It seems that in my growing up in the North American church, Christianity was portrayed as a sort of fire insurance and once you ask Jesus into your heart you got your policy and were good. So what do we do now? Just sit around and wait for the trumpet to blast and ascend to the Father on a "white cloud pillow" strumming a harp (or in my case a telecaster).
This sort of philosophy was a huge frustration for me as it left a lot of questions unanswered. Do I pursue a career? Do I grow in my gifts and knowledge? Do I even start a family?
The ironic thing is that the very authorities in my life that told me that I just had to accept Jesus in my heart and look for the parting clouds..told me to get a "good education" and "plan for my future." There was that constant state of confusion as on one hand I was to "do something" with my life ,but subconsciously I would wonder why, because I was told it will all burn anyway. We will get entirely new bodies, probably won't be married to our current life partner and walk on streets of gold with the keys to our new mansion in hand. I read an interesting blog for Pastor Greg Boyd http://www.google.com/reader/view/feed/http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds2.feedburner.com%2Fgregboyd and it helped remind me of some other readings I've read from N.T. Wright (The Challenge of Jesus, The New Testament and the People of God) and Brian McClaren (Everything must Change), that our life here in this moment in time is a process, a place to work out who we are in the Kingdom. Below is and excerpt from Pastor Greg Boyd's blog that helped me a bit. It talks about purifying our lives in this stage here on earth and that there are no shortcuts:
"What I’ve tried to show in this post is that this purification is not optional and this judgment is not avoidable. Whatever is not completed now will have to be completed at the judgment seat of Christ – but again, it’s in our best interest to complete this process now.
We are all in training for the eternal Kingdom. Life is the school that prepares us for heaven. And, like it or not, we will not enter our eternal Sabbath rest until we’re ready to graduate. There simply are no short cuts, so we might as well start to enjoy the learning process."
In the last couple years I have "come awake" so to speak and have started shaking off some of the things I was taught and have started chewing on the things of God on my own. This also caused me to assess my life and beliefs. Essentially, I have spent a better part of my years waiting for the "trumpets to sound" so to speak. I have been waiting for the next "move of God." All the while gifts and time have gone by the wayside and depression of unfulfillment has ruled me. Well no longer. I am so excited to move on and begin or to some degree continue my purification process. This process isn't just ridding my life of "sin" but of becoming who I am too be. Letting go of the false doctrines and weird controls placed on me from a young age by well meaning church authorities. Learning to walk in the way of Christ, and understand his love for me and then give it back as intended. I was also created with a unique way of Worshipping our creator and sharing his love, which I am starting to feel are the same thing. I am also learning that we may be taking the portrait of "Heaven" to literally. Could heaven be the space in time that we finally just stop struggling and live in the peace that we have finally become what God intended us to be?
Saturday, March 21, 2009
Sunday, March 1, 2009
The Power and extent of forgiveness and loving your enemy.
Due to a busy Sunday my family and I decided to stay home and have church with just me, my wife and two daughters. We had a glorious time of worship and then my youngest daughter picked a story out of her children's bible. It was the story of Naaman directed by a servant girl to go see Elisha for the healing of his leprosy. Naaman was responsible for taking the servant girl as a slave after killing her family. What enemy love as she directed him in the way of healing. Then, when he scoffed at the healing process, he was still loved and guided and eventually healed. After reading this my oldest daughter, wise beyond her years, said we are supposed to love our enemies. I am thankful for this insight as we live in a country..that even calls itself christian who has gone to destroy it's enemies by political might..with the support of the church no less. I am thankful that my daughter can see through that rubbish. I have included the story below in the NRSV.
2 Kings 5:1-17
5Naaman, commander of the army of the king of Aram, was a great man and in high favor with his master, because by him the Lord had given victory to Aram. The man, though a mighty warrior, suffered from leprosy. 2Now the Arameans on one of their raids had taken a young girl captive from the land of Israel, and she served Naaman’s wife. 3She said to her mistress, “If only my lord were with the prophet who is in Samaria! He would cure him of his leprosy.” 4So Naaman went in and told his lord just what the girl from the land of Israel had said. 5And the king of Aram said, “Go then, and I will send along a letter to the king of Israel.” He went, taking with him ten talents of silver, six thousand shekels of gold, and ten sets of garments. 6He brought the letter to the king of Israel, which read, “When this letter reaches you, know that I have sent to you my servant Naaman, that you may cure him of his leprosy.” 7When the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his clothes and said, “Am I God, to give death or life, that this man sends word to me to cure a man of his leprosy? Just look and see how he is trying to pick a quarrel with me.” 8But when Elisha the man of God heard that the king of Israel had torn his clothes, he sent a message to the king, “Why have you torn your clothes? Let him come to me, that he may learn that there is a prophet in Israel.”
