Christ-Like, really?

As Christians, those in our midst interpret everything about us, what we do, how we speak with an intense scrutiny. And these messages that we emit "cues." Cues are things that others recognize and interpret as a character trait, intention, subtle message or passed judgment. We rarely think of every action as a "cue" left for others to interpret, and because of that in-attention, we leave ourselves open to mis-interpretation. Cues require that we must be very self-aware of every aspect of our lives, our words and deeds or lack of them.

As Christians we are particularly susceptible to cues, being the title comes from a Greek word meaning Christ-like, that was given to followers of Christ because they imitated the life of Christ right down to being crucified for living like Him. A simple act of neglect such as doing nothing to help the poor can may be perceived by others as an indication that Jesus cares nothing for them. After all your are claming to be Christ-like, therefore everything you do is suppose to be what He did, what He cares about. Not being a forgiving person gives the impression that God is not forgiving, after all your actions are an imitation of His. Not loving other, particularly the poor, needy, orphaned and sinners, if you are Christ-like then you are saying Christ does not love them, so how can you preach the gospel, claim John 3:16 is true when you being like Him do not love them as they are, you are a contradiction to them.

The way you speak to everyone, how you teat others, is processed with scrutiny, who you chose to talk with, be with, love, help, befriend. Cues can quickly ruin a Christian’s reputation and ultimately their witness, but most of all it tarnishes God’s, teaches others things about Him that are not true, makes the scriptures a book of lies, after all if you are Christ like, an imitation of who He is, and it does not match what the scriptures say, one of you is untrue, one is a lie, and the world is left confused and dismayed with God and Christianity.

But cues are managed by self-awareness, by truly becoming Christ-like, loosing your life in Him, exchanging you life for His, after all that is the biblical definition of who a Christian is, one who imitates the person and life of Jesus.

Church, asking the right questions.

It all stated with my discontent with church in America, my heart longed from something more, I found my self in total discontent with church, my spirit cried out for something more. It was as if it knew that what I have experienced was not the way it was to be, so I studied every verse about the church to get a picture in my mind of what the first church was like, and I wrote out a paper, a blueprint of what the Church looked like described in the N.T, the church started by Jesus with His first disciples. I quickly discovered that the church blueprint I had written out from the scriptures did not match the church I see in America. The one stated by Jesus, modeled in the N.T. is not found in the traditional American church. But what I did find in the scriptures matched my hearts longing; it was what I ached for inside my soul. In the course of my studying and seek the Lord about His church, the process of my seeking out what is the church, the Lord gave me a greater vision of Himself and His church than what I have seen in the church in America. I feel that what I have discovered is that the Lord is calling true believers out of the consumer church, out of the religious church and into the Christ-centered community of Kingdom life He started with His disciples two thousand plus years ago.

In my dialog with others who are on the same page, fellow church planters, those whom their souls also cry out for the church Jesus started, the one we see in the bible, feel the same call of the Lord to His people and His church; I have found my discontentment in the hearts of so many others.

I agree with one of my fellow pilgrims in the quest of the church we see in scripture that we are asking the wrong questions about the broken and flawed imitation of the church we see, it is not the one that Jesus built, the one the disciples continued building and spread across the known world in the first century. We must begin asking the right questions. We must seek to allow the Lord to exchange our old paradigms for new ones, we must not as the scriptures say pouring New wine into old wine skins. This sort of revolution will only come by us honestly asking the Lord to give us the right questions to ask to reveal to us the true knowledge of Himself and His bride, the church, and to be willing, open to, submissive to, to receive, accept and put into practice what He would revel to us, without discrimination to our personal wants and personal vision as to what it is to be and who He is.

