The Power of the Lifestyle

Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven. -Jesus in Matthew 5:17-20 

In the last chapter of this study, Christ said to let your light shine. Shine, so that others can see your good works, and glorify your Father in heaven... So, anyway, you know it's wonderful to live in a time of grace, a time when you can claim the blood of Jesus for your sins, saved by grace, and then you tell others about the power of the blo...wait? Works? WORKS!? What do you mean works? Well, Jesus said, "...that they may see your good works..." If Jesus is wanting to talk about works, I guess we'd better talk about works. So, what if there is a power in lifestyle that we have missed in recent times? I think there might be. Let's unpack these scriptures once and see what might come out of this whole "lifestyle concept". 

Verse 17: Jesus did not come to eliminate the law. All those commands we read of in the old testament, they are not to be destroyed, cast aside, no, they are to be fulfilled. To fulfill, means to finish, to complete. So, when the Old Testament law is no longer used after the time of Christ, it is not because  He didn't like it, and destroyed it. No, it's because He did care about it, He completed it. Once something is complete, then naturally it gets to be retired. It has served its purpose well. All that was said about the law just now also applies to the Old Testament prophets. 

Verse 18: To emphasize the point made in verse 17. Jesus goes on to say something to the effect of, For as long as the world stands. For as long as the sky hangs above us. Not one little piece, no matter how minute will go away from the law until it's actually all completed. 

Verse 19: We had just got done hearing the beatitudes. We heard about being salt and light. We covered all those things in the previous chapters. It's my opinion that those things are the least commands Jesus referred to in verse 19. The commentary on the law and prophets was like a side note by Christ to reassure the people that He was not about to render the law and prophets useless.  Instead, He had come to complete, and to show the Kingdom. So, it's pretty simple. Jesus said, these are little commands, those who teach and do them are great in God's Kingdom, those who don't do so and teach not to do so are small fry in God's Kingdom. 

Verse 20: Now it's time for the humdinger. If your righteousness is not better than the righteousness of the religious leaders, then you will not enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Oof. Righteousness is the Lord's truth. It's is the real truth, not the world's smarts. The bad news is you can't get it. The good news is you can ask God for it and then just blindly follow Him as He reveals it to you. More good news, the Lord looks at the heart, so, you can have the brainpower and IQ of a drunk monkey, but still have righteousness simply by having your heart positioned towards it. Chapters 8 and 9 explore this more in-depth. 

Now the rest of this will be a desperate attempt to untangle the deep-seated thoughts and feelings I have about this and present them in a way that makes some semblance of sense. Keep this in mind: My definition of a disciple is someone who cares most about God and His Kingdom. My definition of a Christian is someone who cares most about Jesus and His ability to save people. So, ready? Strapped in? Here goes!

We have for ourselves a gospel in many corners that involves salvation and little else. It goes something like this: "You have sinned, so, you're going to hell, but, God sent His son to die for you so that you don't have to go to hell. Say this prayer..." Well, there is a lot of truth in the notion that God saved you, but, really, if that was all there was to it, why does Matthew 5 even exist? In fact, why is Matthew's gospel 28 chapters long? Wouldn't Matthew have only needed about 3 chapters to get to the point? 1. How Jesus got here. 2. How Jesus died for us. 3. How Jesus resurrected and ascended. This gospel of nothing but salvation is actually extremely vapid in terms of offering anything to give life purpose. The complete gospel gives you purpose RIGHT NOW. if you embrace it. Now, in order to get this purpose, there is a need to trade in, that is surrender your ideas of how you might make your life "fun." 

So, the gospel of the Kingdom teaches a fundamentally different life. The person is fundamentally an alien. When Christ takes over a Kingdom disciple, his actions don't make any worldly sense. If you were to attack the average man of the world, what might he do? Well, attack back. If you were to attack the average Christian? Same response.  Both are human, so that makes sense. If the average man of the world or the average Christian wakes up the day after the election and finds out that America will now be governed by the person who he has been led to believe fully intends to destroy America, how does he feel about that? Depressed, that's what. Now, what about a disciple that actually embraced all the realities of God's Kingdom? When attacked? Well, there is the art of doing nothing, or better yet, returning good deeds. Now, that's weird. When America is about to be destroyed? Nary a ripple, it's almost like he's from someplace else. Hmm, maybe he actually is an alien. Exactly! This is the lifestyle component that features so strongly in the complete gospel of the Kingdom. Evangelism? The lifestyle is an "accidental" display of a better way by the Kingdom Disciple, remember salt & light? This kind of accidental display is the best form of evangelism in my opinion. For it automatically attracts the hungry who want this kind of salt and light in themselves. 

