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a creative force for the Creator God.
- the greenroom
- We at the greenroom are interested in creatively and passionately experiencing a Jesus that is more compelling than anything this world has to offer.
15 comments:
Wow! Great Job babe! If I had teachers that looked like you I definitely would have paid more attention in school. I love the idea of how every "lesson" Jesus gave his students (history, math, science experiment)all lead to the most important lesson of all; 'Deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow me.' I'm still in the process of learning that one.
i think we all are...
I want to share what God has shared with me as I wrestle with this week's lesson. It's always confused and frustrated me how Jesus not only shied away from, but seemed to actively fight against popularity and fame. I mean, wouldn't it make things a lot easier if He wasn't just this flash-in-a-pan miracle healer that sprung up for a brief moment in history in some remote corner of the world? Why wouldn't He want to spread the word of who He is and what He can do?! How would people today be able to deny his existence if he was not just a local celebrity in His time, but an international star?! That's when that still small voice set me straight. It's not about who He is...it's about what He did. He knew what His mission was. And He knew that, if His popularity grew too big, the Sanhedrin wouldn't have been strong enough to sentence him to death (I know, I'm reading ahead.) He didn't come so He could become a figurehead for a new religion...He came to save us. So, for me as an actor, this i a very hard lesson to learn. If I really want to look and live like Jesus, I can't be worried about fame, or getting bigger audiences, or more fans. In fact, I should rebel against that, and instead focus on my mission...living for others, and making the world a better place.
"Jesus didn't come to be a figure head of a new religion. He came to save us." That is a bold statement that has the potential to completely change the way we think about what we call "Christianity".
Thanks for your words Aral!
Christ came for one purpose...
"For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost." ~ Luke 19:10
He didn't come to make this world a better place; He didn't come to feed people, heal them physically or solve social issues. Nor did He come to start a religion.
Likewise, He instructed us to continue what He started; to spread the good news of the Gospel...
"Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." ~ Matthew 28:19-20
Our first priority as Followers of Christ is to share the Gospel. Secondly, we are to live out the EFFECTS of the Gospel. The greatest demonstration of love for others is to share Christ w/them.
Feeding the hungry, helping the poor, serving others and meeting the needs of others are the result of the transformation that takes place in everyone who is born again. Compassion is not good works we do to earn points nor is it the Gospel. The solution to all of life's problems starts with the Gospel. The best thing we can do for the world to make it a better place is to spread the Gospel. Teach it, preach it, proclaim it and defend it. That is our purpose. That is why we're here. In His timing, God Himself will make this world a better place.
~ktf~
John
Hey John. Appreciate your comment. Thanks for visiting the conversation. One of the things we're trying to do in these initial stages of the greenroom is read the book of Mark (the first gospel written) as if it were the first time we had ever read about Jesus. Every week we read (and re-read) one chapter of Mark and comment on what we've learned so far. Of course we know how the story ends, but sometimes jumping ahead causes us to miss some very important information. Information that feeds and moves the story line forward. We as Christians have lost the art of reading the bible the way it was intended to be read; as a STORY. (especially the gospels) and not some legal document of theological concepts in which we pick and choose verses to prove what we believe about God. So like I said even though we know the end, we are trying to read it as Mark intended; word by word, sentence by sentence, moment by moment. And up to this point in Mark's gospel, we DO see Jesus making the world a better place, feeding the hungry, healing them physically, changing the social order, demonstrating a deep compassion for others that encompasses everything he does and says. This is how Mark WANTS us to see Jesus at this point. We can't wait to see where he takes us next.
John, I love the post, but I want to take this chance to challenge something you said in another post on this blog a while ago. My question-which Scott posed in the blog post that you commented on before: What IS the Gospel? How can the "Good News" be that Jesus died for our sins when He is telling His disciples to spread the "Good News" long BEFORE He died on the cross?!
"What is the Gospel?"
Seems there are many today trying to re-define or re-imagine what it is? Some say it's being the hands & feet of Jesus. Some say it's making the world a better place; bringing His kingdom to earth- now.
Some say it's charity, compassion, loving others.
One can give a verse or a passage to support just about anything but what it all comes down to is this: What is the big-picture of the Bible? What message was God trying to convey all through time? What is the lesson behind "The Story"? I think it's obvious to see that from Genesis to Revelation, the underlying theme is simple: The Cross.
Absolutely everything points to the Cross. Every example, every story, every lesson; All of it points us to the person of Jesus Christ. To focus only on the smaller stories before or after Christ is to miss the big picture.
I Cor. 12:3... "Jesus is Lord".
That pretty much sums up the foundation of Christianity. God in the flesh coming to save a lost & dying world. While Christ performed many miracles and acts of selfless compassion while He was on the earth, those were not His primary mission nor should they be ours. It's important to distinguish between the Gospel of Jesus Christ; of the Cross and the EFFECTS of the Gospel on a persons life.
