Song of the Day: "If God is My Father" - Larry Norman
Currently Reading: "The Irresistible Revolution"
My dad keeps warning me not to get "all caught up in that stuff." I think the idea of a new monasticism scares him somehow. I've always trusted his judgment, but something tells me he's judging this "book" by its cover instead of seeing it for what it really is.
So I am cautiously, skeptically, objectively considering Shane Claiborne's (and others') point of view. But no matter how hard I try to resist, the ideas contained in this book remain true to its title. I cannot resist this revolutionary mindset. Do you know why? Not because it's new, not because it has changed the way I see things, but because it confirms that everything I thought was wrong with the church really is wrong, and my hunch that the reason why was because no one really followed the teachings of Christ was right. All this time, I've known deep down what Shane is saying, and I've been crying out for someone to tell me how and why it is true.
It's just like when I was in CEF and I felt wrong for telling kids that they were going to suffer in Hell for all eternity if they didn't "accept" Jesus as their "personal" Savior. But as a young teenager, I didn't know who to ask, or even how to ask why. How could I go to my dad and say, "Why do Christian's believe in Hell?" Or later, when I started wrestling with the idea that a loving God could hate people so much, and I actually told my friend, "I don't think I believe that Hell is eternal. I believe it exists, but it can't possibly last forever. It is neither loving nor just for torment to be eternal in a world ruled by a loving God."
That was my statement, and I was told by that person that they were very worried about me, and that I should pray and talk to my pastor about it, blah, blah, blah.
In any case, I kept silent, not knowing who to talk to...I may have mentioned it to my sister, but I didn't even tell my parents.
Until one day, my dad came upstairs with his laptop during our family bible study of Romans, and we listened to the teachings of a guy named Martin Zender.
As I heard what he was saying, I remember squeal/yelling with delight, "What!! What is he saying???!! He's saying that Hell is not eternal!!!" and what I was thinking was, "Oh my God, I was right! But how could this be? How could the church as a whole be so deceived? What if this is just from Satan, to tickle my ears and give me what I want to hear?" But I knew, because my Spirit testified within me, that this was from God. It was a blessed evening, and so much of what I believe has changed since then.
So, just as Martin Zender confirmed my beliefs that I hadn't been able to articulate or fully understand, Shane Claiborne has also done this for me.
I haven't really been convinced by Shane's words so much as I've felt confirmed by them.
Shane talks about how most people say, "Jesus saved my life! He turned it from a mess to a beautiful thing to behold!"
And Shane salutes those people, but goes on to share that, "Jesus ruined my life."
Shane and I have a lot in common. That's one of the things I like about him. He spend his young life in Tennessee (sound familiar?), and he was well-churched and accustomed to youth group. But when Jesus really revealed who He is to Shane, it made his life a mess. See, Jesus showed Shane how to live the way He did, and religious people don't like that. Religious people never have liked Jesus, because He challenges their boxed-in way of looking at things, their stale way of living life. But Jesus is so great, religious people don't want to throw Him away all together, so they just twist His words (or just water them down) and make Him into something He's not, and only then do they snap on WWJD? bracelets.
Yes, I've been speaking against the religious spirit that the church has followed in Christ's place for years, but I've always felt like leaving the church wasn't the answer.
No, I don't feel guilty if I miss church on Sunday. But I do feel that it's important to maintain a community with other believers. I go to church to maintain a relationship with those who also seek to follow Christ. I say "seek", because most haven't quite gotten there yet (heck, I've got a long way to go), but I'm hoping that we can change each other to be more like Christ.
Honestly, I think Christians spend most of their time figuring out how to have their cake and eat it too. We wear WWJD? bracelets and red books like "So You Want To Be Like Christ?" by Charles Spurgeon, and yet we look like the rest of the world.
Andrew Peterson (a great singer/songwriter) puts it this way, "I've carried my cross through the dens of the wicked, you know I blended in just fine."
We should not look like the world. Not only that, but the world should actually hate us, not because we are killing them because we consider them to be dangerous enemies, or dare I say "terrorists", but because we challenge their systematic way of life. Jesus came to radically change the way we think, feel, and live. The true follower of Christ would refuse to conform to the patterns of this world no matter what the cost.
