RSS Feed

August, 2008

  1. i ♥ revolution. . .

    August 24, 2008 by Nate

    “The King will say, ‘I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

    “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’”

    You’re not looking, are you?

    I’ll admit it. . . neither was I. The hungry, the thirsty, the poor—I didn’t see any of them.

    Because I wasn’t looking.

    But here they are. We can choose to look away. And it’s easy for us, isn’t it? It’s easy because we’re isolated. We have no contact with any of them. We can’t touch them, hear them, see them.

    They don’t exist to us.

    But they do exist. Stop looking away.

    There they are. We’re ignoring them, and they’re dying. Do you see her? She’s three years old. She’s drinking water that is killing her. She will not survive another sip.

    How can we sit here, watch her die, and not do anything?

    Do you believe Jesus was a social revolutionary? Do you believe He called us to see God differently? If so, don’t you think He’s calling us right now to follow Him in a radical way?

    Have you ever looked at the way He lived and studied His actions?

    From the outset, Jesus healed the sick, associated with undesirables and ate with social outcasts. These social categories—the sick, the poor, and public sinners—were despised groups, marginalised because their own society believed God had marginalised them, regarded literally as “outlaws” (undermining by their lives and presence the observance of the Law). By associating with sinners (meaning not simply those who occasionally broke the law, but those who broke it in a flagrant and systematic way), Jesus was consorting with the “wicked”. He didn’t wait for them to repent and change before he sat down to eat with them (challenging the authority of the Law of Moses) and even more scandalously he starts to let these excluded groups know that God has a special love for them.
    ~John Battle, Member of Parliament for Leeds West

    What about this?

    How will you react? Did you catch what Battle said? “He didn’t wait for them to repent and change before he sat down to eat with them.” If Christ didn’t demand that they change before He shared their company, why do we?

    Christ told us to follow Him. In doing so, we must live like Him. We must do the very things He would do were He to set foot on earth in the 21st century.

    He is setting foot in this century, isn’t He? If we are His hands and feet, He has certainly taken steps in this generation. So are we going to live like Him? Are we going to be the social revolutionaries He called us to be?

    Are we going to change the world?

    “The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’”

    Category Christianity, Church, Social Justice | Tags: | No Comments

  2. The Republicans murdered Jesus. . .

    August 18, 2008 by Nate

    I’ve discovered something about following Jesus: I think He wants me to sever any political associations. I find it interesting that our American culture has embraced the idea that Christ should be married into campaigns, debates, and political agendas as a whole.

    I want to travel back in time about 2,000 years to the ancient land of Judea. This point in history was marked by some of the most pervasive political tension ever. The Jewish nation was torn between two massive political engines, each aiming to destroy the other.

    There was the “Religious Right” of the day, led by the powerful government system of the Sanhedrin and enforced by the Pharisees. This political party was given power by the Roman Empire to keep the Israelis from stirring trouble. Their favorite weapon was the Sabbath. By creating and enforcing rules about the Sabbath day, they were able to keep the deeply religious Jews under control.

    Then there was the movement of insurrectionists known as the Zealots. As powerful as this political movement was, it was also the scourge of Jewish society. Secretly admired by many people, these insurrectionists wanted nothing more than the overthrowing of Roman power in Israel. Their favorite weapon was the sword. Nothing would make these men happier than taking down a centurion or praetorian guard.

    Enter Jesus.

    Fascinated by this new and unusual movement, the Pharisees probed and prodded Jesus of Nazareth with a barrage of tests and questions, looking for any sign of weakness. These men knew the Scriptures. They knew about Messiah and feared that, if this man were Messiah, their relationship with the Roman Empire would be over. The power that Rome had given the Sanhedrin would disappear.

    The Zealots, on the other hand, rallied behind Jesus and His group of ragamuffins. If this man were truly Messiah, He would free the Israeli people from the Romans. But Jesus didn’t come to free Israel from Rome. He came to free the world from sin.

    So at the end of the day, both political parties were completely pissed with Jesus. The so-called Messiah hadn’t fulfilled any of their dreams, hopes, and desires. So the insurrectionists and religious leaders set aside their political differences, shook hands, exchanged money, and murdered Jesus.

    News like this forum bothers me. Anytime political parties decide to play the “Christ card,” I grow very suspicious. But I grow even more suspicious of the church that opens its doors to politics. Are you seeing where I’m going here? Christ isn’t interested in the kingdoms of the world. He’s not planning to use the world system of governments to proclaim His kingdom. He plans to use the Church. We have no business getting involved in the petty arguments between political parties. We exist for a much higher calling. Democrat, Republican, Independent, etc. The Bride of Christ must transcend these divisions.

    Like my pastor once said, “Christ didn’t come to take sides, He came to take over.”

    Category Christianity, Church | Tags: | No Comments

  3. Eternal life on earth. . .

    August 13, 2008 by Nate

    Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”
    ~John 4.13-14 (ESV)

    I’m sure you’ve heard the old colloquialism, “You’re so heavenly minded that you’re no earthly good”? Probably less familiar is the traditionalist ideology that this is actually a good thing. I really don’t think that mindset should characterize Christians. But the thought process is out there, pervading many churches that preach a “Get Out of Hell” gospel.