He came that we may know Him. Not as a good teacher, not as a prophet, not as a healer but as God Himself. Lord. Savior. Creator of all things. He calls us to follow Him, obey Him, serve Him and proclaim Him.
The Gospel IS Jesus Christ.. Sent to redeem mankind; those who repent & trust in Him alone. Those who deny themselves, take up their Cross and follow Him. In Him we die to self; In Him we are born again. Man's #1 problem is sin. THAT alone explains all the worlds problems. The solution is found only in the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
What Christ taught BEFORE the Cross was who He was. O/T is filled with prophecy of Christ's birth and death. O/T is filled w/examples of "types & shadows" pointing to Christ. I will say this again and I wholeheartedly believe the theme of scripture supports this; Jesus did NOT come to make THIS world a better place here & now. That was not the primary reason for Him coming.
Everyone who claims to be a Christian is a disciple (learner) of Christ. Prior to the Cross, He repeatedly explained what it meant to follow Him. He foretold of what was to come and what we were to do with His message. His purpose in coming WAS and IS the Good News. Before the Cross and after the Cross. Nothing else comes close to this message. No other good thing is the Gospel.
We can devote our entire lives to feeding the hungry, providing for the poor, fighting AIDS, global warming, war, social injustice, abortion and any number of good causes BUT, if we fail to share/teach/preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ, we've done absolutely nothing but make life comfortable for sinners on their way to hell.
When Christ spoke of the Kingdom, He wasn't refering to us making it happen here & now. He told us that His kingdom was not of this world. While we have great hope in the kingdom to come, our focus ought not to be trying to make the earth into it now; at least not through simply being the hands & feet of Jesus by doing good things.
Every Christian is called to live out the EFFECTS of the Gospel but our #1 mission in life is to share it through the Word of God.
~ktf~
John
Out of Love, I've gotta challenge, you, John. Why would Christ tell his disciples to spread the Gospel before His death and Resurrection? And how can He be teaching all of us before the Cross who He was if He is constantly telling people to NOT tell anyone who He is? Like in Mark 8:29-30. "And he saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? And Peter answered and saith unto him, Thou art the Christ; And he charged them that they should tell NO MAN of him." Do I believe His ultimate mission was His victory over the Cross? YES. But how can this be the Gospel He's telling us to spread? His disciples are spreading the Gospel far and wide, like He tells them to, WAY before the Cross. So, what gives? I know your answer is the one held by mainstream Christianity. But that doesn't make it any less confusing. Sure, I can read the New Testament as a whole, but the disciples couldn't. They were LIVING it! So what was the Good news that He told them?
Gentlemen, I want to reiterate the "assignment" We are to read Mark 8. and in the words from Scott's post "One of the things we're trying to do in these initial stages of the greenroom is read the book of Mark (the first gospel written) as if it were the first time we had ever read about Jesus. Every week we read (and re-read) one chapter of Mark and comment on what we've learned so far."
So I DO believe in your later posts you both bring up excellent points...BUT, I resonate with Aral's statement. "Sure, I can read the New Testament as a whole, but the disciples couldn't. They were LIVING it! So what was the Good news that He told them?"
AND specifically in MARK, chap. 8?
What was the "Good News" to those living in Mark 8? Good question.
Jesus Feeds The Four Thousand.
The Good News: God cares about our basic needs of life.
Jesus Heals The Blind Man.
The Good News: Jesus has the authority, compassion and power to restore what we have lost.
Peter's Confession of Christ.
The Good News: Jesus is the promised one sent by God to redeem the world and bring justice to the oppressed.
Let's go back to Mark 1:
"Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. "The time has come," he said. "The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!"
So, according to this, the Gospel that Jesus is spreading is that the kingdom of God is near, or at hand. I got this from a website called evagenicalorthodoxcatholic.org:
The word "near" in our English translations of the Scriptures, comes from a Greek word: "Engiken," which when translated means "has come near. It is important for us know these Hebrew differences in meaning, to help bring further understanding to our Lord Jesus Christ's teachings, both in the early Church and in todays Church.
If we translate that word NEAR back into Hebrew, we get an entirely different meaning and understanding. The Hebrew equivalent of the Greek word: Engiken, is: "KARAV," which means: "To come up to and be with," or "to be where something or someone else is." Why is this so important, you might ask?
Well, if we use the English or Greek word meaning NEAR, the implication is that the Kingdom of God is sometime in the future, not yet here. Yet the Hebrew word KARAV means the exact opposite. It give us the meaning: "IT IS HERE! IT HAS ARRIVED!" The Kingdom of Heaven or the Kingdom of God is always -- present tense -- it is NOW, according to the Hebrew usage and the understanding of the Jews at the time of Jesus and also within rabbinic usage even today.
