WWJD?

ok, since there is a lot of conversation on this topic on a previous post.  i thought i would make a post about this and clarify a little what i read.  a little background info...

i made the comment to fran that i was re-reading The Shack and in it, a comment was made by Jesus.  He said something like his life wasn't meant to be an example to follow.  I said that we had a great conversation about this in our small group, i thought it meant that we don't have to try to be perfect.

so, a few clarification points and a few discussion points about this.

i know The Shack is fiction.  fiction, by definition is; the class of literature comprising works of imaginative narration. (according to dictionary.com) so, would i base my theology, the study of my understanding of God, off of this book?  no, not really.  nor would i get worked up and say that the book is blasphemous! (a friend of ours said this about the book) 

i do think the book can be helpful in trying to portray God in a way that is different than most people think about Him.  for us, it is a great conversation starter!  it is a great way to open the scriptures and see if they really say that is how God is.

here is the quote i mentioned to fran.  

"You mean,"  Mack quipped, "that i can't just ask,  'What would Jesus do?'"Jesus chuckled, "Good intentions, bad idea.  Let me know how it works for you, if that's the way you choose to go."  He paused and grew sober.  "Seriously, my life was not meant to be an example to copy.  Being my follower is not trying to 'be like Jesus', it means your independence is killed.  I came to give you life, real life, my life.  We will come and live our life inside you, so that you begin to see with our eyes, and hear with our ears, and touch with our hands, and think like we do.  But we will never force that union on you.  If you want to do your thing, have at it.  Time is on our side."

From The Shack, chapter 10

Tara, I too have been taught that we ought to be holy just as Christ was holy and i thought that meant doing or NOT doing a bunch of stuff. it is 1 peter 1:15-16, it says... but just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: "be holy, because i am holy."  my question would be, what makes you holy?  i have tried to be holy, and i fail really bad when i try to be holy.  i usually end up more holier than thou, than i do holy.  i think the conversation between mack and jesus portrays a clear direction with how to be holy.  

check out these verses...

Colossians 3:12 ...  Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.  we are holy and dearly loved because he chose us!  then we are able to do the list that follows.  the list doesn't make us holy...

2 Timothy 1:9 ..  who has saved us and called us to a holy life--not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace.  This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time,

Hebrews 10

you will have to read all of that, there is goodness in that chapter!

now, if we were to try and live our life perfect...following the mantra, WWJD.  we might end up feeling defeated when we fail.  but, IF we understand that we can not be made any more holy than we already are...  then the list becomes easier to accomplish.  we dont have to accomplish it by ourselves.  we realize that Jesus is inside of us, allowing us to see as they see, hear as they hear, act as they would act.  

i first heard it from louie giglio, "the key to christianity isn't trying, the key to christianity is dying..."  

does this change any of your thoughts?  what do you think?  are you a try-er or a die-er?

motives

Fran posted a comment on the post before this one, methods vs. message, that has bothered me for a couple of days.  you do have to go back and read the post and maybe even watch the video on the site it is linked to before reading on...  you dont want to?  i know...i never do either, but seriously...it will make more sense!  

ok, the conversation about is it ok for methods to change, but the message must never change...and fran asks the question, what about the motive? does it change the message and the method?  in a word, YES...sounds easy at first.  think about this though, God's message is him desiring to be known among all the people of the world.  His fame, His glory, His renown....that is why God does what He does.  God is into God! (as Louie Giglio says).  I believe that...His method of letting the world know that He is God is, you... and me.... us, one could say, The Church.  collectively, we show people who God is!  individually, we show people who God is!  you ought to re-read those last two sentences...if they didn't scare the hell out of you, you should re-read them several times...

if our motive is anything other than showing people who God is, it changes everything!  if we want to have the coolest, hippest church in town, b/c we like to show off how innovative and cool we are...that is how we show God to the world.  God is a show-off.  if we want to have the most traditional church in town...that is how we show God to the world.  God is boring.  if we choose to do nothing and be complacent about everything that goes on in the world today...that is how we show God to the world.  God is out of touch and is way too big to care about anything we do.  

motive is HUGE!  i could not say it any better than this...

My beloved friends, let us continue to love each other since love comes from God.  Everyone who loves is born of God and experiences a relationship with God.  The person who refuses to love doesn't know the first thing about God, because God is love--so you might live through him.  This is the kind of love we are talking about--not that we once upon a time loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to clear away our sins and the damage they've done to our relationship with God.

My dear, dear friends, if God loved us like this, we certainly ought to love each other.  No one has seen God, ever.  But if we love one another, God dwells deeply within us, and his love becomes complete in us--perfect love!        1 John 4:7-12 The Message (emphasis mine)

this piggy backs on what Fran says here. 

God is love, and it is our job to show people who He is.  now i know that seems simple to say and there are a lot of doctrinal belief statements, and figuring out how to put flesh on that seems next to impossible with all of the stuff that goes along with modern day western culture church... maybe we should just try to go one step at a time though, first, realize that we are beloved!  that is huge!  second, love each other.  third, allow God to dwell deeply within us and let his love become complete in us...perfect love!

the motive would be pure, the message would be truth and the method would be complete!  i pray that this would become reality in my life as well as everyone who has the love of Christ inside of them!  

peace!

brothers and sisters...

i love watching my kids interact with each other. eric is 7, kinley is almost 3 and they are definitely brother and sister. she wants to do everything he does, whatever he says...she either repeats or says the exact opposite, and he tries to boss her around a little every once in a while. but eric does a great job or watching out for her and she benefits greatly because of it! sometimes though, he treats her like she is older than she is. he sometimes thinks that she ought to understand everything he does, he can not understand why she doesnt want to share everything like she ought to. he likes to brag that he can beat her down the drive way on a foot race. eric will sometimes get mad if you try to help her win and he doesnt understand that you are not trying to beat him, but just trying to help her out a little.

sometimes i think we are like this. it is a great picture of what happens when we try and lead people into a growing relationship with Christ. i sometimes get too focused on what i am doing and i forget about the others around me. sometimes i think i am older than i really am, so i try to act like i am in control or really know what i am doing. sometimes i forget that it is all about being unselfish and loving people more than i love myself. sometimes i forget that not everyone is at the same place on their journey towards Jesus.

i have learned a lot sitting and relaxing in church, and i have learned a ton from watching my kids.

hope you had a great 4th of July!