Why should we be hungry for God? Isn't it much less effort and easier to be a Christian, go to Church, be in a life group and sing some songs in worship. And have Christian friends...
Spending time with God, reading the Bible and praying involves taking time away from our lives. We could be spending that time with Church friends or planning the next big Church event. We could spend it practising guitar for the worship team or you tubing all the Christian bands that have "made it".
What is the point? Leading the Christian life is way easier than living like Christ.
Recently I have been reading the Bible with a different pair of eyes, I have started looking at it realisticly...Here are some of my thoughts:
1) Jesus is awkward.
2) Jesus makes you get uncomfortable
3) Love affects someone most when it costs the person giving it
4) We live a watered down version of the gospel.
1) JESUS IS AWKWARD.
As I have been reading Matthew with eyes of realistic-ness (not sure if that is a real word....) I have been thinking about these things happening in real life, which I suppose makes sence because they did. Like for example the story of Jesus healing the blind man in John 9 where he gets mud and rubs it in his eyes, imagine walking along the street down by the beach and this Chrsitan nutter guy called Jesus grabs some watery sand off the floor and rubs it in this blind mans eyes then tells him to go wash it off himself... To be honest I get freaked out with just someone else with me evangelising with words let alone doing weird miracles...
But don't get me wrong, and think the mud is the secret to blindness. No, only doing what the Father is doing is the key. See Jesus was in such a intimate relationship with his Father that he heard clearly from God and did and the man was healed.
And the kingdom of God is opposite to the kingdom of the world, hense the mud. So of course Jesus is going to do something that seems mental to us.
2) JESUS MAKES YOU GET UNCOMFORTABLE...
Following on from above, he makes you get uncomfortable, life is sweet when you don't feel challenged and need to change. As humans we are searching for ways to make our life more comfortable, and easier.
I can be a bit of a clean freak and love cleaning my teeth, I can't stand not brushing them I sometimes brush them 3-4 times a day if I am home. Same with showering, I love feeling clean and comfortable, somedays I can't wait to get home and into fat pants. I love hot water bottles, blankets and wheeties (and couches with a cup of tea...) ahhh bliss. As current I am in my PJs under a blanket on my bed all comfy with a couple of books. In my natural habbitat. I feel COMFORTABLE here. Alone, reading the word and resting my body. But life isn't about finding our comfortable place.
Speaking of being comfortable as I was just about to write this section I got a call from my lovely friend Molly asking to stay at my place and I had a split second to think "Ahhh I am in my zone with my books in my own little space I don't really want disturbance" or "of course!" and I choose the later. Being Molly I would always choose to say yes just cause I love her company but you get the jist of what I am saying. He gives us opportunities to stay in our comfort zone or step out of the boat. Last week I promised myself I would talk to a homeless person in the next week, now I actually haven't been down lampton quey to do so yet but I am still planning on it cause it will be uncomfortable cause well there will be everyone walking past and probaly judging...
3) LOVE EFFECTS SOMEONE THE MOST WHEN IT COSTS THE PERSON GIVING IT
Don't you love that warm fuzzy you get when someone has re-arranged their schedule to fit you in, or taken the time to write you a letter or taken you out on a date that has involved thought and time to plan?
That is when love touches people, I heard a saying "fire always falls on sacrifice" I think it was Bill Johnson who said it...anyway what it means is that when there is sacrifice involved that is when it starts the fire!! So when we give up something of ours for God or Jesus dies on the cross for our sins the fire falls on that and it is like there is now a supernatural element to it.
In the context of my life this is like the difference between me fitting things into my life nicely and giving to people up to the point where it hurts or is awkward or is uncomfortable. For me this is like choosing not to ask someone out for coffee who probaly needs a talk because I feel "weird" about it... or don't think I know them enough to ask them (that really should be a good reason for a coffee!) it is love when I push past those things and do them anyway cause then the fire will fall on it.
When I am down to my last $10 with two days til payday and a young person asks me for $5 and I say yes. It is pushing beyond which keeps us comfortable that is love. And of course in all this God calls us to look after ourselves because our bodies are temples so we should not do so much that we burn out, and to not do so much that you burn out you must allow the relationship between you and God to be the life line and listening out for what he is saying to do and not to do.