Early Christians who converted often left their jobs, families, and friends behind. In those days, Christians were not to be in the military, because those who served in the Roman Army were required to call Caesar "god" and "savior" of the world, a title reserved for the one True God.
Besides, Jesus taught us to practice non-violence (remember the turn your other cheek thing?). So serving in the military would have been the opposite of serving Christ. And we know that a person cannot serve both God and mammon (i.e. the things of this world).
The problem with Christians is that we want to serve God and mammon, and it just doesn't work that way. Jesus says that trying to do so will only result in loving one and despising the other. It makes me sad to think that Christians pursue God and mammon only to fall into patterns of spending more time chasing mammon than God. People think that by voting republican and giving 10% of their money to the church, and attending church once (more than once is best) a week, that they are serving God and putting Him first. But God is really just sitting on the back burner, since, when it comes down to it, most of their time is spent toiling after money, popularity, and entertainment, all of which are things of this world, not of God.
We are called to be a Kingdom that is NOT of this world.
Lest you remain unconvinced that the church isn't anything more than the pharisees risen from the dead, let me show you how the church is just like the world:
First, let's consider the priorities of worldly people:
1. Money.
2. Personal happiness/satisfaction
3. Meaningful relationships
Let's consider Jesus' top priorities:
1. Meaningful relationships
2. Suffering to preserve those relationships
3. Making more relationships
Alright, so Jesus pretty much has ONE priority, and all the others are just facets of it.
Well, of course God's priority is relationship with mankind, since He did create mankind in the first place...and what for, except to have more relationships with more people so that he could share more of His unfathomable love?
The world's pattern of living includes frequent divorce, exploitation of the poor (mostly by ignorance, but in this day and age there is really no excuse for ignorance when info is at our fingertips), materialism, debt, and addiction to twisted versions of God's creation which bring pleasure.
But Jesus shows us a pattern of living that is one of restoration, giving to the poor and the sick, living without plenty, but with simply enough, and freedom from the sins which poison our lives.
The world hates, while we are called to love.
So let's compare this to the church.
Even though Jesus' message is one of peace and restoration, the church continues to support the military. We vote to save the unborn while voting to kill those who are already alive (i'm not saying abortion is not wrong, but I believe any killing is wrong, whether it's sending poison into a
fetus or sending troops to war).
Even though Jesus tells us to give what we have to the poor, to reach out to the sinners and the needy, to invite them into our homes, we surround ourselves with only those who are like us: rich (or middle-classed) church attenders who give 10% and keep the rest for themselves.
Jesus said, "The poor will always be among you." But where are the poor among us? Exactly.
They're not among us, because we've barb-wired them outside.
Even though Jesus has called us to love not just those who love us, but also our enemies, we continue to gossip and to act hatefully towards those who offend us.
Do you have more than one coat? Then you have stolen from a person in the world who has none.
Do you throw away half of your food? Then you have starved one of the least of these.
This might seem a little extreme, and it's not as if you can take all your coats and just give them away (well, you could), or give your food to people who need it. But what about inviting a homeless person to dinner? Are you afraid that he will rob you or hurt you? Jesus said "fear not, I have overcome the world." There's nothing on this earth that we should be afraid of. If Jesus said, "feed the hungry," then do you not believe He will protect us when we obey Him?
People say to me, "Don't be so reckless. You're not being wise."
But I say, "The wisdom of the world is folly in the kingdom of God."
It's an upside-down kingdom; it's a place where believers who work in a clinic run out of all medicine to give to the sick except Pepto-Bismal and give it to people by tablespoons, marveling at the power of God as He heals every one of them and sustains the bottle of pink liquid until all are restored (true story, read Shane's book for details).
It's a world where a man who gives his paycheck away every month never runs out of gas for an entire year (true story, call Heather for details).
It's a world where a burglar comes in, points a gun at you, and as you begin to pray aloud for him, he turns and walks away (true story).
It's a world where believers see miracles happen, and unbelievers sit at home or at church, wondering why God never shows His power any more.
The fact is, folks, God is not hiding from us, we are hiding from Him.
While we could be living in His amazing Kingdom, we choose to remain in the kingdom of this world.
I don't know about you, but I have grown increasingly uncomfortable with living in comfort.
C'mon, break off the chains, read the words of Jesus without those foggy lenses on, and start giving yourself over to Him.
He's already saved you, might as well let Him ruin your life.
