The Sermon on the Mount

Reading through Matthew 5-7 this morning I couldn't help but think about how far we have come from the seemingly clear message that Christ taught. Just some examples:

"Do not resist the one who is evil" has become, "If we as Christians do not resist evil people, they will take over the world and we will lose all of our freedoms."

"But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also" has become, "If anyone attacks you either verbally or physically you must stand up for yourself. As Christians we must have respect for ourselves. Christ didn't mean not to protect yourself if someone attacks you, this was just a cultural commandment. He really meant to show how crazy it would be for us to respond this way, no one would ever really expect you to allow someone to beat you up."

"If anyone would sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well" has become "If anyone sues me I am going to counter-sue and show them what happens if they mess with the big dog. Jesus definitely didn't actually mean for us to just suffer wrongs and give away all that we have when accused."

"Give to the one who begs from you, and do not refuse the one who would borrow from you" has become "I would give, but I know they will just use the money for alcohol and the only thing that I would even be a little comfortable giving is money because that guy is dirty and smells and I'm really busy so there is no way that I am going to sit down next to him and have a conversation or pray for him or go buy him a burger or rent him a hotel room."

"Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you" has become "They threaten my freedom and my land, they must die."

"Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heave, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also" has become "I know that there are hungry people in my neighborhood, a church in Equador that has members dying because of disease that is easily cured with medication, a college student that I am friends with on Facebook who is trying to raise enough money so that he can live in a dirt hut in Guana to live out the gospel, and a mother that I pass on the walk to work who is working three jobs to take care of her six kids (which is just irresponsible so I don't even feel bad about that one), but if I don't save up for retirement I will be a drain on society and so I am just going to fill my 401k, it's really the only responsible thing to do."

"If your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light, but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness." has become "It's just looking, I'll be fine. I'm not doing anything"

"Do not be anxious about your life" has become "I can't eat, sleep, or think because I have so much to do and nothing is working out right"

"So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them" has become "I wouldn't normally be this mean, but it's only because of how he treated me that I'm acting this way"




Now, I am speaking to myself here just as much as to the next guy. I just find it crazy how simple so many of Jesus' commands in this passage are clear and simple, yet we change them to be almost exactly the opposite of what he said. And most of the bigger ones, the ones that might hurt a little to accept, are typically the one's that we have heard others defend for years and we have never stopped to question whether Jesus' words mean what he said or whether the teaching that we are hearing actually makes sense and can be argued from Scripture.

In the end, Christ gives us the only formula that we need, "So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets." Put yourself in the shoes of everyone in front of you and act accordingly. 

Who is Church?

The question "What is Church?" has gotten a lot of attention recently. But what if our culture has hijacked the concept of church and driven it straight off of a metaphorical cliff? Nowadays its more like a book club, a gold mine for old single people looking for a date, the only place to get a free concert (often including smoke machines and fancy lights [alright, seriously, when are we going to find something new to rag on contemporary churches about?]), or just another place to subject yourself to an hour and a half of awkward conversations with people that you barely know and who, if you were honest, you don't really know if you're even interested in getting to know.

The above paragraph has been written and read countless times on Facebook article posts and Youtube videos, but really, where do we go from here? Complaining is much more annoying if not followed up with a suggestion of how to make things better. So here's what I've got:

Daily - not weekly. The church is supposed to be a community. A community cannot live healthily if only a community an hour and a half a week. Your church is composed of the believers who are in your life on a day to day basis. Encourage them, edify them, challenge them, worship God with them, know them. Daily.

Foundation and Motivation: The Gospel. The foundation of the church should never be community, it should not be music (even worship music), it should never be service. The foundation of the church is the gospel. What gospel? The gospel of the Kingdom of God. Be children - the only way that the gospel is LIVED is through realizing the reality of this fantastical story of a God who wants to know and love man. Make this the foundation of all you think and do.

Mission. Christ left his body with a very clear, very pointed mission. We are to find those who are not living in the reality of the gospel and imploring them on Christ's behalf to be reconciled to God! (2 Cor 5). People are in bondage and need freedom, freedom that only Christ offers.

Simple on paper, messy in practice. Try it out this week - every day when you know that you will be in the presence of other believers, remember that we are the church, and live out what you know church to be. Bless them, encourage, love. Be the church that you complain about never seeing in the world.

The Beginning of an Era

Hello...people. I am not sure whether people still blog or not. Based on the popularity of Facebook posts and articles, I may be behind the times - Do people still "blog"? Either way, welcome to the hole in the ethereal wall of the great wide web that I have bunkered down in, in order to dispel my thoughts, desires, angst, and at times - my struggles.  

I can only imagine that somewhere - some random people actually have time to sit in front of their computer screen and read other's thoughts. I reckon that, since you are reading this, that you must be one of those people. I don't know whether I should thank you for taking the time to read this, or tell you to go pick up a book because I am fairly confident that your time could be better spent. However, I am not here to tell you how to run your life. So, if you desire, read on.

I am thinking that I will try to write a little something at least once a week, maybe a little more here at the onset. I used to write a good bit but recently I have been in a dry spell. I enjoy writing, maybe this will be the encouragement that I need to return to those days when I could actually consider writing a hobby?

I think that I am frustrated by people who skim. "Skimmers" if you will. I know that I am 100% a skimmer, but that doesn't change my feelings about them. These people who click on a blog or article and quickly try to pick up on key words or concepts, just trying to understand enough that they can tell their friends that they "saw the article". If you are a skimmer right now...skim away, I'm not saying anything interesting yet anyway.

Welcome to the Beginning of an Era my friends.