5/29/13 4pm
all too often we as Christians think: oh i'd better not offend someone, because what would they think of my religion? what would they think of my "witness" for Christ? what would someone take away from my conversation? would it be for the benefit of Christianity? would it be for the betterment of my religion?
i tend not to think about these things. i haven't found in the new testament once where the Lord Christ asked Himself: "oh snap. i'd better not do this or that... I don't want this new movement that I am the kingpin of to fail. but what i do see Him doing is challenging the status quo. i see Him changing the way things were by dynamic spiritual reform. i see Him turning over tables for those jewish temple mafia who used extortion as a means of religion. i see him telling the modern day preachers and "church-workers" that they were snakes. i see Him telling all of them that there is NO HOPE except what He is offering.
and i see Him telling those around Him that He did not come to bring peace but a sword. to divide households. to change dynamically the "way things were" and to force a new opinion on life and the universe around those that followed Him. and follow Him they did. when He taught that we are blessed when we are poor, that we are blessed when we are persecuted for Him, that we are blessed when we let others beat us up. we are blessed for being the foolishness in this worlds eyes to obtain righteousness in His eyes.
and from the dawn of time until His crucifixion He preached this. He taught it to ezekial in his preincarnate form when He was seated above the cherubim. He taught it to abram in the desert, and to shadrach, meshack and abednego in the furnace. and He still teaches.
teaches us that His way is not our way. pride is sin, wealth is suspect and anything that is not of Him is against Him.
so what then?
challenge me for judging. challenge me for saying that something is wrong. i tell you the truth, the one who formed the framework of the two quarks that smashed into eachother to create the big bang is the same one who directed that big bang in the end to place everything to go where it should go. the one who hung the stars, as it were, in place is the one who brought me into this world to follow Him.
and follow i do, and follow i must.
so when you tell me that when boys place their penises into other boys poop-chutes i will tell you that it isn't the perfect plan. when you tell me that fathers finger rape their daughters it isn't right. when tornadoes rip thru and kill little kids in a hallway in oklahoma it isn't right. and when the great great great grandparents of those little children shot and stabbed native americans it isn't right.
but there are a lot of things not right and right in the world.
the tree that was life grew in the garden of eden and still grows out of this dimension and will grow again in the new heaven and new earth. that tree is the transcarnate idea of wholeness that we were meant to grow into. love, peace, patience, wholeness, gentleness, meekness, self-control. these things have no law against them and are destined to be placed into our hearts when we are released from this mortal coil.
there is good in people and bad in people. God cares for you and is ever mindful of your fears and trepidations. call out to Him in your time of need. love Him with all of your heart and soul and mind and strength and love your neighbors like you love yourself. this is the summation of all of the law and the prophets from the law of hammurabi until today and perfectly indwelling in the pentateuch and the old testament. love is the answer.
even when you don't understand that love can be tough.
-pauly hart