Grace and peace,
rAch
Currently Reading: "The Irresistible Revolution"
My dad keeps warning me not to get "all caught up in that stuff." I think the idea of a new monasticism scares him somehow. I've always trusted his judgment, but something tells me he's judging this "book" by its cover instead of seeing it for what it really is.
So I am cautiously, skeptically, objectively considering Shane Claiborne's (and others') point of view. But no matter how hard I try to resist, the ideas contained in this book remain true to its title. I cannot resist this revolutionary mindset. Do you know why? Not because it's new, not because it has changed the way I see things, but because it confirms that everything I thought was wrong with the church really is wrong, and my hunch that the reason why was because no one really followed the teachings of Christ was right. All this time, I've known deep down what Shane is saying, and I've been crying out for someone to tell me how and why it is true.
It's just like when I was in CEF and I felt wrong for telling kids that they were going to suffer in Hell for all eternity if they didn't "accept" Jesus as their "personal" Savior. But as a young teenager, I didn't know who to ask, or even how to ask why. How could I go to my dad and say, "Why do Christian's believe in Hell?" Or later, when I started wrestling with the idea that a loving God could hate people so much, and I actually told my friend, "I don't think I believe that Hell is eternal. I believe it exists, but it can't possibly last forever. It is neither loving nor just for torment to be eternal in a world ruled by a loving God."
That was my statement, and I was told by that person that they were very worried about me, and that I should pray and talk to my pastor about it, blah, blah, blah.
In any case, I kept silent, not knowing who to talk to...I may have mentioned it to my sister, but I didn't even tell my parents.
Until one day, my dad came upstairs with his laptop during our family bible study of Romans, and we listened to the teachings of a guy named Martin Zender.
As I heard what he was saying, I remember squeal/yelling with delight, "What!! What is he saying???!! He's saying that Hell is not eternal!!!" and what I was thinking was, "Oh my God, I was right! But how could this be? How could the church as a whole be so deceived? What if this is just from Satan, to tickle my ears and give me what I want to hear?" But I knew, because my Spirit testified within me, that this was from God. It was a blessed evening, and so much of what I believe has changed since then.
So, just as Martin Zender confirmed my beliefs that I hadn't been able to articulate or fully understand, Shane Claiborne has also done this for me.
I haven't really been convinced by Shane's words so much as I've felt confirmed by them.
Shane talks about how most people say, "Jesus saved my life! He turned it from a mess to a beautiful thing to behold!"
And Shane salutes those people, but goes on to share that, "Jesus ruined my life."
Shane and I have a lot in common. That's one of the things I like about him. He spend his young life in Tennessee (sound familiar?), and he was well-churched and accustomed to youth group. But when Jesus really revealed who He is to Shane, it made his life a mess. See, Jesus showed Shane how to live the way He did, and religious people don't like that. Religious people never have liked Jesus, because He challenges their boxed-in way of looking at things, their stale way of living life. But Jesus is so great, religious people don't want to throw Him away all together, so they just twist His words (or just water them down) and make Him into something He's not, and only then do they snap on WWJD? bracelets.
Yes, I've been speaking against the religious spirit that the church has followed in Christ's place for years, but I've always felt like leaving the church wasn't the answer.
No, I don't feel guilty if I miss church on Sunday. But I do feel that it's important to maintain a community with other believers. I go to church to maintain a relationship with those who also seek to follow Christ. I say "seek", because most haven't quite gotten there yet (heck, I've got a long way to go), but I'm hoping that we can change each other to be more like Christ.
Honestly, I think Christians spend most of their time figuring out how to have their cake and eat it too. We wear WWJD? bracelets and red books like "So You Want To Be Like Christ?" by Charles Spurgeon, and yet we look like the rest of the world.
Andrew Peterson (a great singer/songwriter) puts it this way, "I've carried my cross through the dens of the wicked, you know I blended in just fine."
We should not look like the world. Not only that, but the world should actually hate us, not because we are killing them because we consider them to be dangerous enemies, or dare I say "terrorists", but because we challenge their systematic way of life. Jesus came to radically change the way we think, feel, and live. The true follower of Christ would refuse to conform to the patterns of this world no matter what the cost.
Early Christians who converted often left their jobs, families, and friends behind. In those days, Christians were not to be in the military, because those who served in the Roman Army were required to call Caesar "god" and "savior" of the world, a title reserved for the one True God.
