I was thinking the other day on my flight back from Las Vegas about programs and missions. I was thinking about Jesus and the Old Testament (Have you seen the candy in the Bible Bookstores called New TestaMints?) and the difference between the prophets and The Sermon on the Mount. The reason I liked Jesus when I first truly read the Gospels was The Sermon. He painted a picture of the Kingdom instead just gave laws. I could imagine the Kingdom, it is hard to imagine me not breaking the law. Jesus empowered his disciples, the law seemed to restraint them. "Not that there's anything wrong with that..."
What are the things that we seem to talk about when we think of being a "good Christian?" Sinning, not power. We talk more about what we shouldn't do rather than what we are able to do. We deal more with the flesh than we move in the spirit. It is more academic that praxis. I think this focus causes a bizarre perversions. We look for the peripheral line rather than the turn around and see the entire area of the Kingdom. I watch more people with their feet on the line instead of their hands within the circle. This posture leads people to have a thinking that they can have oral copulation with a boyfriend or girlfriend but not have sex. They didn't step over the line, so to speak. When we put ourselves on the line instead of in the field we are not focused on the Kingdom but on the line. We need to turn around, Repent, and participate in the Kingdom in all of its power and authority.
Do we bring people into the mission or do we just do program? When we bring people to Christ and into the "fold," so to speak, we generally ask them to step over the line and stop there. Do we bring them into the Kingdom as participants. We teach them to stop sinning but do we teach them to start living. Bring our mind, heart, and strength into the Word, which is a lot more than just scripture. We need to be people of the Word, where we read and, more importantly, hear the Word. Moving and listening to the Still Small Voice and doing the Still Small Work of the Voice.
Discipling takes discipline. We cannot do it the way of The Way unless we are able to hear and know that He is God. "Be still and Know that I am God." We must not interpret that means to do nothing but rather to not be anxious or strive. We move as He moves, that needs to be taught in our discipling, or else we are teaching people to strive and that accomplishes nothing as well.
3 comments:
First of all, do you sleep? You're posting at 5:21 in the AM? Actually, never mind. Whatever you're doing seems to be working.
What a great thought to start my day! The notion of what it means to be a "good Christian" really resounded with me. In my life it also seems to be a developmental issue (or perhaps an arrested developmental issue).
The first time I remember realizing that God had something more in mind for my life was as a teen-ager. I think that, even though I was developing cognitively, I was certainly not mature. I can remember my questions posed to my youth pastor as being less about what I should be doing with my life as about what I could get away with without ticking God off.
In short, for me it's far too easy to ponder the line we shouldn't cross than it is to follow the path Christ has called us to.
Good morning and thanks.
I think we've been very lax in what we accept as the Kingdom of God.
"Do we bring people into the mission or do we just do program? When we bring people to Christ and into the "fold," so to speak, we generally ask them to step over the line and stop there. Do we bring them into the Kingdom as participants."
This reminds me of Tyler's post the other day, that we need to add vocation to the traditional salvation and sanctification. God saves us, makes us righteous AND calls us to something.
That's good Bill. God calls us into something...
Post a Comment