| Maybe you shouldn’t read this… But then again maybe you should. |
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Beginning with the December, 2010 website update, we are using this page for discussion
of Scripture the western church doesn't like. We actually started the passages themselves
last month when we had on our home page Scripture of the Month 2 Corinthians 8:13-15 on
monetary equality in the brotherhood. This month we continue with Luke 14:
Luke 14 12-14, Then Jesus said to his host, "When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not
invite your friends, your brothers or relatives, or your rich neighbours; if you do, they may
invite you back and so you will be repaid. But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the
crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you
will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous."
How do we know the western church doesn't like this passage or the one on economic
equality in 2 Corinthians 8:13-15 or the ones we will talk about in the future? Because they
are not practiced which means they are not believed nor are they liked. I have never heard
a sermon on the above 2 lessons. Except for one time at one church put on by an outsider,
I have never seen anyone put on a dinner for the outcast.
But yet there they are. If you go through a systematic study of either Luke or 2 Corinthians
you can't miss them. But we do. Is it intentional? I would hope not and want to believe it is
unintentional. But yet when we don't do this we are disobeying our Lord, which of course
is sin.
This is the Christmas season. Many churches will have programs to "adopt the
unfortunate" for this time of the year. What does that entail? Putting together a box of crap
- oops, sorry, not supposed to use that word, I would so hate to offend anyone - putting
together a box of stuff to give to our "adopted family." Then Christmas is over and we put
another notch in our Bible for our good deed. Huh? Is that Jesus? Is that the Gospel? I
looked up giving a box of cra... I mean stuff in my concordance and couldn't find anything
anywhere.
When Paul uses the word adoption in Romans 8, he uses it in the context of someone who
is declared to be God's son or daughter forever with all the responsibilities and privileges of
an eternal inheritance. Somehow I don't think that's what we're doing when we give
someone or some family a box o' stuff. I don't think any of us give them that box o' stuff
and then immediately go to our family lawyer and write them into our will. But yet as
adopted sons and daughters of God, we are in his will and are receiving an eternal
inheritance.
But the point of this is not to delve into a theological discussion of spiritual adoption. The
point is that with our box o' stuff we don't really adopt a family and there is so much more
we could do, starting with what Jesus talks about in the above Luke 14 passage. In fact
that passage is an excellent instruction on how to get to know someone and get to love
them because we can't love someone we don't know. We can say we love them, but our
actions show what's in our hearts.
So this Christmas why can't we start with not only buying a needy family their box o' stuff,
but then asking them over for dinner. Not to a restaurant but to our home, where the setting
is so much more intimate. Get to know them and allow them to get to know you. Ask them
about their lives and share your life with them. Then can you stop? Of course not, but
hopefully you won't want to. Hopefully you will be so enthused with the love that Jesus has
put in your heart that you will want to continue to invite them over and share more of your
life with them. Then maybe you can take them to the zoo or a ballgame or something
equally as cool.
The Church of Christ should not be separated (and actually is not separated) by trivial
superficialities such as economic class, race, or nationality. When Jesus tells us to go and
make disciples of all nations in Matthew 28:19, he purposefully did not restrict us to such
shallow and irrelevant characteristics. All who are adopted sons and daughters of God are
our brothers and sisters in Christ. Perhaps we should treat them as such.
"But it's so hard. How can you expect me to invite someone I don't know well into my home
for dinner? Won't it be awkward?"
Yep - it's hard. Yep - it's awkward. But so is following Jesus, I mean really following him.
But it's hard and awkward only in the sense that it goes against what the world tells us we
should do. The problem is the world doesn't have a clue. The world doesn't trust God and
has no faith in him. The world relies on what they think they know from Tier-1 universities.
As David says in Psalm 2, Yahweh laughs at them.
So if it's hard, if it's awkward, if we're somewhat afraid, what should we do? Give up and
just blow it off as has been done countless times in the past? I don't think that's what Peter
meant by growing in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
I truly believe that we need to continually take it to God in prayer. Ask him to help us grow
the way he wants us to grow. If we believe that all Scripture is inspired by God and useful
for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, then we know we
that this and the other Scriptures are not something we can continue to blow off. So we
need to take that problem to God:
Try something like that from your heart. Trust God to help you to grow in being a disciple or
student of Jesus. Invite those into your home that can't pay you back and watch the
spiritual rewards come to you in a good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running
over, will be poured into your lap...Remember - he promised!
of Scripture the western church doesn't like. We actually started the passages themselves
last month when we had on our home page Scripture of the Month 2 Corinthians 8:13-15 on
monetary equality in the brotherhood. This month we continue with Luke 14:
Luke 14 12-14, Then Jesus said to his host, "When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not
invite your friends, your brothers or relatives, or your rich neighbours; if you do, they may
invite you back and so you will be repaid. But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the
crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you
will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous."