How is it possible for us revolutionaries to conquer the old paradigms? Scripture is the key because Christ is the key within them that unlocks the church. The written word of God reveals the living Word of God, Jesus; it unveils the mysteries of God, and the mystery of the Church. Unfortunately too often believers stop short of their purpose for the church, they are too nearsighted, me-sighted in only seeing their ticket to haven as the sole purpose of salvation and church as nothing more than a dispenser of religious consumer goods for their own pleasure and entertainment. And to often even the revolutionaries stop short too, they are in such a hurry to get out of the old in into the new, that they ask the wrong questions thereby getting the wrong answers, resulting to leaving out Jesus also. They pursue other passions, things other than Jesus and His real church as well. The answer is not found in a method, movement, or post-modern emerging, emergent postmodern philosophies or a set of new programs to join. The problem is not the scriptures, Jesus or Church itself. But the turning away from the scriptures, the real Jesus and what they say and want Church to be. The answer is not found in purpose-driven products, you’re Best Life theology or some other religious gimmick. It is found in Christ; He is the answer to our problems in the church today, it is in the scriptures that we find the blueprint for the church not in culture or the latest guru of the post-modern believers and their philosophies. We do not need to reinvent Jesus, we need to seek out and embrace the real Jesus and reinstate Him as Head of the Church. We do we need to reinvent the church but rather to reinstate the original Church, that is follow the model of the church set before us in scripture. And ask the right questions of Jesus as to how do we get out of Your way, and follow what we see in the first century church. So, in order to see a biblical image of Church we must ask questions which are biblically sound instead of denominationally, culturally, me-centered or emerging that are missed colored with bias and misconception and bad theology.

Child like

I brought a friend of mine to the IHOP (International House of Prayer) service this past Sunday for his first visit and as we where leaving his 2 year old daughter in her class there was another 2 to 3 year old boy sitting on the floor crying his heart out. He was inconsolably, no one could get him to stop crying, he wanted his parents, he was unable to function without them near by him. He refused to be consoled, to participate with the other children, to even play, to be function in life until he was back in the presents of his parents.

When we returned to the sanctuary I though about that little boy and it came to me that perhaps that is part of what Jesus meant when He said we must become like little children to enter the Kingdom of God. That just like that little boy we to are inconsolable, unable, and unwilling to function when we are not in the presents of God. That if any time during the day we brake off communion with God, move out of His presents. Allow anything to come between us and God that we to become so upset that we like that little boy must fall to our knees and cry until we are back in His presents. That we to refuse to be comforted by any other thing in this world or any other person, that only our Fathers presents will satisfy us. Only when we are back in His present will we return to participating in life, because we dare not do so without Him, without being in His loving presents, with out His protecting presents with us. Only them do we feel safe to be in this world.

Maybe that is why Jesus said only children really understand how to enter the Kingdom of God, how to be a child of God. Can you function in life with out the presents of God, in constant communing with Him? Do you even aware if you are in His presents or not? Are you unwilling to go even 5 minutes in your day with out His presents, in communion with Him? Or do other things satisfy you so much that you don’t even notice if you are in Him or not, or that you don’t even need Him really to function in your daily life? These are question I well ask myself, I seek to become like that little boy, that I must be in the presents of my heavenly Father to live my daily life or I too will stop everything and cry out for Him and will not go on until I am back in communion with Him, walking in His very presents.

What does you life say Christianity is?

People look at the lives of Christians and say, “So that is what it means to be a Christian.”

So what is your life saying to them what it means to be a Christian?

People look and say “So that is what Christianity is all bout.”

So how does your life define the meaning and purpose of Christianity as being?

People look at your life and say “So that is who Jesus was and what His life was all about.”

So who does you life say Jesus is and what His life was bout?

Isyour life about God’s mission on earth, liberating others from Sin, Gospel Proclamation, about the redemption of the world? Is it about compassion and mercy? Is it about Liberating others from Suffering, Gospel Incarnations therefore you are passionate about the poor, naked, orphan, widow, the hungry and the oppressed? You spend you time, money and life for these things.

Or is it about materialism, worldly things, your career, and bigger house, getting ahead in the corporate world. About self, me, mine and more for me. Does being Christina just mean you don’t cuss, dance, drink, smoke see movies and sleep around and go to “church” get entertained for an hour and put your Christian county club dues in the offering basket. That you don’t get around sinners, prostitutes, drug users, people with AIDS or drunkards. After all Jesus never did anything like that, God wants nothing to do with those kind of people right. Your prayer is all about your and what you want for your self to live a comfortable, rich and happy life. Church is there to server you and take care of any perceived needs you have.

Is that what you life is tell people that Jesus was about, that is why He came and died. That your life models God’s mission here on earth, what the Gospel is all bout? After all Christians are told to imitate the life of Christ, Christian means, to be Christ like, therefore you life tells everyone looking at you what Jesus lived like, His purpose, what His death was for, what things God is concerned about, His mission, and what it means to become a Christian, what Christians live for and their mission in life. So what is it saying?