Month: May 2017

As time goes by, I have grown less and less fond of formulaic Christianity. There have been more books published in Christendom than I can count that give us some kind of formula on how to live a better life, or books that have “figured God out” as if He is some kind of mathematical equation to be solved. Don’t misunderstand me, some of them are good and offer helpful advice, and in fact I would be contradicting my own works, because I’ve offered some of that advice myself. However, when It’s all said and done, I’ve pretty much narrowed my belief down to this:

Jesus is the way.

The way I see it, the best way that I can live a life that is pleasing to God and fulfilling the deepest desire of my heart is to look at Jesus and imitate him. The more I look at him, the more I want to be like him.

Before Christians were ever called Christians, they were referred to as “the Way.” In fact, you can find it seven times in the book of Acts, but only once were they called Christians, and never once was their religion referred to as Christianity. There must have been good reason for them to be known that way. Pastor and author Brian Zahnd says this:

“The common life of following Jesus together was called the Way, not because it was the way to heaven (the afterlife was never the emphasis), but because they had come to believe that in his death and resurrection Jesus had inaugurated a new way of life. Because the lifestyle of the Way was such a radical departure from the way of the Roman Empire, it is no surprise that people viewed the Way with great suspicion and often maligned it as a dangerous cult.”

The world is suffering from a distorted image of God and so is much of the church. It is our responsibility to show them what he is really like. God did exactly that when he took on the form of a man and came to earth. If you want to know what that looks like in a practical sense, the Sermon on the Mount is a great place to start. Jesus came preaching the kingdom of heaven and was kind enough to show us what it looks like. Being Christ-like is completely countercultural to the world.

When we realize that Jesus didn’t come primarily to show us the way to heaven, but the way of heaven, our focus shifts from looking to a “someday in the sweet by and by, I’m going there” to “I’m going to partner with Jesus to bring the reality of heaven wherever I go right now.” Freedom and joy beyond comparison comes when we begin to walk this out.

In my blog next week, I’ll share with you some practical ways that I have have begun doing this in my own life.

With heaven,

Kevin

Everybody likes a guy who fights back, right? I grew up watching the likes of John Wayne, Clint Eastwood, and Marshall Matt Dillon. These were men who played characters that never backed down from the bad guys. I always knew that before the movie ended, the villains would get what was coming to them – a good whoopin’ or a bullet to the head.

I remember vividly the first time I watched Mel Gibson’s “The Passion of the Christ.” In the scene where Jesus is being scourged by the Roman soldiers, tears welled up in my eyes, as well as in those of my family members who sat by me in that theatre, as the cat o’ nine tails ripped the flesh from Jesus. I sat amazed at such love on display by our God. Yet, there was a part of me that felt such incredible anger that men could be so cruel to one so innocent. I wanted God to strike those men down with a lightning bolt right there. But I knew that wasn’t in the script. This script had been written long before it was played out in Jerusalem that day.

It goes without saying that nobody illustrated the Sermon on the Mount better than the Teacher himself.

“Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.”

Have you ever heard the phrase “meek as a mouse?” When that phrase is used the assumption is made that “meek” would mean “small and weak.” However, that is not the meaning of meekness. The literal meaning of the word is gentleness of spirit. Another way to describe it would be “power under control.” The hours leading up to Jesus’ betrayal, arrest, and crucifixion saw the greatest display of meekness the world has ever seen. When Jesus was being arrested, Peter cut off the ear of one of the high priest’s servants. I would have applauded that move. What does the Son of God do? He heals the servant’s ear!

Jesus’ desire to follow through with the will of his Father was greater than any idea of fighting back. He had all the power of heaven at his disposal, yet chose not to use it. One word and a multitude of angels would have been on the scene. I’m sure you get the picture. This is meekness.

How does this apply to you and me? It seems like a tall order when we see Jesus giving us the ultimate example. It’s really very simple. Not easy by any means, but it is simple.

Paul said this in Galatians 2:20 –

I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

One morning as I was in prayer, I had a vision of Jesus hanging on the cross. I was standing on the ground below. Suddenly, I found myself being literally sucked up into Christ as he hung there suffering. Then, with his arms outstretched, he uttered the famous words, “Father forgive them, for they know not what they do.”  Then I heard the Holy Spirit say to me, “This is the posture you will assume when you realize that you died with me.”

Let this sink in – Jesus, God in flesh, all powerful, able to destroy all of his accusers with merely a word, his arms spread wide open as he embraces the fallen world, forgiving them all. All of them. Everyone.

That is meekness.

Let’s not forget his promise to the meek – they inherit the earth.

The heaven, even the heavens, are the Lord’s;

But the earth He has given to the children of men. (Psalm 115:16)

We won’t claim our inheritance by any other way than the Jesus way. It sounds so backwards in a world where the meek seem to get run over in the rat race, but it’s not backward. It’s forward. In a world where men conquer one another by force, Jesus conquers by love, and we get to do it with him, through meekness.

The inheritance is waiting for us.

Kevin