Besides, Jesus taught us to practice non-violence (remember the turn your other cheek thing?). So serving in the military would have been the opposite of serving Christ. And we know that a person cannot serve both God and mammon (i.e. the things of this world).
The problem with Christians is that we want to serve God and mammon, and it just doesn't work that way. Jesus says that trying to do so will only result in loving one and despising the other. It makes me sad to think that Christians pursue God and mammon only to fall into patterns of spending more time chasing mammon than God. People think that by voting republican and giving 10% of their money to the church, and attending church once (more than once is best) a week, that they are serving God and putting Him first. But God is really just sitting on the back burner, since, when it comes down to it, most of their time is spent toiling after money, popularity, and entertainment, all of which are things of this world, not of God.
We are called to be a Kingdom that is NOT of this world.
Lest you remain unconvinced that the church isn't anything more than the pharisees risen from the dead, let me show you how the church is just like the world:
First, let's consider the priorities of worldly people:
1. Money.
2. Personal happiness/satisfaction
3. Meaningful relationships
Let's consider Jesus' top priorities:
1. Meaningful relationships
2. Suffering to preserve those relationships
3. Making more relationships
Alright, so Jesus pretty much has ONE priority, and all the others are just facets of it.
Well, of course God's priority is relationship with mankind, since He did create mankind in the first place...and what for, except to have more relationships with more people so that he could share more of His unfathomable love?
The world's pattern of living includes frequent divorce, exploitation of the poor (mostly by ignorance, but in this day and age there is really no excuse for ignorance when info is at our fingertips), materialism, debt, and addiction to twisted versions of God's creation which bring pleasure.
But Jesus shows us a pattern of living that is one of restoration, giving to the poor and the sick, living without plenty, but with simply enough, and freedom from the sins which poison our lives.
The world hates, while we are called to love.
So let's compare this to the church.
Even though Jesus' message is one of peace and restoration, the church continues to support the military. We vote to save the unborn while voting to kill those who are already alive (i'm not saying abortion is not wrong, but I believe any killing is wrong, whether it's sending poison into a
fetus or sending troops to war).
Even though Jesus tells us to give what we have to the poor, to reach out to the sinners and the needy, to invite them into our homes, we surround ourselves with only those who are like us: rich (or middle-classed) church attenders who give 10% and keep the rest for themselves.
Jesus said, "The poor will always be among you." But where are the poor among us? Exactly.
They're not among us, because we've barb-wired them outside.
Even though Jesus has called us to love not just those who love us, but also our enemies, we continue to gossip and to act hatefully towards those who offend us.
Do you have more than one coat? Then you have stolen from a person in the world who has none.
Do you throw away half of your food? Then you have starved one of the least of these.
This might seem a little extreme, and it's not as if you can take all your coats and just give them away (well, you could), or give your food to people who need it. But what about inviting a homeless person to dinner? Are you afraid that he will rob you or hurt you? Jesus said "fear not, I have overcome the world." There's nothing on this earth that we should be afraid of. If Jesus said, "feed the hungry," then do you not believe He will protect us when we obey Him?
People say to me, "Don't be so reckless. You're not being wise."
But I say, "The wisdom of the world is folly in the kingdom of God."
It's an upside-down kingdom; it's a place where believers who work in a clinic run out of all medicine to give to the sick except Pepto-Bismal and give it to people by tablespoons, marveling at the power of God as He heals every one of them and sustains the bottle of pink liquid until all are restored (true story, read Shane's book for details).
It's a world where a man who gives his paycheck away every month never runs out of gas for an entire year (true story, call Heather for details).
It's a world where a burglar comes in, points a gun at you, and as you begin to pray aloud for him, he turns and walks away (true story).
It's a world where believers see miracles happen, and unbelievers sit at home or at church, wondering why God never shows His power any more.
The fact is, folks, God is not hiding from us, we are hiding from Him.
While we could be living in His amazing Kingdom, we choose to remain in the kingdom of this world.
I don't know about you, but I have grown increasingly uncomfortable with living in comfort.
C'mon, break off the chains, read the words of Jesus without those foggy lenses on, and start giving yourself over to Him.
He's already saved you, might as well let Him ruin your life.
Grace and peace,
rAch
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