It is unfortunate that the Church, because of a Greek consciousness and/or understanding and translation, all to often, has confused the Kingdom of Heaven with Jesus' teachings on His second coming (i.e. which our Lord calls "The coming of the Son of Man).
The concept or understanding of "Kingdom," is perhaps one of the most important spiritual concepts in the New Testament. Language is an important factor in this vital understanding. In English and in the Greek, the word "Kingdom" is never used as a verb. It is always something to do with territory or a place. But, in Hebrew, the word "Kingdom" is ACTIVE. In fact, it is an action. It is God ruling and acting in the lives of men and women. It is those who are ruled by God, who have surrendered their lives to God, and who are keeping God's Word "abiding in them/living in them," THEY ARE -- "The Kingdom of God."
It is God working through us, in us and by us. We are the Kingdom of God, manifested into the physical world. The Kingdom of God manifests itself through us individually in our individual relationship with Him and then, collectively - when we gather together in Worship -- within the Divine Eucharistic Liturgy.
The Kingdom is where ever the power and glory of God is manifested, witnessed to, confessed publicly, jointly or together. It is where ever Christians are living surrendered lives in Jesus The Christ, the Son of the Living God -- THERE is His "Kingdom."
So it sounds to me like the Good News has nothing to do with where I'm going when I die, but what I do while I'm alive. Just my opinion.
There are (2) questions that keep coming up in this discussion...
What is the Gospel?
What is the Kingdom of God?
I think the Gospel message is clear. It's about the Cross, attonement, forgiveness, imputed righteousness, Justification.. Salvation through Jesus Christ.
The Kingdom of God is a topic that people have literally started relgions over. Kingdom Now implies that WE can bring God's heavenly Kingdom to earth now. This simply does not align with scripture.
Here's what John MacArthur has to say about Mark 1:14...
The Kingdom of God: "God's sovereign rule over the sphere of salvation; at present in the hearts of His people, and in the future, in a literal, earthly kingdom." "AT HAND" implies that the King was present (Christ). Jesus preached the gospel of God which is the good news of salvation. The greek for "gospel of God" is "good news". It originated from God to proclaim forgiveness of sin, deliverance from sin's power and give eternal hope. This was the primary motivation behind Paul's teaching.. to proclaim it, defend it, preach it & teach it. THIS is why we're here.. to do the same.
When Christ was on the earth, many misunderstood His kingdom to be an overthrowing of the Roman government. They thought He would set up an earthly kingdom at that time. By receiving Christ as Lord and Saviour; by following Him and being filled with His spirit, God's future kingdom is manifested within the hearts of His children; those who have been born again.
The Kingdom of God and the Kingdom of Heaven are the same thing. What this means to us now is essentially "God with us". His spirit dwells within the believer.
Again, there is the message of the Gospel and there is the message of the Kingdom of God. Separate and distinct. One results in the other. They are intertwined. In order to be "in" the Kingdom, one must first receive the Gospel.
~ktf~
John
"...to read the book of Mark as if it were the first time we had ever read about Jesus."
Not sure I completely understand the purpose of this approach. Scripture is to be read & understood as a whole text; not just in segments. We can't build a religion or a theme simply from one particular text. Example:
"Jesus fed 4000".. This teaches us that God cares about our basic needs in life. While this statement is true, it should not be the "take away" of this passage. The overall purpose behind all of Christ's miracles was to demonstrate who He was to mankind. Earlier in Mark 6 He fed 5000 people but it's noted that Christ felt compassion for their spiritual (rather than physical) needs.
To simply take portions of scripture at face value without considering the bigger picture is not how one studies the bible hermeneutically. The Gospel of Mark stands out because it emphasized more about the human side of Christ rather than His teachings. Valuable lessons with regard to serving & humility. All attributes of the EFFECT the Gospel has on us.
I understand the fascination with exploring specific passages and trying to intepret what they meant then and what they mean now however, the Bible is a WHOLE and COMPLETE book. A story that builds on all of the details towards one common theme. We certainly wouldn't take Matt. 10:35 by itself w/o understanding all of Christ's instruction regarding what it means to be a Christian. Otherwise, we'd be left thinking that one must hate their own family in order to be saved.
Fortunately for us, we DO have the whole story and when we read it as such, there is great hope, great joy in knowing what we believe and why.
~ktf~
John
It's always a good thing when people who love Jesus can spiritually and intellectually wrestle with one another in love. It challenges and spurs us on to live more like Jesus.
That's the whole point of this blog.
The tragedy would be if nobody was open to learning from the other.
Each has something valuable to teach - but only if we are willing to be taught. May our hearts be open to what God has to say through those who are desperately seeking to know him more. Jesus said they will know you are followers of mine by your LOVE for one another. I pray that whatever stances we take, that the fruit of the Spirit which is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control will be our guide.
The world is watching. Let's represent Him well.
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