I have discovered this week that I feel the most alive and full of joy, love and happiness when I am giving out to people and engaging with his call in my life. Not when I am "relaxing" at home...
4) WE LIVE A WATERED DOWN VERSION OF THE GOSPEL
As Children we read and learn the Bible stories and that is what they are...stories.
But we are not to stay in that place of "stories" we are to engage with the Word as if it is real. Which kinda makes sence, because it did happen and is real.
The Church today (and this is a huge generalisation of the Church as a whole and probaly very critical) is living a watered down version of the gospel and settling for "cool services" "commitment numbers" and how many famous speakers or worship bands we can get to visit our Church. We are settling for the Worlds version of Church to be honest. We have watered Jesus down so that non christians feel comfortable because the lifestyle difference isn't a hue change instead of challenged to really engage with how Jesus lived and calls us to live.
Be CHALLENGED to wear a difference pair of eyes when reading the word and allow the gospels stories to challenge you to live the life Jesus did.
Hi Lisa!
ReplyDeleteI can't remember how I found your blog...but I've been blog-stalking in the shadows for a while and enjoying your perspective :)
Heck, yes, Jesus is awkward. But is He, or are we? Initially I'm tempted to agree. But I think that our fears exaggerate what we perceive as His awkwardness. Admittedly, I'm not a street evangelist - show me a tract and seriously, I will burn it. But I do remember "rescuing" a poor girl from some bible college friends' preaching - and leading her back to Jesus over coffee in Tauranga's best cafe. She's since moved home to Wellington and is enjoying the presence of Jesus.
I actually think that Jesus deliberately did things that were not necessarily awkward, but they were shocking because they were abnormal...but because He HAD to operate outside of the religious norms, or people would have put His healings down to a formula. The pharisees could baptise and cast demons out - but not the way Jesus did, with just a word and His presence! He separated Himself from the religious regime of the day...and I personally think that the reason why sometimes what we do is outside the box is for the same reason. Slain in the Spirit (can we just say resting in the spirit for the purposes of this post, because He actually doesn't kill your spirit)? It's as extra-biblical for some of the church as the whole mud on the eyes thing was for the pharisees. Raising the dead? As scary (and unbelievable) for the modern church as healing on the Sabbath day was.
I would TOTALLY recommend chatting with the street folk! When I lived in Wellington, I used to swap them a meal for their story. Whether what they say is true or not, listening to someone's story while you silently ask God to give you His heart for them is amazing. Someone will definitely judge you, but the only judgements I got were judgements of approval. My friends thought it was weird until I told them the story of the man who had it all until his wife left him over adultery, and living on the streets was what he deserved. His penance, so to speak. I found the image of Jesus Himself living in the gutter - and while I couldn't fix him, as such, for an hour he was treated as a child of God should be. For an hour he was valued. We don't have a right or a place to speak into lives we haven't invested into! And this is investment. I think you'll love it.
Bill Johnson also said that coffee is revival in a cup...and I agree with him ;)
The amazing thing about living the kind of cutting-edge lifestyle you're talking about is that once you've crossed one chicken line, unless you inch your way to the next one, it will become a plateau for you (ever heard Petra's Beyond Belief?) - I'm slowly learning to delight in pushing my boundaries. Giving above and beyond. The better we self-steward, the more we can give out - Scott Rodin has some amazing thoughts on this. http://youtu.be/ctt9QBQbYGo if you're interested!
I think that many people live the watered-down gospel at least partly out of hurt. I've noticed that some of my dearest friends have "taken a holiday" from ministry because they've been deeply hurt by someone in authority who probably didn't even realise they were causing hurt. Others are afraid of the reactions they'll get not from non-christians, but from their christian friends. Still others just don't know what the not-watered down gospel is - they're living what they think is cutting edge and exciting while wondering why it doesn't fulfill, but they're afraid to question out loud because they're afraid of judgement, of being ostracised or classified as doubters. What can we do to make that easier? How can we be more authentic?
Love your thoughts! And LOVE your honesty :)
I only just found this! Will reply soon :) (And have a stalk of your blog!)
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