Perfection

Matt. 5:48 – “Be perfect, therefore, as your Heavenly Father is perfect.”

Talk about Wham-O!! He sticks it straight to us here- no qualifications, no room for justification, no conditions- just “be perfect.”

My impression of myself is that I’m pretty low key and rarely goes out to ‘rock the boat.’ However, I have a side of me that really appreciates things that are in your face, things that hit you head on and force you to deal with them. So I love this command of Jesus for that reason. There are no ifs, ands, or buts about it.

So this verse popped in my head when I was invited to participate in this blog. Looking it up I wanted to check out the almighty Context and see if I can ‘qualify’ it so that my brain can wrap itself around it a bit easier. (Disclaimer: I am fully admitting that any qualifications from context are my own- ie., that of a limited, mortal, finite being- even though I’m approaching something regarding an unlimited, immortal, infinite entity. Proceed with the appropriate grain of salt.)

Low and behold- the context fits in nicely with my ruminations on ‘pure behavior’ that I’ve been exploring on my blog! In other words, it is behaving toward someone not based on who you are or who they are (ie.- our ‘platforms’). Jesus has drawn distinctions between how humans act toward each other (even pagans like their friends!) and how God acts toward others (causing the sun to rise on the evil and the good.)

So I’m seeing the crucial phrase in this verse as being the word ‘as’- how is your Heavenly Father perfect? In what way are we to be perfect ‘as’ He is perfect? Based on the context-in our treatment of others. We should treat everyone with the same love and mercy, regardless of their standing in relation to ours.

Perhaps we can think of it this way: it takes two to Tango. If we have a problem with somebody – or, taking the good and the bad, if we are friends with someone- it is as much a reflection of us as it is of them. Using this analogy, it seems that God acts as the dance itself rather than a participant on one or the other side. When taken with the idea of ‘dying to ourselves’ (ie.,- getting rid of our ‘platform’) I see Jesus as commanding us to be the same- to be the dance.

And Who Exactly is My Neighbor?

Luke 10.25-29

On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus, “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

“What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?”

He answered, “'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and will all your strength and with all you mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”

“You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.”

But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”

“Who is my neighbor?” I’ve spent a lot of time trying to answer that question, and I pride myself on the fact that my definition is broader than most. I’ve really embraced the idea of a global neighbor—that because of a global economy everything I consume affects some other person positively or negatively. So I don’t shop at Wal-mart, buy most things used, don’t eat meat, sponsor a child, lobby for fair governmental practices and increased giving, and generally attempt to live as simply as I can.

But then, Jesus re-enters the conversation: A man gets mugged traveling from Jerusalem to Jericho. A really godly guy, a really smart guy and an average guy who nobody thinks a whole lot of pass by, but the average guy is the only one to stop and help. And Jesus asks which of the three was neighborly? The expert in the law answers correctly, “the one who had mercy on him” (v30-37).

But did you notice that Jesus didn’t answer the man’s question: “Who is my neighbor?” You see, the man had asked the wrong question. The question is not “who is my neighbor?” the question is “what kind of neighbor am I?” The Good Samaritan was a merciful neighbor, and Jesus put him forward as a great example to follow.

Being a good neighbor is not influenced by who your neighbor is or isn’t. Being a good neighbor is being willing to go the extra mile, turn the other cheek, show mercy, offer forgiveness, suffer persecution, take a little less so some one else can have a little more. Being a good neighbor is about learning to live like Jesus lived and to love like Jesus loved. Bottom line? Loving your neighbor as yourself is ultimately about you and the kind of neighbor you choose to be.

New Mexico Woman Falls in Well

"10Jesus answered her, "If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water."

11"Sir," the woman said, "you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water? 12Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and his flocks and herds?"

13Jesus answered, "Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, 14but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life." John 4

If a woman’s concept of God determines the depth of her prayer life, then it’s important for me to ‘Know the Gift of God.’ Like the Woman at the Well, I, don’t realize that I’m thirsty. I think that I am satisfied and have everything I need – AND - I know where the well is when I need to draw more. I don’t realize that I am thirsty, what’s more, that I’m thirsty for Christ. I keep drawing and drinking from the well of earthly possessions, needs, and desires. It barely wets my whistle and merely curbs my thirst.

And, just like the Woman at the Well, I am never truly satisfied. I desire a deeper relationship with Christ. I desire a deeper prayer life. For this to happen, I must first recognize that I AM THIRSTY…….for Jesus. I need the Living Water more than I need my next breath! So, I’m praying for a parched throat, one that aches for, and can only be quenched by the Living Water that is Christ.

Fast on this...

Mark 2:18-22

John's disciples and the Pharisees sometimes fasted. One day some people came to Jesus and asked, "Why do John's disciples and the Pharisees fast, but your disciples don't fast?" Jesus replied, "Do wedding guests fast while celebrating with the groom? Of course not. They can't fast while they are with the groom. But someday he will be taken away from them, and then they will fast. And who would patch an old garment with unshrunk cloth? For the new patch shrinks and pulls away from the old cloth, leaving an even bigger hole than before. And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. The wine would burst the wineskins, spilling the wine and ruining the skins. New wine needs new wineskins."

I have not fasted well. It's not just that I can't keep a fast but I can't remember to fast when I tell my self I will. There seems to be some sort of mental disconnect for me, I am not motivated to fast like I am to love the poor. Maybe it's because Jesus didn't command me to fast. Either way Jesus understood fasting better than any other rabbi. He said that is would be foolish for the disciples to fast. Just like it would be foolish to postpone celebrating at a wedding, sew a new patch onto old clothing, and pour new wine into old wineskins. If you were a well seasoned seamstress or wine maker you would know these things, but if you had not practiced sewing or making wine you would need the wisdom of others in order to not make those mistakes. It seems that Jesus was worried that the disciples had not had enough practice with fasting, nor that they were ready to listen to his wisdom. So in their case fasting was an unwise choice to make at this point along their journey. 

