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Thursday we saw an amazing talent by a street artist. Using only spray-paint cans, the artist created a highly detailed and awe-inspiring sci-fi space-scape on a 10" X 20" white board. We could not believe how quickly and precise he layered the paint to create the image. Upon reflection I realized that I was seeing an analogy of LawHeaded Christianity.

Truly functioning humanity is the exact likeness of God in us. A casual observer could know the truth about God by watching a Christian. But not when someone is faking it, and artistically creating an image of what they think God is like by their own efforts. LawHeaded Christianity is lonely toil apart from God, yet attempting by power and might to behave like God, and fulfill the law.

Are you so foolish? After beginning with the Spirit, are you now trying to attain your goal by human effort? (Galations 3:3)

Someone with exceptional human effort in this godly image making is worse off than those that are poor at it. The talented fakers get patted on the back, and have a shot at becoming pastors for their carnal artistry. And watching their portrayal of what God is like by rigid obedience looks so good. That is the problem with LawHeadedness, because it "couldn't be wrong, when it looks so righteous."

Not everything that looks good is accurate. Judgement will expose to us, what God already knows about the fruit of our efforts ... that it is not of Him, and it is nothing more than our production of wood, hay and stubble. It will be revealed as lacking substance, and falsehood if it is not accomplished by God's Spirit.

A pattern of functioning Christianity is not one of a street artist making up images by imagination, while performing in blindness to the reality of God. Functioning Christianity is God, Himself, by the Spirit producing His OWN image through a human vessel that is yielded and relying upon God to do it.

"The One who calls you is faithful and He will do it." (1 Thessalonians 5:24)

... 'Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,' says the LORD Almighty. (Zechariah 4:6)

There is a new way to be human made available by Jesus and patterned after His life. The Lord Jesus was never less than God, but He chose to behave as never more than man. As we watched Him, we could see what functioning humanity is like.

Jesus gave them this answer: "I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; (John 5:19a)

Jesus answered, "My teaching is not my own. It comes from him who sent me. (John 7:16)

So Jesus said, "... I do nothing on my own but speak just what the Father has taught me. (John 8:28)

These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me. (John 14:24a)

In short, the man that did everything did nothing ... and all that He ever did, was all that He never did. While He behaved as though He was never more than Human, He still became the physical manifestation of the invisible God (Colossians 1:15). This was accomplished as Jesus radically depended upon the Father to produce the Father's own image through Him.

Jesus never "portrayed" what the Father was like. Rather, He allowed the Father to manifest divinity in and through His humanity, ... and then sent us to walk as He walked.

Again Jesus said, "Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you." And with that he breathed on them and said, "Receive the Holy Spirit. (John 20:21-22)

The KEY word in that passage is "AS," for it is in the very same manner that the Lord lived, sent by the Father, that we are to live, sent by Him. For just as He never did anything other then let the Father manifest Himself.

We are to never "portray" Godliness. God is to be the origin of His own image and the dynamic of His own demands. There should be no activity that we call Christian that is ever the fruit of our sweat. It must be the fruit of the Spirit, that we bear (not produce.)

"I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing." (John 15:5)

So convinced of this fact, were the disciples, that we are sent to do nothing of our own as the Lord Jesus was sent to do nothing of His own ... they echoed what Jesus said in John 20:21-22, and confessed "As He was, so are we in this world." (I John 4:17)

Instead of being creative LawHeaded artists "portraying" God's reality and character through behavior in our best efforts. We are to be like the Lord, and have this attitude that was found in Him, not considering equality with God to be something that is to be grasped. Instead we empty ourselves and become restfully available, not frantically creative.

We are not like the street artist painting the stars. We are like crystal clear lenses on observatory telescopes, letting His light shine through us, in all of the majesty of His glory. We let Him be the origin of His own image in us. We let Him create the image that He wants to create in us as we abide in Him to do so. Godly actions can be done in a human, but not by a human ... for it is done in us by the Spirit.
(... or not at all.)