If following Christ means making mistakes and getting up again and again, seeking His word and trying to live his teachings then I am a Christian. In my growing up years, it seemed simple. The instructions that went with Jesus of Nazareth at Sunday School were BE NICE. That seemed doable enough. Especially when people were nice back.
But since then I'm finding Jesus meant to overthrow the prevailing cultural philosophies of then and now. He taught radical ideas.
What is radical? Overthrowing the current thought. Revolutionary. Dramatic change. As recorded in Luke 6 Jesus says:
32 For if ye love them which love you, what thank have ye? for sinners also love those that love them....
35 But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil.
That is different than the prevailing thought. Love those that don't love you. Love those against you. This is revolutionary and can see I haven't progressed very far. The difficulty I may have experienced in my life doesn't even begin to compare to the enemies of war torn countries, or the tragedy of crime, and needless loss of life.
A second radical thought: I believe the distinct message I got in high school was the purpose of it all was to go out and earn money. Made sense. Food on the table. But Jesus taught in Matthew 25 that we are to feed the hungry, take care of the stranger, visit those in prison, visit the sick and if we fail to take care of the poor in this manner he will say Depart from me, and we will go into "everlasting fire." Taking care of the poor is not an alternative side event - it is a life focus.
A third radical thought: Jesus is the only way to God. John 14:6 states: "Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me."
No eternal anything except through Jesus! And there is the most beautiful doctrine. Jesus of Nazareth encourages us to COME. Come to Him. He offers rest. He offers peace. He asks for our faith and our repentance and offers the kingdom in return. He can do that because He paid the price of our sins. He died for us and intercedes in our behalf.
He invites us to try this out. He invites us to Come. Again and again. “And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely” (Revelation 22:17).He invites us to try out his teachings and follow His life and he applauds our sincere but clumsy attempts.
I'm continually inspired by people who do just those things. They embrace His radical teachings and counter the prevailing philosophies of our day. I learn of Lebanese people who reach out to their Syrian enemies, and feed them and teach their children. I read of a grieving father who reaches out in love to the drunken teenager who killed his wife and children. I marvel as I learn of a loving librarian who talked to a gunman ready to shoot in a school. She spoke lovingly to this young man and talked him out of the tragedy he intended to carry out. Lincoln appointed a member to his cabinet that had opposed him and spread lies about him. Corrie Ten Boom after experiencing the horror and degradation of Nazi concentration camps is able to reach out in forgiveness to one of her captors. And thousands, millions more examples of people who embrace this unheard of law of giving love for evil and turning towards Jesus of Nazareth, knowing that hope and healing can be found in Him.
The results of these radical teachings? More love and less hate in the world. Light and life radiating outwards. Those who seek to apply the teachings of Jesus become better people. They are more kind, they see clearly. They let go of life destroying hate that shrinks the soul. And in many cases, the transforming redemptive power of love reaches out to the oppressive and offending one, causing them to change. These radical ideas bring miracles - the miracle each one of us individually so desperately needs as well as the world. I love these words by Shawna Edwards:
-Shawna Edwards
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