is “a person who believes in Jesus”. Adhering to this meant I could live my life however I wanted (trying to be a generally good person of course), and as long as I believed in Jesus, I was assured of eternal life. I loved this definition because it made being a Christian even easier than it already was. And quite frankly, the church wasn’t really telling me much different so that pretty much summed up my faith.
The problem is this, being a Christian was never intended to be easy. And if you want to know what it really means to be a Christian, you should read Scripture rather than the dictionary. The book of James paints a pretty clear picture of what it means to be a Christian and how we should live our lives in response to the salvation Jesus provides (not to earn it but in response to it). James is only five chapters long and I’d encourage everyone to read it, tonight. For those of you who might not get around to it, the following verse tells us there’s much more to being a Christian than believing in Jesus.
You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder. James 2:19 (NIV)
Jesus doesn’t call us to simply believe in Him. Any historian can do that. James tells us that even Satan does that. By contrast, here are some things Jesus says with regards to being a true Christian.
Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it. Matthew 7:13-14 (NIV)
Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Matthew 7:21 (NIV)
If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even their own life—such a person cannot be my disciple. And whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple. Luke 14:26-27
Jesus calls us to follow Him, to live our lives for Him. That’s Discipleship. And it’s not easy. It’s costly. At Faith Lutheran Church, we believe that God is calling each of us to develop a deeper and more personal relationship with Jesus Christ and to help others do the same. Whether you are a non-believer, a new believer, a lifelong “believer”, or a die-hard disciple, we pray that you will be able to walk more purposefully along the path of discipleship that Jesus has called you to.
Peace and Blessings,
John Petrillo
Faith Lutheran Church Council
07/28/2020