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<html> <head>  <title>"Car Wash Christianity" : HEARTLIGHT®</title> <SCRIPT> function OpenNoteWindow(url) { win=window.open('',"note","toolbar=0,status=0,location=0,directories=0,menubar=0,resizable=0,scrollbars=1,width=250,height=300"); } </SCRIPT> <meta name="DESCRIPTION" content="As she passed from this life, she was comforted by the sound of the mourning dove. Thank God for the little graces he provides."> <meta name="KEYWORDS" content="mourning dove morning grief death passing die dying hospital mother family grace graces Phil Ware"> <META http-equiv="PICS-Label" content='(PICS-1.1 "http://www.rsac.org/ratingsv01.html" l gen true comment "RSACi North America Server" by "webminister@heartlight.org" for http://www.heartlight.org/" on "1999.12.22T07:02-0500" r (n 0 s 0 v 0 l 0))'> </head> <body topmargin="0" leftmargin="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" bgcolor="#FFFFFF" link="#0000CC" vlink="#990099" alink="#FF0066" background="/images/0799_bg.gif"> <A NAME="top"></A> <table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" border="0" width="100%" height=40> <tr valign="top" align="left"> <td bgcolor="#940102" height=40><a href="http://www.heartlight.org/" onmouseover="window.status='Back to Heartlight\'s main page'; return true" onmouseout="window.status=''; return true"><img src="/images/topbar.jpg" height="40" width="258" border=0 alt="HEARTLIGHT" align="left"></a></td><td align=right valign=middle bgcolor="#940102" height=40> <img src="/images/2m/9907_2m_logo.jpg" width=200 height=40 alt="Two Minute Meditations" border="0"></td></tr></table>  <table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" border="0" width="100%" height=14> <tr bgcolor="#000000"><td align="center" valign="middle"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica"><b><a href="/articles/"><font color="#FFFFFF">ARTICLES</a></font>   |   <a href="/devotionals/"><font color="#CCCCCC">DEVOTIONALS</a></font>   |   <a href="/art-music/"><font color="#CCCCCC">ART & MUSIC</a></font>   |   <a href="/community/"><font color="#CCCCCC">COMMUNITY</a></font>   |   <a href="http://shopping.heartlight.org/"><font color="#CCCCCC">SHOPPING</a></font>   |   <a href="/search/"><font color="#CCCCCC">SEARCH</a></font>  |   <a href="/help/"><font color="#CCCCCC">HELP</a></font>   |   <a href="/comments/"><font color="#CCCCCC">CONTACT</a></font></td></tr></table> <table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" border="0" width="100%" height=2> <tr><td bgcolor="#940102"><img src="/graphics/clear.gif" height="2" width="1" border=0 alt=""></td></tr></table>  <table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" border="0" width="100%" height=18> <tr><td valign="middle" align="right"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica"><a href="/">Home</a> > <a href="/articles/">Articles</a> > <a href="/articles/two_minute/">Two Minute Meditations</a> > "Car Wash Christianity"</font></td></tr></table> <table cellspacing="8" cellpadding="0" border="0" width="99%"> <tr> <td valign="top" width="130"> <img src="/graphics/clear.gif" height="1" width="130"> <font size="3" face="Arial, Helvetica"> <img src="/images/2m/philware_and_2min_logo.gif" width=120 height=150 border=0 alt="Two Minute Meditations by Phil Ware"> <pre> </pre> <pre> </pre> <b><i><a href="#to_do" onmouseover="window.status='Do more with this article.'; return true" onmouseout="window.status=''; return true">To Do</a></i></b> <br><font size=2>   - <a href="/cgi-shl/forward.cgi?20010205_carwash.html" target="note" onmouseover="window.status='Send this article to a friend.'; return true" onclick="OpenNoteWindow('');">Email to a Friend</a><br>   - <a href="http://boards.heartlight.org/" onmouseover="window.status='Share your thoughts with other Heartlight readers.'; return true">Discuss</a><br>   - <a href="/cgi-shl/simplify.cgi?20010205_carwash.html" onmouseover="window.status='View a simpler page format that works well with printers.'; return true">Printer Version</a> </font> <p> <b><i><a href="#see_also" onmouseover="window.status='Now where do you want