Tornadoes suck! Yes, I intended to use this unoriginal pun. That’s the way I feel as I look at the total devastation and learn of the dozen or so deaths caused by the F-5 tornado that struck Greensburg, Kansas this past weekend. May God help those whose lives have been forever changed by this act of nature.
It raises some serious questions like, considering all the vast open spaces of western Kansas, why did the tornado zero in on the tiny town of Greensburg? You have to figure that the odds of such a storm colliding with that little town in that wide open, rural area are very small. We’ll never know the answer, of course, but I’ll bet many of the God-fearing residents of the now flattened community are wondering the same thing.
Another question is why wasn’t I in Greensburg? I’m guessing the odds that I’d drive into town that day aren’t that much different than the odds that an F-5 tornado would show up. Or, I might ask, why wasn’t I born in Darfur where genocide and drought are leaving an unimaginable toll of human suffering? How was it decided that I would be born in free and prosperous America and would be completely out of harms way the day of the tornado?
Only God knows the answers to these questions, but I sure want to thank him for my good luck!
Tuesday, May 08, 2007
Thursday, April 26, 2007
Even So, Keep Coming, Jesus
I recently heard a statement that made me sit straight up in one of those, “Aha! Of Course!” moments. Here it is: JESUS DID NOT COME TO EARTH TO START ANOTHER RELIGION.
Read the recorded words of Jesus in the Gospels of the New Testament and you will not find a single statement about an organizational strategy for starting a new religion.
Ø He did not declare where a headquarters should be. In fact, he told his followers to scatter from where they were and go to the remotest parts of the earth with his message.
Ø He did not establish any leadership certification ceremonies. In fact, he said that those who aspire to greatness among his followers must learn to be the servants of others.
Ø He did not establish any elaborate liturgies. In fact, he cautioned we should do our praying and giving in private (Matthew 6:1-6).
Ø He did not organize any capital funding campaigns for organizational expansion. In fact, he said his followers should simply give to the poor because laying up treasure on earth usually doesn’t turn out too well (Matthew 6:19).
Ø He didn’t acquire property for either himself or his successors. In fact, he predicted the complete destruction of the centerpiece religious edifice of his day.
Ø He did not develop any bylaws, dogmas, or rules of order. In fact, he said the only way anyone would be able to tell who is really following him and who is not is by how we love one another (John 13:35).
He did speak of “build[ing] my church,” but only in the context of affirming that the rock solid declaration that he was “the Christ, the son of the living God,” would eventually result in the demolition of the “gates of hell” (Matthew 16:18). The phrase “building the church” as we use it today is very different in meaning from what Jesus was speaking of when he turned the phrase.
So, if Jesus wasn’t starting a new religion, what was he up to? He was establishing God’s kingdom. The lead off request of his prayer time was “your kingdom come, your will be done “on earth as it is in heaven.” There it is! Jesus envisioned an earth encompassing “kingdom” that has been gaining momentum ever since. It is the influence of God upon our very movements, breathing and existence (Acts 17:24-28). I, like many who read this, have wasted a lot of time and energy trying to get to God through religious endeavor. But, I’m pleased to announce that coming to a neighborhood near us all is the kingdom of God. In fact, there is mounting evidence that it’s here already. Maybe you saw on national TV last evening how people across this country and beyond donated tens of millions of dollars to alleviate poverty globally. That’s real kingdom stuff! Even so, keep coming, Lord Jesus.
Read the recorded words of Jesus in the Gospels of the New Testament and you will not find a single statement about an organizational strategy for starting a new religion.
Ø He did not declare where a headquarters should be. In fact, he told his followers to scatter from where they were and go to the remotest parts of the earth with his message.
Ø He did not establish any leadership certification ceremonies. In fact, he said that those who aspire to greatness among his followers must learn to be the servants of others.
Ø He did not establish any elaborate liturgies. In fact, he cautioned we should do our praying and giving in private (Matthew 6:1-6).
Ø He did not organize any capital funding campaigns for organizational expansion. In fact, he said his followers should simply give to the poor because laying up treasure on earth usually doesn’t turn out too well (Matthew 6:19).
Ø He didn’t acquire property for either himself or his successors. In fact, he predicted the complete destruction of the centerpiece religious edifice of his day.
Ø He did not develop any bylaws, dogmas, or rules of order. In fact, he said the only way anyone would be able to tell who is really following him and who is not is by how we love one another (John 13:35).
He did speak of “build[ing] my church,” but only in the context of affirming that the rock solid declaration that he was “the Christ, the son of the living God,” would eventually result in the demolition of the “gates of hell” (Matthew 16:18). The phrase “building the church” as we use it today is very different in meaning from what Jesus was speaking of when he turned the phrase.
So, if Jesus wasn’t starting a new religion, what was he up to? He was establishing God’s kingdom. The lead off request of his prayer time was “your kingdom come, your will be done “on earth as it is in heaven.” There it is! Jesus envisioned an earth encompassing “kingdom” that has been gaining momentum ever since. It is the influence of God upon our very movements, breathing and existence (Acts 17:24-28). I, like many who read this, have wasted a lot of time and energy trying to get to God through religious endeavor. But, I’m pleased to announce that coming to a neighborhood near us all is the kingdom of God. In fact, there is mounting evidence that it’s here already. Maybe you saw on national TV last evening how people across this country and beyond donated tens of millions of dollars to alleviate poverty globally. That’s real kingdom stuff! Even so, keep coming, Lord Jesus.
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