How do we know the western church doesn't like this passage or the one on economic
equality in 2 Corinthians 8:13-15 or the ones we will talk about in the future? Because they
are not practiced which means they are not believed nor are they liked. I have never heard
a sermon on the above 2 lessons. Except for one time at one church put on by an outsider,
I have never seen anyone put on a dinner for the outcast.
But yet there they are. If you go through a systematic study of either Luke or 2 Corinthians
you can't miss them. But we do. Is it intentional? I would hope not and want to believe it is
unintentional. But yet when we don't do this we are disobeying our Lord, which of course
is sin.
This is the Christmas season. Many churches will have programs to "adopt the
unfortunate" for this time of the year. What does that entail? Putting together a box of crap
- oops, sorry, not supposed to use that word, I would so hate to offend anyone - putting
together a box of stuff to give to our "adopted family." Then Christmas is over and we put
another notch in our Bible for our good deed. Huh? Is that Jesus? Is that the Gospel? I
looked up giving a box of cra... I mean stuff in my concordance and couldn't find anything
anywhere.
When Paul uses the word adoption in Romans 8, he uses it in the context of someone who
is declared to be God's son or daughter forever with all the responsibilities and privileges of
an eternal inheritance. Somehow I don't think that's what we're doing when we give
someone or some family a box o' stuff. I don't think any of us give them that box o' stuff
and then immediately go to our family lawyer and write them into our will. But yet as
adopted sons and daughters of God, we are in his will and are receiving an eternal
inheritance.
But the point of this is not to delve into a theological discussion of spiritual adoption. The
point is that with our box o' stuff we don't really adopt a family and there is so much more
we could do, starting with what Jesus talks about in the above Luke 14 passage. In fact
that passage is an excellent instruction on how to get to know someone and get to love
them because we can't love someone we don't know. We can say we love them, but our
actions show what's in our hearts.
So this Christmas why can't we start with not only buying a needy family their box o' stuff,
but then asking them over for dinner. Not to a restaurant but to our home, where the setting
is so much more intimate. Get to know them and allow them to get to know you. Ask them
about their lives and share your life with them. Then can you stop? Of course not, but
hopefully you won't want to. Hopefully you will be so enthused with the love that Jesus has
put in your heart that you will want to continue to invite them over and share more of your
life with them. Then maybe you can take them to the zoo or a ballgame or something
equally as cool.
The Church of Christ should not be separated (and actually is not separated) by trivial
superficialities such as economic class, race, or nationality. When Jesus tells us to go and
make disciples of all nations in Matthew 28:19, he purposefully did not restrict us to such
shallow and irrelevant characteristics. All who are adopted sons and daughters of God are
our brothers and sisters in Christ. Perhaps we should treat them as such.
"But it's so hard. How can you expect me to invite someone I don't know well into my home
for dinner? Won't it be awkward?"
Yep - it's hard. Yep - it's awkward. But so is following Jesus, I mean really following him.
But it's hard and awkward only in the sense that it goes against what the world tells us we
should do. The problem is the world doesn't have a clue. The world doesn't trust God and
has no faith in him. The world relies on what they think they know from Tier-1 universities.
As David says in Psalm 2, Yahweh laughs at them.
So if it's hard, if it's awkward, if we're somewhat afraid, what should we do? Give up and
just blow it off as has been done countless times in the past? I don't think that's what Peter
meant by growing in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
I truly believe that we need to continually take it to God in prayer. Ask him to help us grow
the way he wants us to grow. If we believe that all Scripture is inspired by God and useful
for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, then we know we
that this and the other Scriptures are not something we can continue to blow off. So we
need to take that problem to God:
- "Help me Dad! I know what I am supposed to do but there are about 3.7 billion things
in my over-secularized soul pulling against your Word. I want to want what you want
but now I just don't want to do that. Please Dad help me change. Help me to conform
to your will. I know intellectually that your will is good and perfect. I really do know
that, but yet I have major problems obeying you. That means I have a trust problem.
Help me Dad to trust you more. Help me follow Jesus and to walk like he walks. He is
an awesome example to follow and again, intellectually I know that. But I just don't
trust him enough yet. Help me to know him better and trust him more."
Try something like that from your heart. Trust God to help you to grow in being a disciple or
student of Jesus. Invite those into your home that can't pay you back and watch the
spiritual rewards come to you in a good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running
over, will be poured into your lap...Remember - he promised!