A note about religion. Religion is the act of attempting to copy the acts of a disciple without having the disciple stuff on the inside. What do I mean? Well, let's try this example out: I have taken some interest in track and field events. They are amazing athletes! Yet, these athletes don't actually compete against each other that often. They are away, privately training, exercising, and dieting with their very good coaches. Then they show up to the Diamond League or the Olympics and when asked to run they display a simple fact. When the gun goes off, they rather automatically and naturally run in a way that the rest of us can't begin to compete with because that's who they have become, elite runners, or jumpers, throwers, etc depending on the event in question. Religion is like showing up at the start line of a long race and by sheer effort of the will forcing yourself to run at the pace. Very soon you fall behind, if you keep pushing yourself, you just keel over from exhaustion. This does not do at all, no medal for you. No, to be in the race, you have to become the kind of person who does this sort of thing naturally. Use the willpower for training, not for the actual race. 

A note about spiritual discipline. Spiritual discipline is the act of taking Jesus' teachings seriously and seeking to become a disciple by going after what He teaches. This includes a dependence on Him to make you the kind of person that He wants you to be. You willfully, and intentionally have communion, prayer, Bible reading, and fasting. Not to look like a disciple, but because you want to become one. This is training. Now, you're not walking alone, you are hungering after God. He meets you. He graces you, carries you, etc. In the example above, when likening the track event to a disciple's life, you are disciplining yourself, by doing what the Lord asks, (He is your coach.) As a kind, loving coach, He doesn't ask too much of you, and in fact, enables and equips you to do His will. 

As a full-fledged disciple, your life is actually much better on the inside even if it's much worse on the outside. For example, here are 2 things humans fear and disciples don't: 

1. Death. 

For humans, this is a scary thing that must be avoided. We have self-defense classes, scary warnings from our doctors, desperate efforts to save the economy by political activism, etc, and many more activities in a desperate attempt to stave off this thing, yet, in all of humankind, with all the experiments we have done on ourselves, government concepts, vaccines, diets, exercises, and so on, our death rate remains 100%...

For disciples, death is simply the deportation papers that enable the foreigner to go home. They will take care of the physical bodies God entrusted to them, but aren't really afraid of the inevitable day that physical body dies. 

2. Humans. 

Humans are afraid of other humans, what they might do, they might cheat you, they might hurt you, think ill of you, etc. So again, a whole host of fear-based activities to prevent this. Activities like taking out a huge loan for a car to impress people you never met. 

Disciples are working for an audience of one. That's the Lord. They take precautions in regards to not getting cheated etc as good stewards, They strive to care about others which means they won't generally deliberately cause a human to think ill of them. Yet they don't lose sleep over it or stress about what happens if it goes wrong. They don't spend on big purchases to impress others. They might still spend a lot of money, but for other, deeper reasons. 

Many other examples could be explored, but hopefully, you see that the disciple life is better. Just less to worry about, be afraid, of, be angry about, etc. Yet, this is not why you choose it, you choose it because it's God's way, God is right, and you love God. I see myself somewhere in between the 2 extremes I drew up...I write about an ideal life I haven't completely learned to live yet. Pray for me in this. If you are living this ideal life, write me and explain how you got there. 

In the end, it's once again, about surrender. We won't do it our way, we won't do anything without His express desire and equipping. So with all that, this has been chapter 16 of Surrender!? To Who?

Salt & Light

In the last chapter, we briefly left the sermon on the mount study we have been doing. We had reached the end of the beatitudes, and I felt the time was right to introduce the big picture. God's Kingdom is all we need to see of the big picture. It is a simple reality of having ourselves, and everything entrusted to us put under His Kingdom, and in so doing, we expand His Kingdom for Him. By our surrender, His Kingdom grows. This book though is about surrender, and that's why I find myself in the sermon on the mount. Originally when I set out to write this, I wasn't planning to study the sermon, but, it's such a beautiful sermon, and it gives so much opportunity to explore the ramifications of surrender in all facets of life that, I've decided to revisit it again now. 

