From the Heart

Me and my family, we like to church hop. This is not because we dislike any one church, or that we reject community. In fact, what this does; it gives us eyes for a few different things about what's going on with the way people are worshiping Jesus these days.

One of our more recent church visits was one where the pastor's son was teaching the lesson... the prolific words he inspired his lesson? Dr. Seuss..."Oh The Places You'll Go". Profoundly lame? Actually no...it was cute. But the more I discover about today's popular churches is that they are painting a picture of Jesus to their congregations week after week. Cute little images of a Jesus; you're buddy who wants to replace your anti-depressants with his smiling face day after day.

However, the more I follow Jesus, the less cute I think He really is. In a letter sent to the churches across asia minor, Jesus was described by the writer John as this:

"His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire. His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of rushing waters. 16In his right hand he held seven stars, and out of his mouth came a sharp double-edged sword. His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance."

Nothing about this description sounds cute to me. In fact, it sounds scary...and it was for the writer John. The next line of his account of seeing Jesus?

"When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead."

The writer Paul wrote to early Christian churches is a letter, saying that they should be working out their salvation "with fear and trembling".

Now, I do not want to suggest that I think that the Good News is fire and damnation. I am not making that assertion whatsoever. What I am simply suggesting is this: Jesus, though responsible for our salvation, is not our buddy. His is our Messiah...Lord.

When He speaks of Himself in his encounter with John, Jesus said,

"I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, "who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty."

...the almighty... all mighty...

.....................................................................

Along with my church hopping habit, I read a lot of Christian blogs. Some of them are inspired like someone is talking about zoloft or prozac when they talk about Jesus...others describe Jesus like an insurance policy or a 401 K...

but then there are the Jesus people...
the people that talk about experiencing the kind of Jesus that is talked about in scriptures...
the all mighty Jesus.
these are the blogs I read the most.

Here is an entry from one of my favorite ones: he starts it "church was intense on sunday" ...
very few churches I have every been to I would describe as intense!

"church was intense on sunday. we looked at how much of the bible talks about false teachers. how many of the NT books...how much of the prophets (jeremiah 23)and how appropriate it is for us to discuss the reality that there are many false doctrines out there to "tame" the Jesus whom Scripture describes into something they can use to build movement and preserve attendance and giving. Tonight, I was asked what I do "during a day". I told the dude (you are a very cool dude, btw) that today i dug footers for a deck, but on a normal day I am the pastor of a "Jesus People Church" (which is how I say that). He looked intrigued. I don't know what he was thinking, exactly, but this tends to be one of those "moments of truth", so I laid it out: We are a bunch of folks who've gotten tangled up in the Jesus that the Bible describes, who tends to be a whole lot more incredible and untame than the "Jesus that american churches dictate"... or something like that. I don't know, but lights seemed to go on. The definitely did for me, because upon returning home I realized, "That was the gospel". The good news. The good news for today is that the Jesus whom the Scriptures describe is the way out Way Out. He is the best! He is Wonderful! Counselor! Everlasting Father! Prince of Peace... of His Kingdom there's no end... and we're actually waiting for Him to return... Life begins to feel like the snowdays we used to have in NY, where I was all dressed up and ready for (hell on earth) school and the radio said I could stay home. I had TIME. And freedom. And with the Jesus that the Bible describes, you can get with him and STOP. You can turn from your ways and turn to HIM right Here and Now! No need for a uniform. No need for a pedigree! Anyone who wants OUT can have it. Just turn to Jesus and follow, leaving the old life behind... That isn't confusing when you're in the market for salvation. In the market for comfy cozy, selfish religion? you don't know what to do with the Bible Jesus. Shopping for a self-realization? forget it, Dude'll never make sense to ya! He's answering your questions with questions... but when you're on your face, gripping the edge of his robe, about to get killed with rocks for being an adulterous idiot--the Bible Jesus is the dude. He's not all, "it's okay, we all struggle..." He's like, MERCY: "...neither do i condemn you." and TRUTH: "Go and sin no more." Forgiveness and Holiness... that's the Jesus! There are just too many jesuses around! Don't settle for just any jesus, please (many will. they'll read this and go on ahead and pick a jesus--or create a new one--that suits their shopper-holics)...but please, don't settle for just any jesus. Pick out the One in Scripture... Join with others who have searched Him out. Accept no substitutes! even if that means you have to have coffee in a living room over scripture, rather than enjoy vid-screens and pop-presentations. Try not to die with regrets."

How bout dem apples?!?!?