As I write this today in the fall of 2019 we celebrate Diwali at my place of work, there are many Indians. Diwali is a 5 day festival celebrated by Hindus, Jains, Sikhs, and some Buddhists (notably Newar Buddhists). Namaste is a common greeting spoken during Diwali and in Hinduism Namaste means “I bow to the divine in you.”
But I am thinking that in a spiritual sense saying Namaste is an empty gesture with those who do not welcome Jesus Christ within. The truth is there is no living divine within a person who has rejected Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is the only divine that can live in a person. The divine part of humanity that was put there by the creator has been killed off by sin. Out side of Jesus Christ death reigns supreme in a human being. There may be good intention, there may be well-meaning religion but there is no real divine outside of Jesus Christ.
Christians in the New Testament did the real version of Namaste. You can find many examples of this in scripture. They were trained to do this and they submitted to Jesus Christ in one another. They were trained and able to see Christ in one another and hear from him from the greatest to the least of them. We need to restore this today.
The Real Namaste
Bowing to Jesus in one another is the foundation real spiritual fellowship and to real LOVE.
It is not agreeing intellectually about things. Not being from the same generation. Not having common theology, politics, or world view.
Most Christians today have been trained to bow to the clerical hierarchy, to be loyal to and to hear from God thru some great clergyman they call “pastor”. To think intellectually about God alone, to make sure to agree with theological points. And to jump around among Christians groups until we do.
This is a twisting and is the counterfeit to hearing, seeing, knowing and being loyal to Jesus Christ in one another.
Be it a mature elder in the faith or a new Christian just learning the basics of following Christ. It is possible to see and hear from and experience Jesus Christ within other Christians.
Recently in the same day I reconnected with some Christian friends I hadn’t really spoken with for over a year. One was mature in the Lord and actively setting out to do ministry. The other was younger in the Lord and was really struggling with some things.
In both cases the Lord spurred me on internally, he used the conversations to teach me and to show me a bit of himself. It was beautiful and the fact alone that this was happening encouraged me. This is why it is important that Christians look for and submit to the Christ in one another.
This is the real ‘namaste’.
