Saturday, May 24, 2008
Many Jesuses vs. One Jesus
compare this with the crossroads video i posted last week.
wanna put these two dudes in a room together? i do.
(this part in parentheses is added later. i really regret writing that little line there, some time later. it seems like i'm pitting 2 christians against each other. that is wrong. i DO want to be in a room with them, and all of you, as well, though. There are 2 different messages at work in the body, right now, in the church, that is. there's the jesus whom the Scriptures DON'T describe, and the one they DO. Better stated there are actually many many jesuses that the Scriptures aren't describing, but only one that they DO. all of us supposedly Christian folks are supposed to be Testing it all out (1John4) and getting it straight, ourselves, together. My intention is to stimulate your MINDS to consider these things. I am glad that people at xroads are doing good. good is good and help helps. I'm sure that the temple in the days of Jesus was a center for alms and benevolence for the poor. that was good, but JESUS was the POINT! When he came, he testified that it was all about HIM! And they drove him out. Now, we have tons of multi-million dollar churches that preach nothing that will scatter their following. I've seen them turn down the truth about hell again and again. And Peter, in acts 2, called men to be saved. Paul talked Wrath of God all over the place, and in Matt 23, Jesus' words about Hell are fearsome! What the heck? We need to awaken and pour ourselves a cup of the Scriptures that tell us about Jesus! I'm serious! This is important enough for exclamation points.)
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good stuff from Paul... he gotten kicked out of his church yet?
ReplyDeleteyeah.
ReplyDeleteLew, do you read much? If so, have you read: "The Shaping of Things to Come: Innovation and Mission for the 21 Century Church"? It frames up a lot of what you blog about with significant research and NT/OT support. let me know (I have an extra copy I'd be willing to send if you are a reader (outside of the bible that is)).
ReplyDeleteKeith
just the other day i put my foot in my mouth and criticized something about the CityLink Center's genesis--how the thing powered over the community and lawyered up and flings itself in the face of unbelievers, all in the name of Jesus... i couldn't help it. Even the churches around it were amazed at the audacity with which it was proposed and the incredible amount of money that was raised, proposed, spent... on and on...
ReplyDelete...all from a church leadership that very evidently does NOT teach their people to take in the poor, clothe the naked and to become associated as neighbors with the lowly, like Isaiah and Romans 12 say...
the response? "well one guy from our church just the other day helped someone with a flat tire. They even bought all the stuff to fix it and drove out of their way..."
of course! But that's NOT WHAT JESUS taught us to do. Jesus was talking about our HOMES; Our spare bedrooms; our dining room tables; our kitchens!!!!
These churches amass huge crowds and insist that "all speak well of them" in their city--that their city considers itself "screwed" without them...
the only ones that Don't speak well of it are these fringe fanatics, whom they call when someone too wierd or needy shows up and we put them up in our HOUSES!
Seriously--everyone out there needs to THINK about which Jesus you serve...
One anonymous comment i got says, "Crossroads is love..."
ReplyDeletei hope that was a typo. Crossroads is a country club, or as they put it a community center.
GOD is love, and His name, when He shows up, is JESUS. Where is that fair name in all this hype and expenditure? These are the ones who'll criticize the woman who breaks alabaster and spills spikenard! Luke 7.
if you don't get what i meant there, just watch.
that very church claimed that they were luke sevening when they bought JEsus a bunch of lcd displays for their atrium! That actually got said in the big room!
the gloves are OFF! There is a real JEsus and he really loves you and that just plain ISN'T His voice!
"leave them. they are blind guides." mt. 23
if i'm wrong, do what you do...
if i'm not, if i speak with the voice of the good shepherd, warning you about doom ahead, then LISTEN. and DO.
turn from sin.
turn to Jesus.
Obey what he says.
the real church is simply that body of those who do turn to jesus, forsake sin, and obey him as LORD.
ReplyDeletethey receive the holy spirit and walk in the holy spirit, together, no matter what geographic boundaries there may be...
they are one, united across the world with JESUS, and each other.
so if you feel like you're going to be "alone" if you go nuts for Jesus and call this stuff out--you're never alone.
never will He leave you or forsake you! Seriously...
and the Body is with you, too... as is the great cloud of Hebrews 12.
and if you don't like looking up the scriptures, you'd have hated the preaching of peter or stephen in Acts.
I loved the Paul video. It touched me deep. DEEP!!! I also have a copy of the book The Shaping of Things to Come, one of our required readings at CityTeam (along with Houses that Change the World and Revolution). I heard Alan Hirsch (the author) speak a couple of times in Cali. Really good stuff, but very critical spirit. I'm cautious of judging another's servant or church. Instead of big generalizations of criticizing the American church and the Crossroads video you displayed, what specific things are wrong? I saw in one of your comment responses that he didn't mention the name Jesus. Ok, but is that his overall stance? I guess I don't know the context or purpose of that video. I'm not trying to disagree. I'm trying to gain more knowledge, truth, and understanding as I test things myself (as encouraged by you).
ReplyDeleteI love Jesus. I love being a pilgrim in pursuit of the dust from Jesus' feet. I love the Spirit of Truth.
ReplyDeleteBut I HATE devisiveness, divisions and reasons for these Christians to tell those Christians how wrong they are. Becuase this type of behaviour makes these Christians sound like they are saying they are more like Jesus than those Christians.
This is they same stuff that the Jews do. From Orthodox Jews to Messianic Jews...this mentality that "I am more perfect in Torah than you" is totally backwards.
We need to be confessing our sins in repentance constantly, sorting out our own salvation with fear and trembling...not saying that we have this Jesus thing figured out. To put Jesus in a box...to say this is Jesus and that is not Jesus is exactly the kind of stuff He warned of. He pointed out that when He is here...it will be plain as bolts across the expanse of the sky.
He is here now in Spirit and will come in his Glory as he described. But much as he will come in His glory, He is already here. The Body of Christ, the Communion of Saints, united in faith, not in exegesis.