All About GOD - Growing Relationships with Jesus and Others
Gospel Subversion
Rise up, be controversial, and take a stand for the Gospel of Jesus Christ!
The Gospel of Jesus Christ is intended to stir things up. It is intended to rise up. It is intended to challenge and cause each of us to examine ourselves and allow God to work in our lives and take us to places that will allow us to answer the call to “love and serve one another.” The Gospel seeks to reach out to the poor, the hurting, and those in need.
“Let your bearing towards one another arise out of your life in Christ Jesus,” says the Apostle Paul (Philippians 2.1-13).
So, how are we transformed into the kinds of people God intends for us to become? How do we learn to follow the example of Jesus Christ?
Four things come to mind: 1) daily prayer; 2) regular Bible study; 3) weekly fellowship; and, 4) the daily practice of love, compassion, and mercy to others.
Others will take exception because I didn't include doctrinal rigidity to the list. Sadly, there are a good many Christians that focus their energy and attention on judging whether others have the correct position on a doctrine or questioning their rigidity of belief. But, is this at the heart of the Gospel or Good News?
As I read the Gospel, Jesus seems to be less concerned about his disciples being right than he is with them doing Gospel work. He seems less concerned with the purity of their arguments or the rigidity of their doctrine and more concerned with the purity of their hearts and the flesh and blood practices of their discipleship. Yet, we live in a time when the purity of arguments and the rigidity of doctrine seem very important. And fear is driving this need for purity and rigidity. But we must know that such fear mongering about people who disagree with us or don’t share on our beliefs will lead only to our own downfall.
Let us, then, get on with the Gospel work that Jesus calls us to perform. Who is out there doing Gospel work? Who is giving hope to the hopeless? Who is comforting the broken-hearted? Who is feeding the hungry? Who is binding up the wounds of the suffering?
“Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6.21).
And, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind. This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22.37–39).
The Gospel of Jesus Christ is intended to stir things up. It is intended to rise up. It is intended to challenge and cause each of us to examine ourselves and allow God to work in our lives and take us to places that will allow us to answer the call to “love and serve one another.” The Gospel seeks to reach out to the poor, the hurting, and those in need.
“Let your bearing towards one another arise out of your life in Christ Jesus,” says the Apostle Paul (Philippians 2.1-13).
So, how are we transformed into the kinds of people God intends for us to become? How do we learn to follow the example of Jesus Christ?
Four things come to mind: 1) daily prayer; 2) regular Bible study; 3) weekly fellowship; and, 4) the daily practice of love, compassion, and mercy to others.
Others will take exception because I didn't include doctrinal rigidity to the list. Sadly, there are a good many Christians that focus their energy and attention on judging whether others have the correct position on a doctrine or questioning their rigidity of belief. But, is this at the heart of the Gospel or Good News?
As I read the Gospel, Jesus seems to be less concerned about his disciples being right than he is with them doing Gospel work. He seems less concerned with the purity of their arguments or the rigidity of their doctrine and more concerned with the purity of their hearts and the flesh and blood practices of their discipleship. Yet, we live in a time when the purity of arguments and the rigidity of doctrine seem very important. And fear is driving this need for purity and rigidity. But we must know that such fear mongering about people who disagree with us or don’t share on our beliefs will lead only to our own downfall.
Let us, then, get on with the Gospel work that Jesus calls us to perform. Who is out there doing Gospel work? Who is giving hope to the hopeless? Who is comforting the broken-hearted? Who is feeding the hungry? Who is binding up the wounds of the suffering?
“Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6.21).
And, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind. This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22.37–39).
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