    I don’t think that’s what Christ died for. Sure, there’s the beauty of an afterlife spent by His side. But is that the emphasis of the story of Jesus? Christ said He came “that [we] may have life, and have it to the full” (Jn 10.10). The assurance of an afterlife spent with Christ is a wonderful thing, but is that the point of faith in Christ? I really believe God did something bigger than that when He spilled His own blood for us.

    All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God.
    ~2 Corinthians 5.18-20

    Did you catch that? “God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ.” There’s something amazing in that sentence.

    God created the world and everything in it and said that it was good. Creation was good. But it was broken. Humanity, once the Crown Jewel of Creation, became its Scourge as Man chose to turn his back on God and taint the earth with his rebellion.

    But God never turned His back on Man, and in an amazing act of purest love, poured everything He was into humanity and set in motion the reconciliation of Creation. That was the very moment Eternal Life began.

    There’s something else in that passage. “He has committed to us the message of reconciliation.” God is using us to reconcile the world to Himself!

    Wow.

    Each Christ-follower has been given a priceless gift and an incomparable charge.

    Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.
    ~John 1.12-13

    We’ve been given the power of Christ. But like Uncle Ben said, “With great power comes great responsibility.” Christ has charged us with the spreading of His gift here on earth.

    Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.”
    ~Matthew 28.18-20

    If God is reconciling all of Creation to Himself through Christ, and Christ has given us the right and responsibility to be His hands and feet here on earth, shouldn’t our goal be the uniting of Heaven and Earth? Or as Pastor Tim puts it, “Bringing up there. . . down here.”

    What do you think that would look like?

    This is a large work I’ve called you into, but don’t be overwhelmed by it. It’s best to start small. Give a cool cup of water to someone who is thirsty, for instance. The smallest act of giving or receiving makes you a true apprentice.
    ~Matthew 10.42 (The Message)

    I think it’d be a good idea if Christians stopped thinking so much about eternal life in heaven and started thinking more about eternal life on earth. You’re going to die; there’s nothing you can do about it. You can’t do anything about what lies on the other side of that. But Christ has given us the power to do something about what’s going on around us now. He’s given us the power to bring an eternal, more abundant life to earth.

    Are we even trying?

    Category Christianity, Social Justice, Spirituality | Tags: | No Comments

  4. Victorious. . .

    August 12, 2008 by Nate

    I have nothing good to write today, so I’m going to post a song I’ve been working on. I hope you enjoy it. The recording is definitely very rough, but it’s still a work in progress. The song is called “Victorious.” Thanks for listening.

    Category Christianity | Tags: | No Comments

  5. At a loss for words. . .

    August 4, 2008 by Nate

    I’m not really sure if words can actually describe my experiences this past weekend. I’ve been deliberating simply because I couldn’t come up with anything to write that would do the GLOCAL event any justice.

    All I can say is this: Thank you, Liquid Church, for being the vehicle through which I was able to serve the community in ways I never thought possible until now. Thank you, Father-God, for this amazing gift of love You’ve chosen to give me.

    I’ll let these pictures speak for themselves.

    Category Church, Social Justice | Tags: | No Comments

  6. How to heal. . .

    August 1, 2008 by Nate

    We can’t go through life unscathed. I know it sounds cliché, but Jesus never promised a smooth ride when He called us to follow Him. Hurts will come. Difficulties will arise. Our closest friends may vanish. They may even cause us irreparable pain.

    In my own life, the current test is to accept change. To understand that distance doesn’t sever the bond of brotherhood, friendship, and love. But even more important, to move on to new friendships.

    “We are wounded in relationship, so we must heal in relationship.”

    We cannot heal in isolation.

    Is it hard to let go of a friend you’ve had for 20 years of your life? Of course it is. But the worst thing you could do to yourself is attempt to deal with it by yourself. You’ll end up idolizing that friendship when it was nothing more than, well, a friendship.

    Or what about pain directly caused by someone you had thought was a friend? When you’re posing the question, “How could you do that?” and the only answer they give is a turned back. Or an accusatory glare.

    Again, we can only heal in relationship.

    People have the capacity to pour both good and evil into one another. Not one person dishes out evil exclusively or good exclusively. Everyone has some of both to offer.

    If someone hurts us, our natural reaction is to isolate ourselves. We’re afraid of opening ourselves to the kind of damage we just experienced.

    But until we open ourselves up to relationship again, we cannot heal.

    God designed us for community. We can’t take in any good—love, generosity, laughter—unless someone else is there with us to offer it.

    We heal in relationship.

    Whether that relationship is with the person who hurt us to begin with (remember, people offer both good and evil, so that person who hurt us can still offer good), or whether we develop new friendships, the idea is still there. We need community.

    We cannot heal in isolation.

    Category Friends | Tags: | No Comments