Seeking a Pattern - 3

When following Jesus through the gospels, I find a couple of paths repeated over and over. These paths are proclaiming and performing the gospel. Jesus not only taught the good news, He also lived by the principles He taught. Luke in his gospel includes 10 different meal settings where Jesus talks about the good news and demonstrates it by eating with different people.

John Mark Hicks does a good job of relating how much of Jesus’ ministry was centered on meals in his book Come to the Table. Jesus ate and fellowshipped with a wide variety people, those that were believers, the just curious, the poor, the rich, the outcast, the religious leaders, in essence anyone He could find. Sometimes He was the host, sometimes He invited himself, or sometimes He was invited to a meal. One of the major differences in their culture between the religious leaders and the common people was the concept of ceremonial cleanliness. The Jewish leaders’ concern for this belief was a major point of disagreement between them and Jesus. When Jesus ate with “tax-gatherers and sinners” the Pharisees just knew he couldn’t be from God as they were unclean, but the common people loved Him for it. These meal sessions are examples of Jesus proclaiming the gospel and performing the gospel.

I believe one reason Luke puts such emphasis on shared meals is because, there is an intimacy that can be shared when eating together that is not present at other times. This intimacy is not a guaranteed result, as it can be stifled, but it is usually the beginning of a bond that grows with more shared meals. Even though eating together is a blessing, it is hard in today’s culture to find time to share meals and get to know others. It’s hard just to get a single family together for a meal, let alone several.

Yea!! March Madness

It is March Madness time again, and Duke has a better team this year. They won't go all the way but further than last year, if they only had some inside strength. There really hasn't been anyone since Carlos Boozer, in my opinion and of course they won the whole thing that year. If they can consistently hit their 3's they could go to the Elite Eight, which is my pick. What a fun time of year!!!!

Seeking a Pattern -2

In my previous post, I mentioned that I felt I was looking for a pattern in the wrong place. This is a difficult idea to explain and to some it will probably seem as if there is no difference in my choices. It can be called just a shift of emphasis but it is a shift I want to make. The shift is looking at Jesus and his relationships to be my pattern for living as a Christian, disciple, and follower of Jesus. (One side note, this change is not about right or wrong.)

Have you ever thought of God as a “sending God?” Didn’t the Father send the Son, and then the Father and the Son send the Holy Spirit and now the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are sending me (us). Sending me to do what, to continue what Jesus started and the disciples kept doing. Each of the gospel writers may have had a different way of expressing Jesus’ mission, but it seems they agreed on the results.

Matthew 4:23 says he went preaching the good news and healing people.
Mark 1:14 says Jesus went proclaiming the good news of God.
Luke 4:18 says Jesus was anointed to preach the good news to the poor, to proclaim freedom for the prisoners, recovery of sight for the blind, and to release the oppressed.
John doesn’t use the word gospel or good news but the story in John 4 with the woman at the well I think carries the same theme.

Jesus’ mission was an all encompassing one. He had compassion on all aspects of their lives, their physical as well as spiritual. This is where I feel we have been too limited in our thinking. I know I have in the past been primarily (almost exclusively) only concerned about getting someone baptized. Relationships and concerns about a non-Christian’s physical life was there, but it was “on the back burner” until they were saved.

David Dunbar phrased it this way.
"We stressed the importance of teaching and preaching the gospel
clearly--most of it within the church and for the church. Good
works were encouraged as a response to the gospel and as a way of
saying "thank you" to God for his mercy."

I see the relationships Jesus had with people encompassing all aspects of their lives. The gospel message is more than just a way to get heaven. There is a life to be lived here and Christians are apart of God’s continuing plan to restore the relationships that were broken and are broken because of sin.

We no longer live in the age of Christendom, a time when the church was a partner and an influence in society. We have to earn our right to be heard again. We have to follow Jesus out of our buildings and among people who don’t know Jesus.