True Jesus Following: What an incredible morning. I am limping because I have met with the Lord this morning (Gen 32). (Most of what I am going to say here is engraved in my heart by Tim Keller of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in NY). I am amazed how good and gracious our God is. I have heard, by His doing (Mt 16:17, Ps 118:23), the good news of God with us (Immanuel) – Jesus Christ! And I need it as much as I did on December 8, 1984 (my first recollection of acknowledge/confessing with my mouth Jesus as Lord). I need the gospel as much as I did on July 17, 1988 (Another milestone in my life spiritually) and February 17, 1995 where I wrote in my bible- “Lord send me anywhere, only go with me”. I need the gospel every moment of my life. I just want to confess that! My soul and heart have been battered against the Rock with the waves of the gospel this morning. As usual I began to contemplate how that should look in my life. It is much easier to write out what it should look like in the life of others. So, I’ll do that, because in my heart I am really a scared little kid who doesn’t want to be exposed for the wicked sinner he is (I am). To be truthful, I don’t mind saying I am wicked generically. I am ready to say with anyone- I am utterly depraved apart from Jesus Christ. But- Oh how I fret the thought of people seeing all the horrific iniquity in my mind, heart, and lips. WOE is me, for I am man of unclean lips. I’ll have to ask that you just take me at my lying word (shouldn’t be too hard if you just look into your own heart and mind through the lens of the gospel (James 1:22-24 http://www.theriv.org/index.cfm?page=8)-you should find the same wickedness that shouldn’t fall too short of mine). Here is the crux of what is pounding me over and over again that brings me great pain and joy at the same time. I feel like the Alanis Morissette song “hand in my pocket”. I am wicked but I am righteous (in Christ). What tension! If there was one word that sums up the way I feel lately it is TENSION. I have the entire gospel, yet I need more (not sure how that works- I have another paper that is unpublished on WHY I HATE/LOVE WORDS-unpublished on the blog because it is ‘Babel’ or confusion.) This week I attended a B-R-utal meeting. The point of the meeting was to have a council grant an application for a home development that would help out the lower income work force. It is not a government program, but rather a private organization that helps out people to live the “American Dream” as the chairman of the company put it (as best as I can recall-incase his lawyer stumbles across this, although I have not used the names of anyone or any organization to protect them, blah, blah, blah, yadda, yadda, yadda) The phenomenal thing is that several people got up declaring in some way shape or form that they were Christians, or at least that they were Church going citizens of the community. However, in their arguments against something that would benefit others and not themselves, they made it clear that they were not interest in benefiting others at the cost of their property value. Does this make them bad? You tell me. But Jesus gave up everything in order to provide benefits (wretched way of describing it) for undeserving people like me, without gaining anything from it. So, should this be the example for Jesus’ followers to follow? Isn’t that what the letter from Peter suggests (1 Pt 2:21-25). I realize that Peter is talking about suffering at the hand of evil doers and suffering for their good, namely the gospel being proclaimed through our suffering. But, isn’t the principle the same? Shouldn’t we give up our rights to have our property values not increase, to show the community that we love it and desire to promulgate the gospel to the whole community? It’s hard to say- I love you through a privacy fence. Whether those that opposed the application are right or wrong- I can’t really say (although I really want to), but what I can say is that it seems that Christianity has become more about self and the rights we have, rather than JESUS CHRIST. I really want to be a Jesus Follower. I really want to think Missionally. SO, I am laboring more and more to see things in terms of the Mission that Jesus not only called us to, but demonstrated to us. He gave up His heavenly Throne to enter into a culture that hated Him and rejected Him, so that HE could save it. Tim Keller, quoting Sinclair Fergasen, said (Paraphrased)“We need to learn from Jonah’s mistakes. The wicked sailors cried out to Jonah for him to do something to save them from the storm. When Jonah was pierced to the heart, he gave up his own life jumping over board for the salvation of the crew”. I need to learn and live this. I really believe that we all need to learn and live this as Jesus Followers. This is just a side rant because I was pierced to the heart about my own short comings. What are your thoughts? Do you like Pancakes? I do! www.theriv.org Til’ next time, SC