Why does Jesus require all of me?

~ brandon ~ Leave a comment

Previously, we looked briefly at Christ’s standard for becoming His disciple.  To be a Christian, Jesus teaches, one must renounce everything else and follow Christ.  Now, this raises a good question.  Why must I renounce everything to follow Jesus?  Why does Jesus place such a high entrance requirement upon us?  The answer is found in two of Jesus’ Parables.

In Matthew 13:44-46 Jesus describes the Kingdom of Heaven in similar, yet distinct, ways.  On the one hand, the kingdom is like a pearl of great price.  Upon finding a pearl of great value, a merchant sells all he has in order to buy the pearl!  On the other hand the Kingdom is like a treasure hidden in a field, for which a man joyfully sells all he has in order to buy the field and secure the treasure.

In both cases the man finds something he values more than all of his possessions.  Therefore, he willingly (and joyfully) sells all to gain that prize he found.  So it is with the kingdom.  Consider the kingdom Jesus speaks of.  It is eternal; it is perfect.  In this kingdom there is justice and righteousness, there is peace and rest.  This kingdom ushers in perfection.  This kingdom, the kingdom of heaven, is life as God intends it to be!

Now, compare this kingdom to our present lives.  Our lives are short and imperfect.  We are beset by injustices, great and small.  We experience little rest and much trouble.  No matter how long we live, we don’t grow toward perfection—we decay toward the grave.  This is what we are called to give up.  We are called to leave behind this life and embrace the life of His Kingdom, learning and allowing Him to transform us, so that we might enjoy the fullness of this Kingdom forever.

Half measures are no good. We cannot stay where we are and enter His kingdom.  Either what Christ offers us is more valuable that everything we already have, or it is not.  If it is not, we are fools to accept His offer.  But, if it is then we must leave behind this life and embrace His kingdom.  Sadly, most of us pay lip service and act as if that should be good enough.  We say, “I’ll follow you Jesus,” but we never actually do.

Yoga–Dangerous or Harmless?

~ brandon ~ 1 Comment

Two years ago I listened to a lecture about the history of Yoga and why, in one missiologists opinion, Christian’s are wise to avoid all forms of Yoga.  More recently, this issue came to up again.

From The Huffington Post, via Out of Ur:

While yoga is not a “religion” in the sense that the Abrahamic religions are, it is a well-established spiritual path. Its physical postures are only the tip of an iceberg, beneath which is a distinct metaphysics with profound depth and breadth. Its spiritual benefits are undoubtedly available to anyone regardless of religion. However, the assumptions and consequences of yoga do run counter to much of Christianity as understood today. This is why, as a Hindu yoga practitioner and scholar, I agree with the Southern Baptist Seminary President, Albert Mohler, when he speaks of the incompatibility between Christianity and yoga, arguing that “the idea that the body is a vehicle for reaching consciousness with the divine” is fundamentally at odds with Christian teaching. This incompatibility runs much deeper.

Read the entire article.  It’s a good look at Yoga and Christianity, but from the Hindu perspective.  I think it makes sense, in light of the Barna Report on our Theological Illiteracy.

The Barna Group – Six Megathemes Emerge from Barna Group Research in 2010

~ brandon ~ 2 Comments

The Barna Group – Six Megathemes Emerge from Barna Group Research in 2010.

Makes me wonder why this is true.  All of the studies findings seem to come back to Barna’s first point:

1. The Christian Church is becoming less theologically literate.

A theologically illiterate Church might lose mission (pt 2), not care for spiritual principles (pt 3), prioritize community action over gospel proclamation (pt 4), become more pc (pt 5) and experience little/no impact on the world around.  Whether or not my thinking is true, one still wonders, “Why?”

I believe it starts with our evangelism.  We often try to downplay various aspects of the gospel, in order to win an audience or secure a conversion.  Some down play God’s justness and Hell.  Others downplay the radical commitment that Christ demands.  When we win people to a gospel that only requires a prayer and attending church once in a while, we should not be surprised by these results.

“So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple.”  (Luke 14:33 ESV)

Contrary to our invitations, Jesus made a radical call upon those who would experience God’s grace–they must give up everything.  The response Christ demands is a willingness to lay down anything–and everything–in order to gain Christ.  When we have this attitude toward Christ Barna’s six findings will no longer true.

 

Reason to Rejoice in Repentance

~ brandon ~ Leave a comment

“But they would not listen to the voice of their father, for it was the will of the LORD to put them to death.”
(1 Samuel 2:25 ESV)

Eli’s sons were wicked men.  Though Priests, they neither served God nor man–they served themselves.  Using their position for their own pleasure, they defiled sacrifices and took liberties with the women working at the temple.  Eli warned them that their sin was not against man, but against God.  He reminded them that their was no one to mediate for them before God.  But they did not listen.  Verse 25 tells us why they didn’t listen, and reminds us of why repentance is reason for joy.

In the case of Eli’s sons, it was the Lord’s will to destroy them.  They had no opportunity to repent.  As I ponder that terrible reality, I consider that God did grant me repentance.  I’m no better than they were, but by His grace (and for His glory) He chose to extend to me what he kept from them.  So I rejoice in His grace to me, His grace that granted me repentance and gave to me salvation.