One of the embarrassing things about Jesus was His utter lack of concern in who He hung out with, touched or welcomed. Consider the leper in Mark 1:40. Lepers weren’t supposed to be approaching people but with the typical generosity of Jesus He welcomed him, spoke to him, challenged him and touched him. Not a touch like we would have given. The word there means to embrace or adhere to. I imagine Jesus helping the man off of his knees and bear hugging him as He welcomed him into his new life.
Jesus presents to us the opportunity to be joint heirs in nothing less than this new type of humanity-the Kingdom Community of the redeemed. All recovering sinners, all blessed of Him. Not seeing how exclusive we can be in drawing our circles but how inclusive we will be.
A community learning together the great transformation process that can happen through the new life received from above where we aren’t concentrating on doing religious things but learning to actually be loving people, from whom flow the living rivers of water.
This new type of humanity is the complete obliteration of social status-where we gather as Abraham’s seed. We have ‘put on Christ’ and now there are no distinctions, which are to be made (Galatians 3:26-29; Col. 3:10-11).
In this community made up of a new kind of humanity, we learn to discard everything that comes from other than the work and person of Christ in His crucifixion and beyond. (1 Cor. 2:2) Because He is ‘IT’. The Messiah who comes as the solution to the human problem. (2 Cor. 5:16-17)
There are not many who would be put on the world’s list of who’s who.
We are the list of the world’s last and least. But to us the Kingdom is available, forgiveness in abundance, grace without limit and the opportunity to become the kind of people He always intended us to be in spite of what we may have been in the past. This is the New Creation in Christ (2 Cor. 5:17; Gal. 6:15).
And dare I say, ‘The making of all things new’ (Rev. 21:5).
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YES!! Awesome, Brian! Here in So Cal, it's been very interesting to observe the almost fanatical focus on the superficial. From the "it" shoes to prostitutes at the hotel (and we ARE in a nice hotel!), the emphasis on who's in and who's out is nothing short of ridiculous!! I'm very thankful for the reminder and missing my church family terribly! Praying for you and Jeanine this week, Lisa and Kendel
ReplyDeleteJohn Beery, said,
ReplyDeleteA couple weeks ago you asked me what I did with my time down here in Boise. I think I responded with something like 'well I spend a lot of time fixing things, maybe maintaining things'(--sometimes for others). I've since thought more about that response in light of your teaching, Brian. I do consciously think more about what it is I can be doing to enhance my discipleship to Jesus. This sometimes results in more reflection on Him during quiet times of reading, usually early morning. Or it can be when I walk in the hills with my dog. I also am doing some very limited memorizing, most recently the first four lines of 'Be Thou my vision, Oh Lord of my heart'--just to get my mind staid on Him more throughout a given day. So as I go about my day, I think about being at the right hand of the Father in Jesus, as a check against my attitude at that point in time. An attempt at living in the spiritual vs the physical realm. More concentration rather than consecration as Osward Chambers puts it. My prayer life could be more consistent--by this I mean while sitting down in a quiet place. I often ask God to direct my day so if I am 'fixing, rapairing' something, it's what He has set before for the moment, to address--that sort of thing. Beyond that, I still struggle with knowing how to draw nearer to Jesus. I suppose it's the hard work of learning to just get quiet, with no distractions and practicing these getaways often--as you and others, like Dave Roper, have suggested. Gloria and I thank you for the tremendous compass you have become, pointing us, and centering us on the very best 'really good deal' going on, in the person of Jesus. I really think I am experiencing more of the peace of Christ--I worry less.