Jesus Questions

 Recently, I was asked these questions: “Who is Jesus to you? Do you believe He fulfilled the mission He was sent for? What was that mission? Do you believe He was a real man? Do you believe that God is holy? Do you believe that He is so holy that He can not be in the presence of sin? How do you believe God sees our sin? Do you think God is sovereign? Do you think that God is still loving if He allows people to be murdered, raped, sick?”  They came toward the end of a discussion about the existence and nature of hell.  They also came from someone with whom I have corresponded both in blog post comments and e-mails prior to this latest interaction, and from someone I thought already knew many of my answers.  

I admit, initially I felt put off by my on-line friend’s questions and another question: “is she doubting my salvation?” went through my mind.  You see, my experience as an emerger-type has been that once more traditionally minded believers  realize I do not line up with them on what seem to them to be fundamental positions, they feel justified in questioning whether or not I really  am a believer.  Thus, they ask a series of questions, similar to those above, to try and build more evidence against my true salvation.  They think I can not believe what I say I believe if I do not also believe what they believe.  I have even had people tell me I can not possibly believe in heaven, or what Jesus accomplished on the cross, or Christ’s resurrection if I do not also believe in hell.  None of which, I must add, is defendable through scripture. 

While I do not think this questioner asked the questions she did because she doubts my salvation, the reason I am answering them in a separate blog post is because of how asking them came across to me.  I do not want to make a straw man with which to do battle by attributing attitudes to my on-line friend which she does not actually hold.  My caution to all of us who would engage in theological discussion is that we work hard to debate true positions held by real people rather than make assumptions about what people believe based on our  preconceived ideas of some label we (or the group we have attached ourselves to) have placed on them.  I apologize to my on-line friend if using my reaction to her questions offends her.  I do not believe she intended any ill will by asking her questions.  Never the less, answering them here provides me with an opportunity to show how holding the positions I do, does not automatically mean I am a non-believer.

 

This would be an exceedingly long post if I tried to answer all the questions above at one time so I am going to split them into the Jesus  questions and the God  questions.  I will address the Jesus questions shortly and the God questions in a part two post in a day or two.  Once I write a completely new post I will put both part 1 and 2 as a page on my blog.  Feel free to comment or ask additional questions on each section but know  I will not answer the God questions until my next post.  Now on to my answers.

 

“Who is Jesus to you? Do you believe He fulfilled the mission He was sent for? What was that mission? Do you believe He was a real man?”  I believe Jesus is the Son of God (Luke 22:70).  I believe He was fully man and is (and was prior to His life on earth) fully God.  I believe in order to become a man He limited himself in both power and glory (Philippians 2:5-8) and as a man He did exactly what He was on earth to do (John 19:30).  I believe His purpose was to live a life totally dependant on His Father—doing only what He saw the Father doing (John 5:19)–and by doing so He provided humanity with the way back to God (John 14:6).  He came to save the world, not to condemn it (John 3:17, 12:47).  And, His commandments to us are to Love God, love our neighbors as ourselves, and love our enemies (Matthew 22:36-39, 5:44).  He saved the world by living a sinless life and defeating death.  In a way I do not completely understand His life, death, and resurrection are a gift to me, which I have done nothing to earn, and which reunites me with my Creator, God.

 

If you have read many of my previous posts you probably know I take the life of Christ as presented in the Gospels quite seriously.  I believe His message that the kingdom of God is at hand was encouragement to His followers to walk out a life of mutual submission and service.  He was neither impressed nor put off by one’s rank or station.  He taught His disciples to pray asking for the Father’s will to be done on earth in the same way it is done in heaven.  He administered healing and forgiveness.  And, He did so most often in the context of community and relationship.  Finally, He was neither unnecessarily offensive nor inappropriately timid.  He was most assuredly, led by the Spirit.

 

Narcissism and Grace

Typically I read three or four specific blogs on a weekly (if not more frequent) basis, not because I always agree with everything these writers say but because I almost always go away with something on which to ponder.  A couple weeks back I was drawn to a post and comment on the Without Wax blog that lead to a second post, as well as a comment on Parchment and Pen. 

