A BLESSED AND WONDERFUL 2015 TO YOU ALL! For the many of you who have expressed concern for me: thank you! Your prayers and support have meant more than you can imagine. I am getting stronger every day and hope to be back among you all full-time soon. NOW... The following is a sort of New Year Sermon. It isnt all mine. Most of it was written by an Evangelical Christian named Brandan Robinson, and I found it posted in a blog in the Huff Post Religion section on December 12. Ive added a little, edited a little, and deleted a lot (in the hope it wouldnt be too long a read for those who prefer tweets and texting). I simply hope it generates some thought. - PG FOUR TEACHINGS OF JESUS THAT CHRISTIANS NEED TO TAKE SERIOUSLY Being a disciple of Jesus is a lifelong journey towards conforming ourselves to the image and way of life that Jesus taught. Here is a short list of 4 clear teachings of Jesus (plus one fundamental truth) that too many of us either refuse to acknowledge, or believe the exact opposite of. Its my hope that by rereading these teachings of Christ, you will be inspired to return to the Gospels and become followers, not just fans, of our Lord. 1. Jesus, not the Bible, is Gods living and active Word that alone brings life. You dont have His word living in you, because you dont believe the One He sent. You study the Scriptures because you think you have eternal life in them, yet they testify about Me. And you are not willing to come to Me so that you may have life.- John 5:39-40 The Christian life is one that is fundamentally rooted in the reality that Jesus Christ is living and active. He interacts with us on a day to day basis and desires that we cultivate an intimate relationship with him. The more we commune with the Spirit of Christ, the more life and truth we are exposed to and are able to comprehend. However, for many, we rely more on the bible, written by various people with various agendas at various times, than we do on the living and active Spirit of God within us. While the bible is important for Christian faith and practice, it isnt the foundation or center of our faith: Jesus is. He is the living Word who sometimes will speak through Scripture. Other times he will speak through our friends and family. Other times he will find unique and special ways to reveal himself to us. But in order to maintain a vibrant and living faith, we must not make a book our substitute for communion with the living Word of God. 2. The only way to enter the Kingdom of Heaven is through DOING the will of God. Not everyone who says to me, Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Matthew 7:21 ESV An expert in the law stood up to test Him, saying, Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?What is written in the law? He asked him. How do you read it?He answered: Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.Youve answered correctly, He told him. Do this and you will live.- Luke 10: 25-28 HCSB We are saved by faith alone, apart from works! Its almost synonymous with being Lutheran isnt it? But Jesus makes very clear statements that refute those who think that they will be saved because they believe the right things or do the right religious rituals. Jesus says if anyone claims to be right with God but doesnt serve the poor, needy, oppressed, marginalized, sick, diseased, and sinful, then they do not have a relationship with God. It is astonishing, then, how many Christians today have been taught that salvation comes through right believing instead of right practice. Thats a message contrary to the words of Jesus. 3. Condemnation is not the way of Jesus. I have not come to condemn the world, but to save it. John 3:17 Many modern day Christians spend a lot of time talking about the kinds of people that God condemns. But as one examines the teachings and life of Jesus, we find him not only befriending, loving, and affirming some of his societies most despised people, but chastising the religious leaders who condemned them. In Jesus conversation with Niccodemus in John 3 he is clear that it is his mission to redeem the world and not to condemn it. The Jews of Jesus time and before, and modern day manipulators of Scripture, seem to make condemnation a fundamental part of religion. But by his own proclamation, in no way did Jesus. We ought never to read John 3:16 without also reading the next verse. 4. To follow Jesus is to sacrifice yourself and speak words of blessings for those you disagree with the most. In fact, Christian identity is found in love. Love Your Enemies and Bless Those Who Persecute You Matthew 5:44 It seems like every week there is a new major controversy taking place within the Church. Most of the time, the situation revolves around one group of Christians disagreeing with another and then taking to the internet to write slanderous posts about the other. Since 2009, we Lutherans are all to close to this, arent we? Christians are best known in our day for engaging in culture wars, working to defeat those whom we disagree with politically and socially by painting them as soul-less monsters. But that response is absolutely contrary to the way of Jesus. Jesus calls his followers to love the people they disagree with most and to speak blessings over them. No matter what the situation is or what kind of enemy we have, Christians are called to bless the people who hurt us the most. This includes in theological battles, political disagreements, national wars, and personal conflicts. Christians are called to a radical position of nonviolence and forgiveness, grace, and even blessing of our enemies. There is no way around it, yet most of us simply will not accept it. And when Christians chose to ignore these clear teachings, our hypocrisy is glaringly obvious to the watching world. And heres the fundamental truth: JESUS, that baby whos birthday we just made such a lot of fuss over... ONLY Jesus... ALWAYS Jesus... IS God INCARNATE! In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God! John 1:1 Doing everything we can to live his words, his example, his teaching is being Christian. If we dont do that, and still call ourselves Christian, we need to find another name.
Posted on: Sat, 03 Jan 2015 19:53:21 +0000
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