to go?'; return true" onmouseout="window.status=''; return true">See Also</a></i></b> <p> <b><i><a href="/articles/two_minute/" onmouseover="window.status='Go to the Two Minute Meditations Archive for more great articles from previous weeks.'; return true" onmouseout="window.status=''; return true">Archive</a></i></b> <p> <b><i><a href="#about" onmouseover="window.status='Find out more about Phil Ware'; return true" onmouseout="window.status=''; return true">About the Author</a></i></b> <pre> </pre>  <script type='text/javascript'></script><noscript><a href='http://ads.heartlight.org/openads/www/delivery/ck.php?n=a7b2f32b&cb=INSERT_RANDOM_NUMBER_HERE' target='_blank'><img src='http://ads.heartlight.org/openads/www/delivery/avw.php?zoneid=12&cb=INSERT_RANDOM_NUMBER_HERE&n=a7b2f32b' border='0' alt='' /></a></noscript> <pre> </pre> <pre> </pre>  <pre> </pre> </td> <td align="left" valign="top" width="*"> <center> <img src="/images/200102/20010205_carwash_large.jpg" width=400 height=80 alt="Car Wash Christianity" border="0"> </center> <font size="3" face="Verdana, Arial, Geneva, Helvetica" color="#000000"> <P>           <P>    As I sat in the drive-through car wash, I looked at the inside of my old Plymouth. The AC didnt work, a big oil stain covered the front floor mat, mystery fluid leaked out from under the hood somewhere, and there was an odd assortment of old trash in the back floorboard of the car. As I drove down the road, most folks would have seen a nice shiny red car that looked good for its age. I knew better. I knew it needed some serious work; a lot more than a quick trip through the car wash could perform. <P>    I ought to do something about this soon! I thought to myself. <P>    Nope. It can wait a while longer. You dont drive this car that much anyway. I rationalized any sense of urgency away. I did remove the trash, but the stain, the broken AC, and the mystery fluid are still very much a part of the little red car driving experience. At least it LOOKS good! I re-assured myself. <P>    Thats when it hit me. For the last several years, a friend has asked me to preach a sermon or write an article on what he calls car wash Christianity. My visit to the car wash with my little read car made me realize the time had come! <P>    A lot of us, good and decent folks that we are, go to church to keep up that nice go to church appearance on things. Rarely do we delve into the matters that God wants to accomplish in us. Thats because this requires internal as well as external transformation. Some of us hope getting the outside clean and keeping appearances up will suffice for true spirituality. Deep down, however, we fear that if we let God in too close, if we open up our hearts and truly let him look inside us, then we will have to change significantly. Our pet hidden sins, our bits of pettiness, our grip on pride, our fits of self-centeredness suddenly are threatened. Others of us have never ever really seen Gods transformational power at work in the lives of real modern day people, so we dont really expect that God will do that kind of transformation within us. We end up settling for the appearance of faith without sharing in the experience of faith. <p>  <table width="250" border=0 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=15 align=right valign=top> <tr> <td align=right> <font face="Times New Roman, Times" size="6" color="#CC0033"> <b><i>God specializes in the work of transformation.</i></b></td></tr> </table> <font size="3" face="Verdana, Arial, Geneva, Helvetica" color="#000000">      We forget that God specializes in the work of transformation. In fact, the Holy Spirits major job description is transformation. Paul reminded the Christians in the wicked city of Corinth that they had been horrible sinners. He gives a long laundry list of sins that described their life. Then he says: And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. (1 Cor. 6:9-11). God has cleansed you inside and out, Paul is telling them. In a later letter to the same church, Paul reminds them that the Holy Spirit gives them freedom to become what they couldnt become without