The comments on each of these blogs were critical and harsh if not unequivocally hurtful and untrue. The visible manner in which Pastor Wilson dealt with his critic was graceful and to this reader (as well as most other commenters) impressive. If Mr. Patton saw the comment I am referring to (the post was about him but he did not write it) he chose to remain silent which was an equally gracious response.  If you wish to see the original discussion feel free to follow the links.  Pete Wilson’s second post was also about narcissism.

The applicable (to this post) definition of Narcissism according to my very old Merriam-Webster dictionary is: “egotism”, which is further defined as: “an exaggerated sense of self importance.”  While most of us have probably run into someone who obviously fits this definition, the majority of the people we know or associate with do not or we would not associate with them.  The point Mr. Wilson made in his second post however was one many of us would just as soon avoid.  We do not want to acknowledge those thoughts and feelings (often rather egotistical) we keep hidden away that, if know to others, would in all likelihood cause them to see us in a considerably different light.  Sometimes they come in the form of silent comparisons which usually put us on top–“at least I am not as fat as so-n-so” or “at least our car is newer that John Doe’s.”  At other times they show up as out right criticism and judgment–“how dare she wear such a revealing dress in Church”.  The reality is, such thinking is nearly impossible to avoid but most of us work pretty hard to keep it in check. 

Mr. Wilson’s concern, with regard to himself, was that he wanted for everyone to like him, so badly (in his self assessment) that he obsessed on the negative things people said to or about him and tried to justify his actions or thinking accordingly.  His supporters quickly pointed out how well he actually handled himself with regard to those around him even if his confession was true.  Others gave him props for being so authentic as to confess his underlying thinking, saying his example helped them to do the same.  Not knowing Mr. Wilson, his ministry, or those in his fellowship I can not argue with anything they say (not that I would want to anyway).  At any rate, Mr. Wilson seems to be doing it  right even if fighting his hidden tendencies and thought process is difficult. 

The point I would like to make by bringing all of this up is that I believe we can not help but have self oriented thinking.  No matter how hard we try we can not escape our own minds.  The best we can hope for is that we allow our orientation toward ourselves to be informed by God’s orientation toward us.  I realize in many circles my last statement would be considered blasphemous–saying God is oriented to us—“How dare she!  Why…why…if anything we must be oriented toward Him!”

Why?

“Huh?  What do you mean–why?”

Why?  What is the underlying motivation  for our thinking “we should be oriented toward Him”?  And what is wrong with saying God is oriented toward us; it is His choice?

“Well to begin with He is God and He deserves to be honored and worshipped and–“

And, I am not saying God does not deserve to be honored and worshipped!  But, even when we do manage to touch a part of heaven we  are the ones to benefit.  We  receive His abundant joy.  We  experience His unspeakable peace.  And, we  often want “more, Lord” because it feels so good!  Our true motivation  for saying what we do with regard to the shoulds of God is that our best interest is served by orienting ourselves toward God.  We become better people.  Others think more highly of us.  (And in some people’s thinking:) We get saved. 

But best of all, we experience  what it means to be loved by the Sovereign Lover of our souls.  Nothing is more pure, more radical!  Can you wrap your head around what that means?  Perfection loves us, gives Himself up for us, is oriented toward us.  Wow!  I mean seriously–wow!  God understands Man’s self-orientation and still loves us.  We reject Him and He loves us.  We sin against Him and harm the rest of His creation but He still loves us.  Redemption–God’s ultimate Grace–is ours.

Now when I said: “The best we can hope for is that we allow our orientation toward ourselves to be informed by God’s orientation toward us.” I simply meant that recieving a gift from an anonomous lover can be fun and exciting.  We can enjoy the gift in and of itself BUT when the Lover is known and we can share our enjoyment of the gift with the One who loves us our experience is magnified.  We become more than what we were on our own.  When we give a drink to the “least of these” we may be the hands and feet of Jesus but when we recognize His eyes in the faces of those we serve we are indeed transformed.

GETTING WHAT ONE DESERVES

I love listening in on the conversation my son has with some of his friends and acquaintances on Facebook.  The only time I get to do this is when he reads various posts out loud to me or when his friends comment on his status updates and it turns into a debate.  Recently I caught a discussion on the idea of what would make it so a person “deserved” hell. 

