Estimated reading time: 2 minute(s)
It’s about Jesus.
That may seem simplistic, but I really believe it’s true.
If you’ll permit me… I just need to lay down some thoughts I’ve been working through on this.
The Kingdom is not about what we can do (with or without Jesus’ help). Life as a follower of Jesus is not about going (or NOT going) to the Sunday morning gathering – or any other one really. It’s not about making the stuff we do together more effective, better, more focused on Jesus, more fruitful…
It’s really, truly, only, about him.
This truth has just been in the forefront of my mind for many weeks now, seeing it in various ways at various times… through books I read, stuff I see in Scripture, conversations with friends…
It’s just about Jesus. He did say, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life.” Focus in on that last one. He is life. In John 17:3, Jesus said, “This is eternal life: to know you the one true God, and Jesus Christ whom you sent.” (I added the italics…) 😉
We squabble over what parts of “Christian” life are most important. We quarrel over doctrines and even “worship” styles and preferences. We know the Scriptures because we think they have eternal life, but the Scriptures point to Jesus. (See John 5:39.)
How does that look? How does the church live life together … just as the body of Christ? I’m not sure. Not sure I’ll ever be sure. But I am sure that we put a lot of other stuff in the way that doesn’t need to be there. We work so hard at being the church, we just need to know and follow Jesus, and he will shape his church. That doesn’t make sense in the world, but I really think it does in the Kingdom.
Sorry for the brief rant. I must be bothered by something these days. (Remember the rant on tips from a few days ago?) I certainly don’t have all the answers, but I do love the idea of living life together (real, everyday life) with other believers not under the banner of some “local church” or denomination or whatever… but just as believers, excited to follow Jesus as he leads and to share that life with others.
That’s so the church… and at the moment in our lives, it seems to be muted by all the other stuff we call “church”. Looking forward to the next season of life where we see Jesus building his church all around us.
Greg,
To touch on just one point (worship) of what you shared here, but in fact touches on everything actually when I think about it…
"With this new kind of love, Jesus turned our definition of
worship on its head. He once said that if while offering something to
God we remember that we owe something to a brother, we should leave
our offering where it is and go be reconciled with that brother. Do you
get what he is saying? He is telling us that our relationships with one
another are worship to God. Caring for one another is an offering to
God. As Jesus reminded his followers, “I desire mercy, not
sacrifice.”
How hard the Pharisees found it to swallow his words!
They would much rather study their laws and attend to their own
personal pursuits of holiness than lower themselves to become servants
of one another."
Please keep ranting away Bro, it is worth the effort to recognize He is in it ALL!
Amen it's about Jesus!
I often come with one or two
questions in mind: What takes first importance in each letter, and what
does Paul or John or Peter (or whoever) give them to do? In other
words, what matters most to them, and when each of them finally gets
around to issuing imperatives, what do they tell them to do?
What strikes me again and again as I do this is the centrality
that Paul and John give to believers loving one another. I was initially
surprised to find that saving the lost world hardly gets mentioned at all.
Changing the world never seems to even occur to them. But taking
care of our brothers and sisters seeps into nearly every chapter.
Whenever they get around to telling us what our main task is, it always
lands here. Personal holiness and sanctification seem to be expressed
primarily in terms of our interactions with each other. Even worship
toward God often gets subsumed under this central activity. Reading
the New Testament like this makes it abundantly clear that loving one
another in his name is what we are about.
Hey Greg
Funny you should post this, I was just talking about this last night. When asked what the greatest commandment was Jesus said Love God, then love your neighbor (Paraphrased) not follow rules or do things a certain way, he set us free from that. Nothing that I do will get me closer to him but how I do it will give others an opportunity to draw themselves into relationship with him. Good rant nice to hear from you brother.
Tim Park