Jesus and Church

It seems that Theophilus asks the question so many unbelievers ask today. I suspect many who attend church regularly and call themselves Christians ask the same question. Who was this man named Jesus?

Yes, Jesus is the head of the church, his church, not man's church. He is much more than a mascot or a banner to march under. Yes, Jesus brings division, just like mercy and compassion bring division. They either bring conviction and softening of the heart or they breed contempt and hardening of the heart.

Discipline, correcting someone brings the same. You change direction or your heart grows stubborn and you think to yourself, "Is that all you got?" Remember pharaoh?

Certainly in five to seven hundred words I cannot say who Jesus is. Over the past two thousand years do you think anyone has accurately defined who Jesus is?

I do know that many confuse the church with Jesus. Somehow some believe you have to be a church member to be a follower of Christ. Some churches may agree with that, but I don't see that in the Bible. Church is certainly a big part of being a Christian, especially if you find a church that is doing its best to follow the teachings and example of Christ. Community is critical. We need each other, but Jesus, the kingdom of God is our ultimate destination, not the church.

We have been out of church and we have been in church and it is better to be in church, if the church is doing its best to follow Christ, and not the agendas of its pastor or its board. There is no perfect church because people are present, but where people are doing their best to follow Christ is a wonderful place to be.

Agendas and what is best for the church can sometimes come in conflict with what the Bible teaches. What pastor will leave the flock to seek the one lost sheep? Additionally, community can sometimes be messy. After all, when you belong to a church it is not a matter of membership, signing some paper or getting your picture taken, it is a matter of sometimes putting church needs above your own.

One of my professors told me everyone can give; time, treasure or talent. The important thing is to give because time, treasure, talent represent negotiable you. God wants negotiable you to be an offering of love, not a duty.

Are you already seeing conflict? How does this square with the pastor leaving the flock to find the one lost sheep? That is why it is better to see life as both-and instead of either-or. Either-or is a vain attempt to place the situation, circumstance, person etc. in a box so there are no loose ends. We also call this closure. It is arrogant garbage.

Both-and is humility. It is the recognition that life is a mystery. The Bible says we see through a glass darkly, we don't have all the answers. Eastern cultures and Native American cultures do not restrict themselves with self-limiting either-or logic. Where in the Bible is Jesus caught in either-or logic?

Every situation, every circumstance, every person, every geographic location and every point in time and space is as different from the others as a snowflake. We don't make the distinction, but God does. We are not God. We don't appreciate God's work.

It would be wonderful to have Jesus as a neighbor. I know he would watch Blazer games with me, but I also know he would not tell me who was going to win. I know he would make me laugh and laugh with me. I know he would come over even if it was 3am if I needed him. I know he would want to be my friend whether I was black or white, gay or straight, conservative or liberal, Moslem or Hindu, New Age or Christian. He would not cast me aside.

I also know being around Jesus would change me. He may watch the Blazer games with me simply because a friend would want to participate in the things I enjoyed. However, there are many things he would not watch and words he would never say because they are contrary to his nature.

Eventually I would want to be like him and participate in what he loves, people. On the other hand I might decide this is just not who I am and we would stop hanging out together. I would leave the relationship, he would not. Jesus would not cast me aside.

Luke wrote for Theophilus as accurate an account as he could of who Jesus was and who Jesus is. Listening to what everyone else says about the book of Luke is fine, but shouldn't we also read Luke's account for ourselves?