Now, we are often quick to say we do not deserve heaven  (but thanks be to God He sent Jesus so we can get there).  I completely understand and embrace that particular train of thought.  Nothing I have done, including birthing five of the best children on the planet, earns me a place in heaven.  But, why then do we seem to think what we do (or do not do) deserves hell?

When I actually stop to think about it I have to admit, I have a bit of a “works” mentality.  “I just did three loads of laundry–I deserve  a doughnut, or flavored creamer in my coffee, or…”  I was raised on works.  Growing up I heard phrases like:  “You get what you pay for” or “You made your bed, now you have to lay in it”  or “If you work hard enough you’ll get a good grade on that project” all the time.  If a teacher was not spouting this wisdom then my parents were.  And, even though I knew better (by grace not works you are saved and God loved us even while we were sinners and His love is unconditional), I still transfered a works relationship over to God.  What makes my heavenly Father different from my earthly father, anyway?

Now there’s a question to ponder.  And if you think about it long enough it’s not so different from the “what makes us think we deserve hell” question.  The truth is, we have fashioned our God after our fathers (both spiritual and physical).  If our earthly dads are legalistic so is God.  If they are works and rewards oriented so is God.  If they’d just as soon slap you down as look at you well…  It can start to look pretty ugly up there in heaven.  Our tit for tat, earning and deserving, “I’m just waiting for you to mess up” kind of thinking messes with the doctrine of unconditional love.  And, we start thinking in terms of “some one has got to pay”.

So many people who believe in the doctrine of hell tell me they do so because God is just.  Well, I say if God is just and therefore we have hell then no way in hell would any of us end up in heaven.  Seriously, how crazy is it to think that a just  God would say, “Okay, if you believe I sent my Son to die in your place then you get into heaven but if you don’t well burn in hell forever.”  Have you ever been burned?  It hurts.  A lot. Can you imagine leaving your child’s finger in the flame for one minute let alone eternity?  How is that justice?  When I ask my friends who believe in hell this question they usually say something a long the lines of, “Uhh, I don’t know.  But, He’s just and…the Bible says and well,…His ways are higher than our ways.”  I do not mind telling you, that kind of thinking makes my brain hurt. 

Rather than trying to scare the hell out of people with talk of eternal damnation why do we not try naming the good within them?  In the parable of the sheep and the goats Jesus told his listeners that whatever they did for the least of these they did for Him.  To me this parable tells us that even if we do not know we are working for God when we do good we serve God.  In Acts 17 Paul told the men of Athens that what they worshipped as unknown he knew and he went on to tell them about Jesus.  Why make witnessing about the love and presence of God so complicated?  He is good.  He is grace.  He is love.  His fruit in our lives is peace and patience and joy and self-control, kindness and gentleness and love, even if we do not yet know His name.

Where Is the Church?!?

I just read an interesting blog at One Hand Clapping  about all the twittering going on concerning the elections in Iran.  One comment lead me to look up an organization called Invisable Children.  Did you know there is going to be a two day event in D.C. to draw political attention to the plight of children in Uganda who have been abducted and drafted into the Lord’s Resistance Army, which is led by Joseph Kony who is anything but a Godly man?  Me either, until tonight that is (6/19, which won’t be tonight by the time this gets posted).  I wonder why? 

I even know a missionary in Uganda.  So, I should be more aware of what is going on over there.  She visited our fellowship less than a year ago, but then she was not invited to speak so maybe that has something to do with why I do not know anything.  Come to think of it, she does not even have a link on our fellowship’s website.  Nor is there a link to the Invisible Children  website.  Yet, somehow we still consider our fellowship missions friendly.  Strange.  Or, then again maybe not.

Can you tell I am a little miffed?  Well if not just stay tuned.  I want to know: why do organizations like Invisible Children  think they will get more accomplished by rallying in front of the White House and lobbying U.S. congressmen then by moblizing the Church?  Is it because they have tried to mobilze the Church and the Church refuses to pick up the ball???!  Is it because the Church thinks cowardly sticking the four spiritual laws tracts under people’s windshild wipers and teaching Vacation Bible School children that God’s got the whole world in His hands is the same as feeding His sheep and caring for the widows and orphans?