9So Naaman came with his horses and chariots, and halted at the entrance of Elisha’s house. 10Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, “Go, wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored and you shall be clean.” 11But Naaman became angry and went away, saying, “I thought that for me he would surely come out, and stand and call on the name of the Lord his God, and would wave his hand over the spot, and cure the leprosy! 12Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them, and be clean?” He turned and went away in a rage. 13But his servants approached and said to him, “Father, if the prophet had commanded you to do something difficult, would you not have done it? How much more, when all he said to you was, ‘Wash, and be clean’?” 14So he went down and immersed himself seven times in the Jordan, according to the word of the man of God; his flesh was restored like the flesh of a young boy, and he was clean.
15Then he returned to the man of God, he and all his company; he came and stood before him and said, “Now I know that there is no God in all the earth except in Israel; please accept a present from your servant.” 16But he said, “As the Lord lives, whom I serve, I will accept nothing!” He urged him to accept, but he refused. 17Then Naaman said, “If not, please let two mule-loads of earth be given to your servant; for your servant will no longer offer burnt offering or sacrifice to any god except the Lord. 18But may the Lord pardon your servant on one count: when my master goes into the house of Rimmon to worship there, leaning on my arm, and I bow down in the house of Rimmon, when I do bow down in the house of Rimmon, may the Lord pardon your servant on this one count.” 19He said to him, “Go in peace.” But when Naaman had gone from him a short distance,
2 Kings 5:1-17
5Naaman, commander of the army of the king of Aram, was a great man and in high favor with his master, because by him the Lord had given victory to Aram. The man, though a mighty warrior, suffered from leprosy. 2Now the Arameans on one of their raids had taken a young girl captive from the land of Israel, and she served Naaman’s wife. 3She said to her mistress, “If only my lord were with the prophet who is in Samaria! He would cure him of his leprosy.” 4So Naaman went in and told his lord just what the girl from the land of Israel had said. 5And the king of Aram said, “Go then, and I will send along a letter to the king of Israel.” He went, taking with him ten talents of silver, six thousand shekels of gold, and ten sets of garments. 6He brought the letter to the king of Israel, which read, “When this letter reaches you, know that I have sent to you my servant Naaman, that you may cure him of his leprosy.” 7When the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his clothes and said, “Am I God, to give death or life, that this man sends word to me to cure a man of his leprosy? Just look and see how he is trying to pick a quarrel with me.” 8But when Elisha the man of God heard that the king of Israel had torn his clothes, he sent a message to the king, “Why have you torn your clothes? Let him come to me, that he may learn that there is a prophet in Israel.”
9So Naaman came with his horses and chariots, and halted at the entrance of Elisha’s house. 10Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, “Go, wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored and you shall be clean.” 11But Naaman became angry and went away, saying, “I thought that for me he would surely come out, and stand and call on the name of the Lord his God, and would wave his hand over the spot, and cure the leprosy! 12Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them, and be clean?” He turned and went away in a rage. 13But his servants approached and said to him, “Father, if the prophet had commanded you to do something difficult, would you not have done it? How much more, when all he said to you was, ‘Wash, and be clean’?” 14So he went down and immersed himself seven times in the Jordan, according to the word of the man of God; his flesh was restored like the flesh of a young boy, and he was clean.
15Then he returned to the man of God, he and all his company; he came and stood before him and said, “Now I know that there is no God in all the earth except in Israel; please accept a present from your servant.” 16But he said, “As the Lord lives, whom I serve, I will accept nothing!” He urged him to accept, but he refused. 17Then Naaman said, “If not, please let two mule-loads of earth be given to your servant; for your servant will no longer offer burnt offering or sacrifice to any god except the Lord. 18But may the Lord pardon your servant on one count: when my master goes into the house of Rimmon to worship there, leaning on my arm, and I bow down in the house of Rimmon, when I do bow down in the house of Rimmon, may the Lord pardon your servant on this one count.” 19He said to him, “Go in peace.” But when Naaman had gone from him a short distance,
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