I have never used another’s blog before, but when I read this I felt like all those who read my blog would truly enjoy this one from the Simple Church Journal. It is Jesus! Enjoy and tell us what you think by commenting.
This is a blog about “church,” so-to-speak, but maybe we miss the mark a bit if we don’t keep putting the focus back on the One who precedes the church and everything else. The church is, no doubt, meant to be a much more radical movement than we have understood it to be. How much more important is it for us to see that Jesus, the head of the church, is a far more radical man/God than we can even begin to understand. He is the One we, His church, are designed to imitate. Perhaps if we get Jesus right, and our imitation of Him in keeping with who He is, we will naturally get church right.
Jesus is so… much… more than we can begin to define in a few words, or thoughts, or even a lifetime of both.
He is uncontainable, unpredictable, unorthodox, and unconventional. As soon as someone would try to put Him in a box, He would break the mold. If you thought He was meek, He would pick up a whip. If you thought He was kosher, He would start talking about other people eating his flesh. If you thought He was a paragon of mercy, He would pronounce woes and judgements.
But wait! If you asked Him to condemn a sinful woman, He proclaimed forgiveness and grace. If you told Him a man was a tax-collecting thief, he loved him all the more. If you nailed Him to a cross, He prayed for you.
He was (and is) radically and completely God… living above the expectations of others, the mores of his culture, and the rules of society. Tell Him that the Sabbath was for resting, and He would work. Tell Him not to touch lepers, and He would hold and heal them. Tell him not to socialize with Samaritans, and He would deliberately converse with a Samaritan woman.
He marched to His own drumbeat. He lived with a vision set only on kingdom. He walked out of a perspective that never placed value on temporal things. He was not of this world and every moment that He lived and word that He spoke portrayed this.
Do we really even know who He is, really? How honestly are we willing to look at Him knowing that our calling is to imitate Him and be like Him?
I’m just thinking that if we kept our focus really on Him, every church, house church, simple church, and mega-church would be absolutely, thoroughly, and completely transformed and turned upside down in more ways than we can imagine merely by the irresistible force of the life of Jesus pulsing through His imitators.
– Simple Church Journal
How common is it to attempt to protect yourself from pain and hurt? It seems to be a natural human reaction to back away from something that we interpret as painful or possibly painful in the future. It can block us from making healthy decisions for today and tomorrow. Most of us have an aversion to emotional pain, but avoidance may not be the best method for personal growth. As you and I look back over our lives, we often discover that it is the most painful or emotionally difficult times in our past in which we grew the most. And, to avoid these times or to run from them could actually stunt our personal growth.
Here in the USA, the military draft ended at the end of the Vietnam War. In some nations around the world, there is a required season of serving in the military for young men and women. I imagine for most it’s not a bad deal, i.e., education, learning discipline, obeying authority and good physical health. I enjoyed much of the process of “becoming a man” in the US military. One of my favorite memories was leading many of the lonely, homesick men into a relationship with Jesus. Evangelism opportunities were everywhere. 
Can we maintain integrity even while we are on a mistake-filled journey here on earth? We can, as godly character is grown over time and we realize mistakes are a part of that growth. If we live under strict codes, then all failures are placed upon our permanent record. But in living under grace, we find forgiveness for our failures and an Advocate who comes along side us to reinforce the right responses for future application and personal growth. The journey, while not an excuse for sin, is about growth in the process, not perfection.
Facebook and social media in general have seemingly taken over our lives in some good and some not so good ways. What follows are a few ways in which I wish Facebook posts didn’t exist; posts I’d rather not read.
It was the early 1500’s when an ordained minister was executed after imprisonment, being strangled and finally burned at the stake as a heretic. This “heretic” was a Protestant theologian and was the first to translate the Bible from the original languages into English. However, King Henry III and the English church authorities were hostile toward the project. William Tyndale finished only the New Testament and this Bible was printed in 1525.
The National day of Prayer was originally designated on July 4, 1953 as a day of prayer and penance. However the man who instituted this day spent July 4, 1953 fishing, golfing and playing bridge. During the 1950’s, church attendance was at an all-time high in America and most best-selling books were religious ones. Crime rates were low and divorce was rare. Unemployment was low and the nation was prospering. Prior to the turmoil of the decade to come, the nation had a confidence in God.
Who was this all-important and influential man who designated such an important annual day of reflection for America? It was Dwight D.Eisenhower. Dwight was named after the great evangelist Dwight L. Moody. Dwight Eisenhower’s parents were devout members of a German Mennonite group called the River Brethren. The River Brethren were known for their pacifism and certainly did not condone drinking alcohol, smoking or playing cards, of which Dwight eventually did all three. General Eisenhower grew up in a home that was dedicated to teaching him the Bible and he could quote many passages at length. Today he is hailed as one of the greatest US military generals.
Was this two-term President a hypocrite or did he believe that America had a duty to acknowledge God? Was he fallen away from his personal relationship with Christ or was he being used by and obeying Christ for such an important season of America’s history? “…Listen closely to my words. Do not let them out of your sight, keep them within your heart; for they are life…” (Proverbs 4:20-22)
We all have needs. Recently I asked the following question to a group of persons outside of the US, “What is your biggest need in life?” The answers were varied, but a few included: education, money, food and medical attention. I then posed a second question, “What if I could bring a very wealthy man or woman to you and they would meet all of your need?” The group erupted with applause and responded with a brief conversation to the one seated beside them. I could tell they were looking at me wondering if I would bring just such a person. I followed up with this question, “After your need is met, will you ever have another need and then desire to meet with this person once again?” Some could see where the line of questioning was headed.
What follows are many excuses as to why some believers and non-Christians have either stopped or rarely read the Bible. I hope that you do not find yourself in any of these categories.
Steve Prokopchak 