Christian Life - Jeremiah's Vow

What if Jesus walked into your town?

Jesus in Your Town
While this question is one that could occupy a conversation for a few hours. What I wonder if it a worthy enough question to challenge us to reevaluate the way that we go about the practice of our faith. The clip below is from a movie called “Joshua”. This is a play on the fact that Jesus’ name is derived from the older Jewish name of Joshua. So the essence of the movie is this: If Jesus walked into town what would He do? How would He act? What would be the response of the people? This is one of the best modern adaptations of the life of Jesus I have ever come across. (I don’t mean to overstate the movie.)

There is one scene in particular that gets me every time. Joshua comes across a camp meeting and walks in just as the evangelist is about the pray. Joshua doesn’t join in. He actually interrupts the meeting and causes a scene. The evangelist is dumbstruck. He doesn’t know what to do. Joshua tells him, “You know, you don’t have to do it this way.” Joshua tells him, “I know you’d like to have the faith to talk to these people. But you don’t know what faith is.”

While the caricature is awful, the perception that it portrays is not that far off the mark. This is how many in the world view the church and it’s bag of “party tricks”. Some charlatans bilking the faithful for their own gain. Others teaching doctrines that are not sound and therefore misleading those hungry for God, His presence and power in their lives. But the clip provides a couple of twists. First, Joshua reveals that the true intention of the evangelist (in this case) is to do what is right. He genuinely desires to help those that have come to the meeting. But he doesn’t know what or how he is supposed to do it. The second is that Joshua speaks the truth and it activates the faith of the people. The truth creates an awkward scene, but a healing actually takes place.

The Cost of Healing on the Healer
This is one of the best depictions of what Jesus’ miracles of healing must have looked like. The transfer of divine power through the human agent is an awesome burden. It has helped to see why Jesus spent so much time praying. It cost Him so much to heal those that were hurting. Healing wasn’t easy because it taxed the limits of the human experience. Jesus accepted the cost of not only bring our salvation through his death, but He also accepted the personal, physical and spiritual cost of touching those around Him with the power of God’s mercy.

This scene in particular reminds me of the woman with the hemorrhage problem in Mark 5:25-34. The story tells us that Jesus “perceiv[ed] in Himself that power had gone out from Him.” I don’t know what that must have looked like, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it was something like it is shown here.

True Humility

True humility does not come from my actions, but from my relationship with God.

I recently had a conversation with someone about the nature of humility. The word itself seems a bit intimidating. I would like to think that I am humble, but in even trying to say it I lose the very thing I am trying to achieve. Or do we?

I have come to realize that true humility, not the stuff that makes you feel belittled or worthless, but true humility does not come from my actions, is seen in my relationship with God. The greater my understanding and acceptance of who God the closer I am to what God wants.

When I seek to grow in humility I am confronted with the awesome truth that I am unworthy of being in a relationship with Him at all.

God is holy. His holiness makes having a relationship with him impossible. But when I can appreciate the distance God had to travel to bridge the gap between my sin and His glory I am on the road to humility.

Humility is not a line to be crossed or a prize to be won. Humility is so much more than that. It is the final acceptance that God has chosen to come to this earth and provide a way for me to enjoy Him. And it is then when that vertical relationship is what it ought to be, then I can act toward those around me in a way that is both pleasing to God and beneficial to others.

Last Updated on March 4, 2023.

Jesus was a Human “Being”

What GOD is seeking in us as HIS children has very little to do with what we do.

Human Being vs. Human Doing

This post is not about the incarnation or the humanity of JESUS. Rather what I would like to explore is the idea that we as people, humanity as a whole, as created by GOD were not designed to be a “human doing.” What does this mean? The essence here is that what GOD is seeking in us as HIS children has very little to do with what we do. This is an important component of what salvation is. Salvation is not of works, but of faith. What this implies (and almost demands) to us is that there needs to be a clear distinction between what we do for others and what we are before GOD.

GOD wants us to be something with HIM and to do something for others. We can see how confused and confusing this gets when we try to be something, i.e., savior, lover, friend, confidant, whatever, for the people around us. GOD tells us to love our neighbors, that is an action. HE commands us to serve others, that is an action. But when it comes to what GOD wants us to be for HIM is HIS children (John 1:12; Romans 8:16; 1 John 3:1).

The Journey Home

The story of the prodigal son captures the essence of this most vividly. When the prodigal returns he never stopped being a son even though he felt unworthy of accepting the position. The FATHER never forgot who HIS son was. The FATHER even went a step further and reminded the entire house of who had returned “from the dead” (Luke 15:24).

The older brother had a similar problem to that of the prodigal. He never left the house, but he had never accepted the fact that he always had been the son and nothing he did would ever have changed that. “Son all that I have is yours, all you had to do was to ask” (paraphrase).

And he said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. It was fitting to celebrate and be glad, for this your brother was dead, and is alive; he was lost, and is found.'” (Luke 15:31-32 ESV)

Be Transformed

JESUS helps us to better understand the transition that needs to take place in order for us to be what GOD wants us to be. Paul called this being transformed (becoming something we are not) into the reflection of JESUS (Romans 12:2; 2 Corinthians 3:18). Paul also called this being conformed (pressed into a mold) to CHRIST and not this world (Romans 8:29, 12:2; 1 Peter 1:14).

There is a two-part process here. We must first acknowledge that we are children of GOD. This can be hard for some of us to do. But second, we have accepted that this puts us in a very special place within the family of GOD. There is nothing that needs to be done for GOD to be pleased with us. And there is nothing that we can do that will cause GOD to cast us out, if we are HIS children. Distance between GOD and me is a result of my activity to move away and not HIS.

Everywhere JESUS went HE was the truest manifestation of a Human Being. HE did not need to be reminded of the frailty of those around HIM. HE saw it and was moved with compassion (Matthew 9:36, 14:14, 15:32; Mark 6:34, 8:2; Luke 7:13). JESUS did not need to be told about the problems in the church. JESUS confronted them head-on even if that meant standing alone. When you know who you are nobody can deter you from your path.

When we learn “to be” and not “to do,” then we will begin to understand The Christian Way.

Last Updated on February 9, 2023.