Where is the Church?  And please do not try and apease my anger by suggesting that the Church is there, working in the trenches, ministering to those in need just not with all the fanfare of governmental agencies.  The absolute truth of the matter is that the Institutionalized Church budgets less than 10 percent of its resources to missions.  In fact it comes closer to 2 percent.  So while a few in the Church are   in the trenches, risking their lives and working to make a difference, the westernized Church  as a whole cannot exactly say it has done or is doing much of anything!  In fact I am pretty amazed we even dare to call ourselves the Church since we have become so disconnected from what the Church in the first century looked like.

Recently my son asked this question on his Facebook status update:  How do I show that I love my God?  He asked because he kept hearing people talk about how much they love God but he was not really seeing much in the way of physical evidence.  I think my son already knows the answer to his question is:  You show you love your God by doing as He did and by obeying His commandments. 

So, what did Jesus do?  He healed the sick.  He fed the hungry.  He cut through all the religious (and political) bullshit and He got His hands dirty by relating to the tax collectors and prostitutes, in other words–the politically incorrect people.  And, what were His commands to His disciples?  He told them to love God and to love one another as He loved them.  Why?  In order to be a witness. 

Jesus also told His disciples that whatever they did for the least of these  they did for Him.  Whatever–as in everything–good or ill.  Does that not catch your breath?  Well, it should, Church.  It should make sitting in the pews in all our finest fashions with our Mabeline lashes flittering and our Covergirl lips smiling down right uncomfortable. 

Entire people groups are being wiped out.  And, where is the Church?  Thousands are being displaced and hundreds are being abducted.  And, where is the Church?  Children are snatched right out of the arms of their mothers and if they try to escape  their throats are slit with machetes.  And, where is the Church?  We are sitting in padded pews, bathed in the sunlight that streams through our stunning stain glass windows, impatient, because our pot roasts are being over cooked or the big game is about to begin and we might miss the opening minutes.  Most of us can not even be bothered to help our sister fellowships build a Habitat for Humanity House or run a local soup kitchen let alone worry about something happening half way around the world. 

Despite our repeating the Lord’s prayer or our reciting the Apostles Creed we are NOT evidencing our faith in an all knowing all powerful God merely by gathering in a building on Sunday morning.  Do you know who the King in the parable in Matthew 25 is talking to when he says: “Depart from me you who are cursed”?  He is talking to the part of the Church  that failed to care for the hungry, the thirsty, the stranger, the naked, the sick, and the imprisoned.  He states His position very clearly in verse 45 when he says: “I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.” 

I want to know where in the hell of Uganda and the Congo, or the sex trades in Thailand, the poverty of India, and the suffering of Darfur is the Church?  Why are our tithe dollars going toward multimillion dollar buildings when 10,000 children are dying of starvation every day?  How dare we call ourselves “little Christs”?!  Since when did the Christ we claim to follow turn His back on those who are weary and burdened?  Or close His eyes and ears to the cries of the afflicted?  Do you really want to save someone from hell?  Begin with the hell on earth!

Off the Top of My Head

Okay, here goes…This has been the week from…somewhere other than normal.  I have not exactly been busier.  No one has been sick.  I even got to help celebrate my Dad’s birthday with a trip to the theatre.  We saw a wonderfully well done production of Guys and Dolls.  I felt light hearted for the next couple days and still smile with the memory.  But, that does not account for the rest of what I have been feeling.

My spirit is stirred.  Something has shifted for me and I am beginning to think maybe the fog is lifting, just a little.  A variety of conversations, both online and off,  have contributed to this stirring and I think I am beginning to understand, in a way in which I can finally articulate, where I sense Spirit moving me in the whole emerging Church, seeking relationship, following Christ journey I am on or in  or (Ohhhh, how do you end that sentence without a preposition? humm…).  Anyway–

Randi from Seeds in My Heart, and Kathy at The Carnival in My Head, and Tom, and Frank, and Shelby over at Radically Authentic, and Striker at  A New Vision, and yes even some of what is being said on Parchment and Pen have all helped to shake loose some thinking, stir up my spirit, and speak to my heart.  I am learning about community and being and waiting.  It is not about what were doing or how we are doing it, or when or where or how often.  It is not even about why as long as the why is “to reach people for Jesus” or “to make fishers of men” or “to preach the gospel”.

