I’ve been thinking a lot about the idea of social justice and why those who do not belong to Jesus, or serve and know him as their savior will serve other people. At this point in time my ignorant and uniformed mind cannot come up with a solution for this question. I met a man who loves people with all that he has in him and wants to do right by them to help them out of a negative situation when most people, Christian or not have given up, and deemed the whole cause as a waste of time. Against all logic this man continues to give his time, money and energy to what he feels is right. The part that makes this so hard for me to understand is why? He doesn’t love Jesus, this is not a presumption, I know this for a fact, in fact he is a very devoted and learned member of an entirely separate faith that has no salvation or redemption element to it at all. He will gain nothing from this. If this man loved Jesus he would be someone that I would listen to and take guidance from.
When I think about this situation in my head, ( by the way this man is only one example that has crossed my path over the last month or so). What comes to mind is the great command in
Mark 12:28-34 “And one of the scribes came up and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that he answered them well, asked him” Which command is the most important of all? Jesus answered “The most important is Hear O Israel; The Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this; You shall love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other command greater than these.”
When I Read this passage, there are two components. The first is to love God, and the second is to love people (aka your neighbors). Most people get one or the other but not both. A lot of the time Christians love God but not people. On the other hand non Christians love people but not God. I do not think that it is truly possible to love either unless you love them both. There is no division among these two. Jesus is originally asked which command (singular) is the greatest. He pairs these together for a reason.
Then I started to ask myself is helping other people because Jesus told me to the best reason? I think that from a Christian standpoint there is definitely an element of obedience that needs to be instilled in us, but this obedience is intended to be from a transformed heart and mind. Romans 12:2 “Do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewal of your mind.” Our actions must reflect what we believe, and they do whether we like it or not. This does not mean that our obedience cannot be a result of a genuine desire. If a rookie basketball player wants to get better, what does he do? He asks his coach what he needs to work on, and if he truly does want to improve he will act in obedience to the guidance that has been given to him. This is the same mind set. If we love Jesus we will act in obedience to what he has instructed is to do. We will love God and love people.
Monday, April 26, 2010
Saturday, April 24, 2010
The shameful Gospel
Romans 1:16 "For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes."
In this verse alone Paul makes an incredible statement of depth and opens the door to a conversation that will be carried out for the duration of his letter.
Paul’s claim of not being ashamed of the gospel is one that needed to be stated, not only to prove his dedication to the cause of Christ and the new life and mission that he has been given but also to identify with the shame that was strongly associated with being a Christian. Our faith is based on a man who lived a humble life and died a horrible death, a death that was regarded as the most deplorable and most dishonorable. To claim that you follow him and arrange your life around his calling and view him as someone you not only admire but worship is something that should have been shameful.
But Paul takes this even further; not only is he not ashamed, he states that this deplorable death and humble life is the power of God. Paul was speaking to a mixture of Jews and gentiles. The Jew's who believed that God would come to them as a warrior and someone who would be very respected. He was also speaking to gentiles, people who worshiped many god's and considered them all to have power. Paul not only says that he believes in this Christ and this gospel but also that this is the power of God for salvation. This gospel that is dishonorable, highly debated, accursed and completely unimaginable is the power of God for salvation.
The way that I imagine the reception of this statement for a non-believer in Rome would be somewhat comparable to the first mate of the Titanic standing on the deck as it is sinking handing out marshmallows for flotation devices. What would be going through the minds of these recipients would be a reaction of discontentment and the question of "How can this insignificant aid save me from the overwhelmingly bad situation I am in?"
Paul’s message of the gospel being the only way to our salvation resembles the words of Christ himself in John 14:6 “ I am the way the truth and the life. No one comes to the father but through me."
If we believe in Jesus and that He is our Savior then we believe in the same gospel as Paul did. The only question is are we ashamed?
In this verse alone Paul makes an incredible statement of depth and opens the door to a conversation that will be carried out for the duration of his letter.
Paul’s claim of not being ashamed of the gospel is one that needed to be stated, not only to prove his dedication to the cause of Christ and the new life and mission that he has been given but also to identify with the shame that was strongly associated with being a Christian. Our faith is based on a man who lived a humble life and died a horrible death, a death that was regarded as the most deplorable and most dishonorable. To claim that you follow him and arrange your life around his calling and view him as someone you not only admire but worship is something that should have been shameful.
But Paul takes this even further; not only is he not ashamed, he states that this deplorable death and humble life is the power of God. Paul was speaking to a mixture of Jews and gentiles. The Jew's who believed that God would come to them as a warrior and someone who would be very respected. He was also speaking to gentiles, people who worshiped many god's and considered them all to have power. Paul not only says that he believes in this Christ and this gospel but also that this is the power of God for salvation. This gospel that is dishonorable, highly debated, accursed and completely unimaginable is the power of God for salvation.
The way that I imagine the reception of this statement for a non-believer in Rome would be somewhat comparable to the first mate of the Titanic standing on the deck as it is sinking handing out marshmallows for flotation devices. What would be going through the minds of these recipients would be a reaction of discontentment and the question of "How can this insignificant aid save me from the overwhelmingly bad situation I am in?"
Paul’s message of the gospel being the only way to our salvation resembles the words of Christ himself in John 14:6 “ I am the way the truth and the life. No one comes to the father but through me."
If we believe in Jesus and that He is our Savior then we believe in the same gospel as Paul did. The only question is are we ashamed?
Sunday, April 18, 2010
What you really think.
Once upon a time there was a woman named Abigail. She was in love with a man named Chris. Chris lived on the shoe of a river. Abigail lived on the opposite shore of the river. The river which was separated the two was teeming with man and women eating alligators. Abigail wanted to cross the river to be with Gregory. Unfortunately, the bridge had been washed out.