So for this chapter, let's read Matthew 5:13-16: Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men. Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

Ok, so, salt and light. As Kingdom disciples, that's what we are. Remember, at the start, before preaching this message, Jesus left the multitude and deliberately made his audience smaller. He went up the mount, and then once the people who were his disciples also made it there, He began to teach. So, when He spoke these words, he was speaking to the disciples. So, what does it mean to be salt and light? Let's find out.

Salt: In his article about meat rubs here Meathead explains that he doesn't put salt in his rubs, why? Because salt is special. It enhances the flavor of the meat itself and actually penetrates the meat, it goes down below the surface a little bit if given enough time. The other spices such as pepper, paprika, garlic, etc tend to just flavor the surface and introduce a different flavor to the meat, they don't penetrate much. His contention is that salt is a stand-alone specialty that should be added to just about any meat to improve the meat quality, not so much a surface flavoring that adds a complementary flavor. So, do you want to be salt? Well, ok then, but you don't get to be paprika or garlic. It's no longer about you and what you bring. It's about infiltrating the world around you and improving the lives of those around you now. In other words, it's about surrendering and being a positive contributor, not the star of the show. 

Light: Whenever it enters a room it brings visibility, and clarity to those in the room. The default state of things is darkness. Darkness is the absence of visibility and clarity. In a room, people rarely look at the light, yet they benefit from the light by being able to clearly examine whatever thing they might be working on. As a spiritual light, you bring moral visibility and clarity to the world around you. Now, the world might never pay attention to you. Is that ok with you? If so, immerse yourself in Christ, in the words of God in scripture, and receive all of the Holy Spirit the Lord wills you to have. In so doing, your lenses are clean, pure, and clear. The world around you benefits even if they don't notice you. 

To fully function as salt and light, you must be surrendered into discipleship with Christ. If that's not ok with you, as salt you can blend into the world by just carving out your own space as a person given to their own kingdom and mission, and so you become part of the landscape, to be stepped on, or otherwise used by the world in the same way the world uses it's own, essentially you become just another spice on the world's shelf. As light, you can get cloudy, dim, and eventually go after some carnal pursuits that are removed from Christ so completely that you cover your light, and now, just like the world, you do stuff with the light shared with you. In this way, you become a taker of light and not a giver of light. It is up to you. Christ has a way of teaching us all truth and then leaving the ultimate choice of how much or how well we apply it up to us. 

This has been chapter 15 of Surrender!? To Who?

The Christian's Bermuda Triangle

So, the Bermuda triangle is said to be the triangular-shaped zone in the Atlantic where ships and such mysteriously get lost, or disappear or something. That is tragic, but, what if losing your faith was even more tragic? I think so. What if western Christians have a Bermuda triangle of their own to contend with? A place to ping pong about in and get disillusioned with God, Christianity, and who knows what else. So many Christian individuals, groups, churches, or otherwise seem bound and determined to lurch into a corner and just sit there or worse, violently ricochet around. How do I mean? Well, a triangle has 3 corners, here they are:

1. Patriotism. America is a Christian nation. We must defend it from the evil-doer, by whatever means necessary. (Insert random violent old testament story to justify this here.) Or, We must love our neighbor as ourselves, therefore let's become more socialist, and have better welfare, it's immoral to be rich. (insert random verse out of context about loving your neighbors here.) 

2. Legalism. So Jesus has rules? Our church has more! Not only do we believe in modesty, but we will also tell you exactly what to wear. Not only do we believe in 2 Kingdoms, but we will also spell out what you are not allowed to do so you don't have to think. Also, we will install closed borders at our church; you're not part of our church without going through a thorough vetting process. We also won't baptize you or partake in communion with you unless you're willing to be part of our church.

3. Libertinism. So, Jesus loves me? Yaay! Freeeeedddddddoooooommmmmmm! In our church, not only do you come as you are, you may stay as you are, wait, you mean the gospel of Matthew has 28 hard-hitting chapters?? Ahh, he's probably just talking to ye-old Jews or something, carry on, John 3:16 is really all you need. Anyway, don't you just love the freedom in Christ? Wait, you have a great depression in your pocketbook? There's a legalist telling you to get a budget and a job? A budget!? Personal responsibility, work?!! REEEEEE Naawwww God wants you to prosper, just have more faith and pray, and it'll be alright. 

I am not all that interested in getting you to leave your church even if it might have lurched into one of these corners. How about this, you opt out. Fortunately, if you really really want to get out, the walls of the triangle are really really low. All you have to do is read your New Testament, and apply it practically and literally to your life, principle by principle.