Sunday, April 27, 2008

Where Do We Go From Here?

So where do we go from here?

How can we transform our Christian lives from private spiritual experiences to a faith that transforms our world?

In today’s world it’s all about getting money, power, and privilege. Those with the gold make the rules. We think if we have the right answers, if we can mine the Bible for the nuggets of truth that will confront and prove wrong our adversaries we are on the right track. If only we could guide America back to the principles of our founders and regain a higher position in society then we could make a real difference.

The life and message of Jesus seems to confront all of these assumptions.

About 100 years after the death of Jesus another “messiah” came on the scene with the same sort of ideals. His name was Simeon Ben Kisoba. He sought validation from the people of Israel by leading a revolt. He minted coins with the picture of the temple on one side [it still lay in ruins, he hoped to gain political power and then rebuild it], and on the other he instituted a new calendar with the year 1 inscribed attempting to claim that history was turning on his rise to power. He wanted to place himself in the long line of the great kings of Israel. He fit perfectly into the mold of what people wanted in a Messiah.

We too fall into the trap of Simeon when we assume that success in our spiritual lives revolves around a rise to power and authority.

Jesus came and pronounced Himself as the leader of a new way, a new kingdom at which He would be the head. The expectation of a king was one that would rule with power and glory over all others. But Jesus doesn’t live by the expectations of the world.

As Christians the surest way to change our world is not by gaining more power, but by giving up that power. Stop chasing money and privilege, and instead begin by giving up that status.

The kingdom of God views power in a subversive way. When we give up power we gain more prestige. It is by sacrificing of ourselves that we are able to be successful. In many ways the kingdom of God operates in stark contradiction to the world in which we live.

So where do we go from here?

Maybe we should first ask in what areas of my life could I give to others. It is only by humbling ourselves that we are able to access the power of God.

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