I will continue to wrestle with how and why to fast, practice, and listen for Jesus and others to share their wisdom. 

Discipleship White Out

I think this is a great idea and would love to contribute, however, I must insist that the following teachings from Jesus be removed from Scripture because........well…. I just don’t like them.

#1 – “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” Matthew 5:11-12

#2 – “You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you….” Matthew 5:43-44

*Actually, just remove ALL of Matthew Chapter 5.

#3 – “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Matthew 6:19-21

#4 - "No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.” Matthew 6:24

*Okay, let’s remove Matthew Chapter 6……….

#5 - "Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.

"Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye.” Matthew 7:1-5

……….and Chapter 7 as well.

Furthermore, for personal reasons, I request that any teachings that contain the phrase, “sell your possessions” or “deny himself and take up his cross daily” be removed. I think that about covers it, now I’m ready to obey ALL that Jesus commanded!

Cheryl

Keepin' It Real

On Sunday during our worship time at church I found myself asking God to forgive me for being a fraud. I think that I desire to be what God wants me to be, at least that's what I tell myself. But really, I am selfish. I don't really want to put in the effort it will take to be obedient. I know that will mean giving up some habits that I am comfortable in, and in the process, people might get to know me for who I really am. And so I feel like a fraud when I sing and pray and talk to people about things because sometimes I don't really want to do those things. So what do I do? Stop singing, praying and talking to people? Nope. I don't think that's the answer. But to me, being fake is the same thing as lying to someone and being truthful is a virtue I hold tightly to.

So I find myself in a bit of a quandary and in social situations where I want to figuratively cover my ears and start rocking back and forth, mumbling to myself and pretend it's not there. 

At this point I need to make a disclaimer. This is not the situation I find myself in all of the time. But it has happened enough in the recent past that I feel compelled to... be real about it.

Feeling the tension

I am feeling a tension within myself between two ideas regarding this venture, and I want to tell you about it.

The first idea: Jesus is telling us to "go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you." So if we're supposed to teach people to obey everything Christ commands, and not just the highlights but truly "everything," then we better know what those commands are. And we better be obeying them ourselves before we try to teach anybody else how to do so. Right? Therefore, the organized, checklist-y part of me wants to embark on a project of systematically going through all the Gospels and making a numbered list of each of Christ's separate commands. Once I have each command on an index card, I want to shuffle and organize them into a highly ordered outline with a few major categories which contain subsets which contain further subsets. Then I want to memorize my outline and meditate on it. Then I want to make a big chart for myself and put a star sticker in a box next to each command as I have success obeying it. This is how I like to attack a project--in a highly systematic, ordered, duckies-in-a-row kind of way.

The second idea: the Pharisees were a very duckies-in-a-row kind of people. They had systems and order coming out their ears. I'm afraid that if I did Idea #1, that I would just take the life-giving words of Jesus and turn them into a life-killing law. I'd be turning the New Covenant back into the Old one. Idea #2, therefore, makes me despair of doing anything like #1 before I even start it.

So does anyone have any ideas about how we can be serious, organized, and disciplined about identifying and pursuing Christ's commands without turning them into a new Leviticus?

Thanks,

Heath

Economic Crisis

"Be careful not to do your 'acts of righteousness' before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.

"So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. (Matt. 6.1-4 NIV)

I love the idea of this blog. I pray that God will empower our conversations and make us all better disciples.

I wanted to start off sharing about giving for a couple reasons. First, it's a discipline that my wife and I have embraced; second, it is a discipline that is very necessary right now.

It is so easy to let giving go when money is tight. In this economy we are all faced with having to cut back on the money that goes out, our giving can't be on the chopping block.

Giving is close to the heart of God. When we give, we look like God. Here Jesus teaches us to give in secret. I've struggled with how to interpret this - do we give only in cash so that no one knows? Do we claim our giving on our tax return?

I honestly don't know, but what I do know is that giving is an expression of the heart of God and that when we give we are to not expect any credit or praise from people.

Network Rendering

When I'm making a video with my cheap video editing software every single frame has to be rendered, which is to say that the computer has to individually paint every frame of the video (about 30 frames per second). Depending on how long your video is, all of this painting can take awhile. Think about it: 10 minutes of video = 600 seconds = 18,000 frames. In order to make things go faster the software can render "over the network," which is to say if the computer is connected to a network of computers, the software will delegate to other computers to use their painting skills, kind of like a cyber-painting party, only you don't have to buy pizza for everyone.

I've been thinking that as disciples of Jesus, this is what the church ought to be. We are all trying to learn to obey the teaching of Jesus; that's a lot of frames to paint! But if you are thinking about one teaching, and he's thinking about a different teaching, and she's thinking about a different teaching, and I'm thinking about a different teaching, then when we get together we can benefit from each other's painting.

This blog is a rough draft of that church. This is your invitation to choose a teaching of Jesus, reflect on it, experiment with it, write a post and send it to me, and I will add you as a contributor to the blog. (I'm retaining the right of editorial privilege initially, but I doubt I will ever need to use it.) This blog is not a university; we are not looking to be impressed by scholarly aptitude. This blog is not a magazine; we are not looking to be dazzled by glossy word pictures. This blog is a church; we are looking for testimony, confession, prophecy, dreams and visions, humanness and messiness.

And everyone is welcome.