I am convienced that Jesus never meant for us to “do” Church.  I am certain He meant what He said when he told His disciples to abide in Him and that His prayer was not just for them but was also for those who would believe because of them.  I trust that He knew what He was talking about when He said if we lift Him up He would draw all men.  I believe He sent Spirit to be our counselor, our comforter, our constant companion.  I know He is the way, the truth, and the life, and that the only way we will be re-united with our Creator, Father, is through our identification with Him, God’s only begotten Son.  This I know.  I also know my whole purpose, my whole reason for being is to be in relationship with my Creator, to reflect His creativity, His passion, His peace, His gentleness, His uncompromised goodness, His unconditional love, His victory over death.  Oh our boxes are so very tiny, our biggest dreams so very small.  Even greater things.  And, even greater things.  And, even greater things than that.  Our God is good and His love endureth forever! 

Please do not project something onto what I am saying that I am not saying.  I am not talking about greater ministries, or more stuff, or bigger bank accounts.  God has called us to be the called out ones, to walk in unity with His Spirit, to be His ambassadors.  That means we have no ownership in anything that is not His Kingdom, no investment in “world” systems.  How radical is that??!! 

I get that “our best” is like filthy rags BUT that He dances over us with sing even so.  I believe it is my job (for lack of a better noun) to create safe places to be the Church and share the journey.   I do not believe that is translated into building ministries.  I believe the “called out ones” are to gather together but I do not really know how that is supposed to look.  I have a pretty good idea how it is not  supposed to look but I also know that I have my own share of controlling religious spirits to resist.  And so…I think I am suppose to leave all that, or most of it, up to God.  SO where has God got you on the journey?

Love Letter: It Is Finished

Last year I wrote a series of blogs relating to the topic of hell. My conclusion was that scripture does not support the existence of hell as a literal place of everlasting torment. Feel free to read my arguments here, here, here, here, here, and here. After “coming out” about hell one of the comment/questions I heard most frequently was, “Why?” Why stir up that can of worms? Why not just keep your opinion to yourself? Why broadcast your heresy? So what if you “studied it out” why go there? A year ago these questions surprised me. After all, was it not important to speak the truth? Eventually however, I did quit talking about it. Other issues came up and focusing on politics—the Church’s and the nation’s–was easier. Recently an on-line friend sent me an e-mail that got me thinking about the answer to the question, “Why?” And, I would like to try to tackle it now.

Feeling like I could never “measure up” to my parents’ expectations resulted in years and years of feeling like I could never measure up to God’s standards, either. A few years ago, I had a kind of crisis of faith experience that lasted for a couple years. At one point I remember distinctly deciding that if God was holding a measuring rod to my life then He could just forget it; I was not even going to try anymore. I already knew the verdict–failure. I was failing as a wife. I was failing as a mother. I was failing as a Christian. I was not even sure I was “saved”. The thought that maybe I just was not one of the “chosen” plagued me. I honestly began to feel like I was ripping into pieces. If I had bothered to get counseling, I am certain I would have been diagnosed as clinically depressed but I was too close to total despair to care.

Shortly after my family moved back to where my husband had done his graduate work, we had dinner with our former pastor and his wife. (This is the friend I mention in my posts about hell). His words that night were like a love letter to my wounded spirit. As my friend explained why he was excommunicated (for his newly formed position on hell) an amazing transformation began to take place. God, the lover of my soul, began wooing me. As I held the gift of life I finally could open because I finally understood it was mine freely given, my spirit literally leapt for joy. When I still could not reconcile the pain and confusion of Church going with a Father who loved me He held onto me. When He corrected me, His correction was out of a place of love, not disappointment or anger. I started hearing the phrase: “Because I love you so much…” in front of everything He said to me.  I began reading the Bible again.  What had been dust in my mouth came alive.  It jumped off the page and into my heart.  Passages that had only confused me before made sense now. 

So, what had changed?  Discovering the truth about hell being man’s doctrine and not my Father’s assured me of my Father’s heart.  Realizing that His gift was for everyone, that my salvation was in His hands alone, that my failure—even my failure to have enough faith, say the right words, or do the right thing—could not take away, undo, or mess up His gift of salvation to the world, to me.  My Father loves me.  The death and resurrection of Jesus accomplished what all our professing and good works could not.  That is why I must speak the truth about hell.  Our Father loves us and His love is sufficient for salvation.