You see two sides of Jesus in the gospels.  You see the side of compassion and mercy.  He heals the sick, gives sight to the blind and so forth.  This is the side of Jesus we see preached and taught most often.  Church outreach focuses on this Jesus and meeting our neighbors needs.  We train people to become involved in other’s lives so that you can see their needs and meet them–thus winning the opportunity to share Christ.  Now, that seems like a winning strategy.  But what of the other side of Jesus?

When a rich man came looking for salvation, Jesus told him to sell everything, give it to the poor and then come follow.  Or, as Jesus puts it elsewhere, “whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me,” (Matthew 10:38, ESV).  So, Christ recognized a time to confront.

America is overflowing with abundance.  Even our poorest are wealthier than much of the world.  Especially in suburban America, the lifestyle among an average American could easily be described as ‘rich.’  Cable?  Check.  Internet?  Check.  House?  Check.  Cars?  Check.  Multiple TVs?  Check.  Air Conditioning?  Check.  On and on it goes, even in the midst of financial need most around here have enough stuff to liquidate they could survive for sometime.

So, where is the line of transition?  At what point is ‘loving’ people to Christ simply enabling a love for material possessions?  At what point odes love become confrontation?  When is it more Christlike to say, “Knock it off and follow Christ,” instead of, “How can we help you?