So she went to ask Sinbad, a river boat captain, to take her across. He said he would be glad to, if she would consent to go to bed with him. Preceding the voyage. She promptly refused and went to a friend named Vanna to explain her situation. Vanna did not want to be involved at all in the situation.
Abigail felt her only alternative was to accept Sinbad’s terms. Sinbad fulfilled his promise to Abigail and delivered her into Chris’s arms.
When she told Chris about her journey ( in which she engaged so that she could cross the river) Chris cast her aside in disdain.
Upon arriving home, heartsick and dejected. Abigail turned to Slug with her story. Slug, feeling compassion for Abigail, sought out Chris and beat him up. As the sun sets on the horizon, we hear Abigail laughing.
When you have read this story STOP HERE!!!!and rank the five characters: Abigail, Chris, Vanna, Sinbad and Slug according to their honorable traits from 1 to 5.
The whole point of this story is not to be right or wrong but rather to reveal the way in which you view the world. All 5 characters have a trait about them that is honorable in one way or another. Sinbad, who I found to be the least honorable was true to his word and took Abigail across the river as he said he would, regardless of the price that he charged. Abigael's intentions were good, she just wanted to go see her man but she did not weigh the cost. Chris was not dishonorable to reject her based on what she had done,but his actions showed no grace or compassion, Slug was honorable to act in a way to avenge the wrong done to Abigail but it was rash and not thought out, and in a way Vanna was honorable to refrain from any part of the whole mess but her inaction left her friend alone to make her own decision without any counsel.
The way that we view the world predicts how we will respond. The Bible teaches and calls us to take a world view that ensures that Christ is the center piece, and all things revolve around Him. This same calling requires action, to be messengers of Jesus' life, death and resurrection.
So will we act? or will we be content to refrain from the whole mess that is our world? Everything we do whether seen as good or bad, honorable or dishonorable is one or the other.
Those really are the only two options.
So she went to ask Sinbad, a river boat captain, to take her across. He said he would be glad to, if she would consent to go to bed with him. Preceding the voyage. She promptly refused and went to a friend named Vanna to explain her situation. Vanna did not want to be involved at all in the situation.
Abigail felt her only alternative was to accept Sinbad’s terms. Sinbad fulfilled his promise to Abigail and delivered her into Chris’s arms.
When she told Chris about her journey ( in which she engaged so that she could cross the river) Chris cast her aside in disdain.
Upon arriving home, heartsick and dejected. Abigail turned to Slug with her story. Slug, feeling compassion for Abigail, sought out Chris and beat him up. As the sun sets on the horizon, we hear Abigail laughing.
When you have read this story STOP HERE!!!!and rank the five characters: Abigail, Chris, Vanna, Sinbad and Slug according to their honorable traits from 1 to 5.
The whole point of this story is not to be right or wrong but rather to reveal the way in which you view the world. All 5 characters have a trait about them that is honorable in one way or another. Sinbad, who I found to be the least honorable was true to his word and took Abigail across the river as he said he would, regardless of the price that he charged. Abigael's intentions were good, she just wanted to go see her man but she did not weigh the cost. Chris was not dishonorable to reject her based on what she had done,but his actions showed no grace or compassion, Slug was honorable to act in a way to avenge the wrong done to Abigail but it was rash and not thought out, and in a way Vanna was honorable to refrain from any part of the whole mess but her inaction left her friend alone to make her own decision without any counsel.
The way that we view the world predicts how we will respond. The Bible teaches and calls us to take a world view that ensures that Christ is the center piece, and all things revolve around Him. This same calling requires action, to be messengers of Jesus' life, death and resurrection.
So will we act? or will we be content to refrain from the whole mess that is our world? Everything we do whether seen as good or bad, honorable or dishonorable is one or the other.
Those really are the only two options.
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
We will survive!!!!
Ok, I'm new at this whole blog thing. This is my first post written on Acts.
The apostles have been arrested a second time after being warned not to teach in Jerusalem about Jesus.
They are brought before the ruling council and tried. They are sent outside so that deliberations can begin. As they are leaving the chief priest utters the words that are included in these verses
“ For before these days Theudas rose up, claiming to be somebody, and a number of men, about four hundred, joined him. He was killed and all who followed him were dispersed and came to nothing. After him Judas the Galilean rose up in the days of the census and drew away some of the people after him. He too perished, and all who followed him were scattered. So in the present case I tell you, keep away from these men and let them alone, for if this plan or this undertaking is of man, it will fail, but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them. You might even be found opposing God!”
These words speak volumes about what we as followers are and what God has given us. These words are spoken by man who although very wise did not follow Christ. The fact is that we have not been scattered and we have not disappeared.
Luke writes in acts verse 40. That when the council was finished deliberating they called Peter back in and beat him before releasing him and charging him again not to preach about Jesus anymore. This response of the council after hearing the words of Theudas shows what side of the coin they thought Peter was on.
But Peter’s faith in God did not peter out and die (bizarre pun mostly intended.) but rather it progressed. His response is one that shows the power of God and confidence in the truth of the gospel. He leaves rejoicing because he was “counted worthy to suffer dishonor for Christ”. Persecution is not something that believers should be ashamed of but rather something that we should be proud of.
The fact that the Christian faith has survived shows that we are truly following a Christ that is all knowing and all powerful. Against all odds our lineage, the history of the Church and believers has carried on.
Against all odds even in a world that demonstrates this same attitude, that what we do is not from God, we will continue to survive, even in the harshest climates for our faith.
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