him; Gods children with power like Christ. He says, We all show the Lords glory, and we are being changed to be like him. This change in us brings ever greater glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit. (2 Cor. 3:18) <P>    How do we open ourselves up to this transformational work of Gods Spirit? While whole books are written to help us better understand this subject, lets focus on a handful key targets to get us started. <OL> <P> <LI><b>Come to Christ for salvation</b><br> Becoming a Christian is crucial. The presence of the Holy Spirit is the defining mark of who is Christian and who isnt (Rom. 8:9; cf. Acts 19:1-7). When we come to Christ for salvation, the Holy Spirit cleanses us and makes us holy (1 Cor. 6:11; 2 Thess. 2:13-14). One of the great gifts of salvation is the gift of the Holy Spirit living inside of us (Acts 2:28-39; 5:32). <P> <LI><b>Ask God to empower us with his Spirit</b><br> One of the great blessings of being a Christian is that we can ask God to empower us and strengthen us through his Spirit (Luke 11:9-12; Eph. 3:14-21; cf. Acts 4:31). While the Spirit is always present in us, he gives special power to meet certain obstacles and opportunities. <P> <LI><b>Do what God says fills us with his Spirit</b><br> Speaking to one another in songs, singing and making music in our hearts to God, giving thanks to God through Jesus, and submitting to one another to honor Christ are things that we can do and know that God uses to fill us with his Spirit (Eph. 5:15-21). <P> <LI><b>Seek Gods will in his Word</b><br> The Scriptures are Spirit-inspired (2 Tim. 3:16-17; cf. 2 Pet. 1:20-21). When we read, study, and meditate on Gods will in Scripture, the Spirit helps us understand what is said (1 Cor. 2:12-16), convicts us of what is wrong in our life (John 16:7-10), and empowers us to live what we are called to obey (Rom. 8:1-4). <P> <LI><b>Pray, trusting in the power of the Spirit</b><br> When we pray, the Holy Spirit intercedes for us (Rom. 8:26-27). We actually pray in the Spirit (Eph. 6:19; Jude 20) and this builds us up and insures that our prayers are heard according to the will of God, communicating our deepest longings. </OL> <P>    Bottom line, God wants us to be cleansed, re-made, and empowered inside out and out. He doesnt want us to settle for car wash Christianity when transformational Christianity, Spirit-led and Spirit-empowered Christianity are ours. Lets not sell ourselves short on this matter. Lets ask God to cleanse us and empower us thoroughly! <P><blockquote> Have mercy on me, O God, <br> according to your unfailing love; <br> according to your great compassion <br> blot out my transgressions. <br> Wash away all my iniquity <br> and cleanse me from my sin.<br> <P>    Create in me a pure heart, O God, <br> and renew a steadfast spirit within me. <br> Do not cast me from your presence <br> or take your Holy Spirit from me. <br> Restore to me the joy of your salvation <br> and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me. <br>       (Psalm 51:1-2, 10-12) </blockquote>  </td> </tr> </table><br clear=all> <table align="right"> <tr> <td valign="top" width=130> <font size=2 face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica"> <table border=0 cellpadding=2 cellspacing=0 width=130> <A NAME="to_do"></A> <tr><td bgcolor="#333333"><font face="Arial, Helvetica" size="3"> <b><font color="#CCCCCC">To Do...</font></b></td></tr> <tr><td><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" size="2"> <b><i><a href="/cgi-shl/forward.cgi?20010205_carwash.html" target="note" onmouseover="window.status='Send this article to a friend.'; return true" onclick="OpenNoteWindow('');">Email to a Friend</a></i></b> <br><br> <b><i><a href="http://boards.heartlight.org/" onmouseover="window.status='Share your thoughts with other Heartlight readers.'; return true">Discuss This Article</a></i></b> <br><br> <b><i><a href="/cgi-shl/simplify.cgi?20010205_carwash.html" onmouseover="window.status='View a simpler page format that works well with printers.'; return true">Printer Version</a></i></b></td></tr> <A NAME="archive"></A> <tr><td>   </td></tr> <tr><td bgcolor="#333333"><font face="Arial, Helvetica" size="3"> <b><font color="#CCCCCC">Archive...