I Follow Jesus (Up To A Point)

"I follow Jesus up to a point."

"Could that point by any chance be--the cross?"

"That's right. I follow Him to the cross, but not on the cross. I'm not getting myself crucified."

"Then I don't believe you're a disciple. You're an admirer of Jesus, but not a disciple of His. I think you ought to go back to the church you belong to, and tell them you're an admirer, not a disciple."

Being Examples: Government-Style Legal Authority is Not Christian Authority

Alan Knox writes:

"In each case, we see that elders/leaders are not over or separated from the church and given positions of authority. Instead, they are those among the church who are doing the things that all believers should be doing. And, in doing what all believers should be doing, they become good examples for others to follow."

My purpose in this blog post is to persuade you that we have been culturally conditioned to believe that there is only one kind of authority (top-down) and that the Bible teaches this 'only kind' of authority.

I suggest that it is our lack of being taught and therefore lack of understanding that there is more than one kind of authority--and that Christian authority is NOT the type we have been taught.

If we can refrain from projecting the "worship assembly" as the most important, compartmentalized example, for a moment, then I would like to examine 1 Peter 5:1ff without this projection which may cause us to dismiss what I have highlighted in bold.

Notice that there is no church hierarchy/oligarchy in the following passage:

"So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed: shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly; not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock. And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory."

"Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble." Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on Him, because He cares for you. Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world."--1 Peter 5:1-9.

If we can refrain from forcing a military definition on the word "charge," notice that "shepherding" in the passage is defined by Peter. The last description is "not domineering" but "being examples." It baffles me how we can still read "charge" in a domineering fashion when Peter specifically says, "not domineering." Especially note, that the "younger" are told "likewise" be subject to the elders.

The Myth of Innocence & Southern Churches of Christ

Richard Hughes writes,

"A profound sense of innocence characterized the American experience for much of the twentieth century, especially between World War I and the 1960s. Some periods were exceptions to that generalization, of course. The Great Depression, for example, generated enormous doubt and despair, not only among blacks and other minorities, but also among whites."

"Still, in the mainstream of American life, most had no doubt about the ultimate meaning of their nation: America stood for good against evil, right against wrong, democracy against tyranny, and virtue against vice. What can account for this extraordinary sense of innocence that many in years later would view as profoundly naive?"

Understanding What Jesus Meant in Matthew 19:9 About Deuteronomy 24:1-4

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus is correcting misinterpretations of the Law of Moses that He and others have been hearing in the synagogues for the past 30 years. In the gospel narratives, Jesus is described as traveling throughout Israel teaching in the synagogues (Matt. 4:23). "Large crowds" are now following Him (v. 25), and He has called His twelve disciples (5:1-2). After describing what a citizen of the kingdom is in The Beatitudes (5:3-12), and how citizens will be viewed by worldly people (vs.11-12), and how we are to view ourselves (vs. 13—16), Jesus immediately confronts the idea that He has "come to abolish the Law or the Prophets," stating that He has not come to abolish them, but to "fulfill" them (5:17-20).

I understand Matthew's usage of Jesus' words to mean that He is making plain what was a "mystery" in the OT (the classical argument of the OT conceals what the NT reveals) by contrasting what God actually meant with what the Pharisees and scribes had (mis)interpreted it to mean. Jesus and His apostles are "enemies of the state" being falsely accused of subverting God's nation (Mark 14:55-59; Acts 21:28). Immediately following Matt. 5:17-20, which concludes with the thought that "except your righteousness" (integrity, not moral superiority) "exceeds" (is more evident that you are real and not fake) that of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall not enter into the (coming) kingdom" that He and John the Baptist have been announcing for about a year now--Jesus now begins correcting these misinterpretations of the Law which came as a result of these teachers being covetous hypocrites (Matt. 23:1ff).