I’ve been reading this book called Irresistible Revolution by Shane Claiborne, and it is kind of turning my views on Christianity upside down.
But one thing that has been on my heart lately is turning the bible into a product. It turns my stomach that there are children in China, Malaysia, Thailand,etc. That are pumping out trinkets with scriptures on them.
Why are there pastors of mega-churches driving around in Bentlys when they have members in their congregation who are struggling every day? One of those cars can put a few kids through college for sure.
Why do we have trade shows and seminars that are designed to teach us how to go into the world and love people like Jesus did, When the admission prices of these events can often feed hundreds of people in other countries?
I think its just something we do to ourselves to keep us warm and toasty in Jesus land.
I don’t understand why we, why I ( because I am most certainly guilty of this too) have created this little bubble of comfort and false positivity just so we can convince our minds that we are, indeed doing good.
It feels so good to be in this little safe Sunday school prison where everything is bright and shiny, but I don’t think that’s where we were called to live.
It says in Matthew 11:28-30
28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.
30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light
I think this may be some cause of our problem as Christians…
You see, often this is interpreted as we have it easy as Christians, that everything we do will just magically be rad just because we have ole’ JC on our side but we often forget:
there is still a yoke, and once we pick up this yoke we pick up the responibilities that Jesus and his early followers had. We must take care of the sick, the poor, the widows, and the orphans because it is our responsibility and no one else’s.
So if that seems easy to you I applaud you, because that seems like the hardest thing in the world to me.
It seems like in my Jesus bubble, that sacrifice is not needed. I forget how the fore-fathers of our faith lived. I was reading a blog the other day about how this faith is most certainly not easy. It went on to give example if how people were called to do near impossible things.
“and god said to them…
Abraham, leave your home and your family. I’ll tell you where you’re going later, but just go now.
David, take a small rock and go kill that giant.
Hosea, marry that woman who’s going to cuckold you and redeem her with your love. Make sure every knows about your humiliation so they see a model of my Love for them too.
Jesus, give up your glory to live among the fallen then let yourself be tortured and killed.
Paul, you just keep on preaching until they kill you. And when you’re whipped bloody and imprisoned, be sure to count it all glory.”
Christians were the original counter culture. They stood against everything society told them to be and many of them lost their lives for it. My god isn’t that so foreign to us.
These men you see on tv in their fancy suits, or those spewing hate and promoting capitalism like its in the bible are most certainly not Christ like.
(Now don’t take that as me judging them on eternity)
Jesus was poor, he was from the ghetto of nazerath, he Hung out with scumbags and prostitutes, his best friends were ex-scumbags, he was a socialist, yet he stressed it was our job to take care of the needy and not the governments.
Why have we forgotten this?
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