I need help

Before anyone writes in stating the obvious; I realize I need a lot of help in many areas of my life. Ok, I stole your thunder and witty response now we can move on.

For a class I’ve taken I noticed something in the gospels. You see, I had to read all four gospels five times each before I could start the first assignment. While this seemed like a daunting task it really became an enjoyable experience. Reading the words of Jesus everyday for a couple weeks. Devouring large portions of Scripture was awesome!

This thing I noticed is not necessarily awe inspiring. It’s just something my simple mind noticed and have been pondering for a few weeks now. I understand it could be a matter of wording, but I can’t seem to get this thought out of my head. So instead of writing to challenge – I’m asking a question: Why do we as Christians hold to the ’born again’ terminology Jesus uses, which is mentioned once as a marker of faith (John 3) but Jesus says to give away all two different times (Mt 19, MK 10, Lk 18 are the same story; Lk 12 is different) and we don’t follow that?What I mean is in churches all across America if someone is to become a follower of Jesus there is a tendancy to push people to pray a prayer (which I’m not saying is wrong, it’s just not part of this discussion) in order to claim he/she is ‘born again’ as Jesus mentions in John 3. I understand what it means to be born again and I understand we are a new creation in Christ. I really do get all that. My question is: Why haven’t we as Christians sold everything to live communally? To share so no one is poor. To care for each other as brothers and sisters in Christ like in the book of Acts.

There is an old adage from my school days that goes something like this: if the teacher says something once take it in to consideration but if a teacher says something twice write it down or do it.

Jesus is much more than a teacher, he is God in the flesh. Jesus mentions to a man (Mt 19, MK 10, Lk 18) who wants to enter the Kingdom to sell all. Too often that is taught because money was this man’s g0d. I don’t disagree. BUT, Jesus disciples were by no means wealthy. Their possessions were more than likely very limited and yet Jesus tells them (Lk 12) to “Sell your possessions, and give to the needy.”

Why are we (I place myself here too) quick to claim we are born again but still hold on to our possessions while kicking our leftovers to the needy? The thing that gets me is Jesus says this to the rich man but also to his disciples who were mostly poor.

Where do I go from here?

an appropriate question

I read an interesting quote by Tony Campolo about 2 months ago. The quote reads – “Even if there were no heaven and there were no hell, would you still follow Jesus? Would you follow him for the life, joy, and fulfillment he gives you right now?”

For me it is the question of whether Jesus is the Golden Ticket I happened to find in a chocolate bar or is my relationship with him real?

While it’s clear Jesus died for my sin because he wants to spend eternity with me, that can’t be all there is to the Christian life. At least that’s not what my Bible says. My Bible talks about a life of community, a life of friendship, a life of hardship, a life of suffering, a life of serving The One True God.

Which brings me back to the question posed by Tony Campolo “Even if there were no heaven and there were no hell, would you still follow Jesus? Would you follow him for the life, joy, and fulfillment he gives you right now?”

Based on what I know my life to be prior to April 2, 1995 and what my life has been since that date I would say an emphatic yes. But, if I’m completely honest with myself though, I’m not sure I would have ever made the choice to give my life to God if there wasn’t a ‘hook’. Eternity is what got me through the first few years of following Jesus as Savior. That day in April there became a goal, there was light at the end of the tunnel of life I had been living.

Really, I’m not sure Tony asks a fair question. As human beings we tend to do things for reward. Whether it is a good job at work for a raise or promotion or maybe taking the second job so you can afford a new car, house, boat, ??? or whether the reward is the simple  joy on someone’s face. We are driven by an internal desire to please.

That’s why I’m not sure the question is fair. It’s trying to look outside of a current reality as though the reality doesn’t exist. Heaven does exist. Hell does exist. It’s too convenient a question for Christians to answer. We Christians aren’t good at answering the standard Sunday morning question ‘How are you?’ with any sort of honesty and sincerity, how can we possibly answer a question that has no basis for reality.

No it’s too easy for us to settle in to the routines of ‘church life’ and never ask the questions that really matter. Try reading Matthew 19.16-30 and put yourself in the position of the young man. Instead of passing the text off as not relevant because you’re not wealthy replace the money with whatever is most important to you: family, status, church, parents, education. Whatever is most important to you Jesus asks you to give up to follow him.

That might be a better question: If you were asked to give up family, job, education, status, wealth, car, food, house, etc would you still follow Jesus? Would you follow him for the life, joy, and fulfillment he gives you right now?

For me this question is simple to answer – yes. If Jesus asked me to leave behind Lanae, Taryn, Moiya, paycheck, car, house and friends I would still choose to follow Jesus. It would be too easy to say that God would never ask that and yet he asked Abraham to sacrifice Isaac. He asked the disciples to get up and follow him. Leaving everything behind. He asked Jesus to die. He asks you and I for complete surrender to every aspect of our life. Why shouldn’t he ask us this question.

What would your answer be?