</font></b></td></tr> <tr><td><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" size="2">A <a href="/articles/two_minute/">full archive</a> of past articles by Phil Ware is maintained.</td></tr> </table> </td> <td valign=top> <A NAME="see_also"></A> <table border=0 cellpadding=2 cellspacing=0> <tr><td colspan=2 bgcolor="#333333"><font face="Arial, Helvetica" size="3"> <b><font color="#CCCCCC">See Also...</font></b></td></tr> <tr><td colspan=2><font face="Arial, Helvetica" size="2"> <b><i>Related Heartlight Resources:</i></b></td></tr> <tr><td valign="top"></td><td><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" size="2"> <a href="/gallery/1cor6_11.html">Gallery - 1 Cor. 6:11</a></td></tr> <tr><td valign="top"></td><td><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" size="2"> <a href="/two_minute/2m_980107_cheap.html">Cheap Is Not Inexpensive</a></td></tr>  <tr><td colspan=2><font face="Arial, Helvetica" size="2"> <b><i>Search:</i></b></td></tr> <FORM METHOD="Post" ACTION="/cgi-shl/search.cgi"> <input type="Hidden" name="format" value="builtin-long"> <input type="Hidden" name="method" value="any"> <input type="Hidden" name="sort" value="score"> <input type=hidden name=restrict value=""> <input type=hidden name=exclude value=""> <tr><td valign="top" colspan=2> <INPUT TYPE="TEXT" NAME="words" VALUE="" SIZE=16 MAXLENGTH=80><br> <select name="config"> <option value="all">All of Heartlight <option value="2m" SELECTED>Two Minute Meditations </select> <br> <input type="Submit" name="submit" value="   s e a r c h   "> </td></tr></form> </table> </font> </td> <td valign=top width=120> <A NAME="about"></A> <table border=0 cellpadding=2 cellspacing=0> <tr><td bgcolor="#333333"><font face="Arial, Helvetica" size="3"> <b><font color="#CCCCCC">About the Author...</font></b></td></tr> <tr><td><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" size="2">Phil Ware is minister of the Word at <a href="http://www.westover.org/">Westover Hills Church of Christ</a> in Austin, Texas. For the past 4 years, he has also been co-editor of HEARTLIGHT Magazine. For more details, <a href="/contributors/philware.html">click here</a>.</td></tr> </table> </td> </tr> </table><br clear=all> <table align="right"><tr><td><font size=1 face="Courier New, Courier" color="#999999"> <pre> </pre> Title: "Car Wash Christianity"<br> Author: Phil Ware<br> Publication Date: February 5, 2001<br> </font><br clear=all>  </td></tr></table> <br clear=all> <table width="100%" cellspacing=0 border=0 cellpadding=0> <tr><td colspan="2" bgcolor="#000000" height="17"> <a href="/index.html"><img src="/graphics/little_bar.jpg" height="17" width="585" alt="-----------" border="0"></a></td></tr> <tr> <td width="140" valign="middle"> <font size="2" face="Arial Black, Arial Bold, Arial, Geneva"> <img src="/graphics/clear.gif" height="1" width="140"><br>         ^ <a href="#top" onmouseover="window.status='Back to the top of this page.'; return true">TOP</a><p>         < <a href="/" onmouseover="window.status='Go to the main page for Heartlight.'; return true">HOME</a></font> </td> <td> <font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Geneva, Helvetica"> HEARTLIGHT<sup>®</sup> Magazine is a ministry of loving Christians and the <a href="http://www.westover.org" onmouseover="window.status='Visit Westover Hills church of Christ'; return true">Westover Hills Church of Christ</a>. Edited by <a href="mailto:phil@heartlight.org" onmouseover="window.status='Send some email to Phil Ware'; return true">Phil Ware</a> and <a href="mailto:webminister@heartlight.org" onmouseover="window.status='Send some email to Paul Lee'; return true">Paul Lee</a>, assisted by Roberto Gelleni and Ben Steed. Frank Cloutier is Executive Director. <br> Copyright © 1996-2001, Heartlight, Inc., 8332 Mesa Drive, Austin, TX 78759. May be reprinted and reused for non-commercial purposes only if copyright credits are appropriately displayed.<br> HEARTLIGHT is a registered service mark of Heartlight, Inc. </font> </td> </tr> </table> </body> </html>