I saw this tweet by Beth Moore, beloved Christian leader, teacher, published author and “pastor” to many, which got me thinking. Maybe this is why the American church does a shoddy job at reflecting the person, the teachings, and the heart of Jesus today.
Personally, I’ve found that one short spin around social media reveals clear evidence of this in the posts of a well known Evangelical worship leader/recording artist, some self-professed Christian politicians and quite a few mega church pastors. It seems that many Christians are more comfortable cherry picking their message to meet their agenda than they are with being faithful to the true and full gospel of Christendom - the revolutionary way of Jesus.
Sadly, what I see on social seems like a “phenomenon” that arises from the shadows when the dividing issues of gun violence, racism, abortion rights, gender equality and partisan politics (among others) make the headlines. During these critical times it would seem that our natural response as Christ followers would be to seek God’s heavenly perspective and follow the model of Jesus in these matters. Yet what I find instead are way too many social media exchanges laden heavy with more Old Testament references than most Christians even know exist.
This is not to say that the Old Testament is not relevant in regard to these topics today. Yet we can’t deny what Jesus did as He began His ministry on earth when He entered the familiar synagogue of His childhood and read the ancient scroll of Isaiah 61:
The Spirit of the Lord is on Me,
because He has anointed Me
to preach good news to the poor.
He has sent Me
to proclaim freedom to the captives
and recovery of sight to the blind,
to set free the oppressed,
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.
Luke 4:18-19
That “inaugural address” of Jesus’ was an announcement that a new Kingdom had been established, and His Kingdom declares “jubilee” or “the Lord’s favor” for all! What’s even better, Jesus was declaring His Kingdom jubilee was not one in every 50 years as was the Old Testament law to reset society to bring God’s favor and justice to all of Israel. But Jesus’ jubilee was to be the way of His Kingdom, for all who seek His Kingdom, for all people, forever!
Jesus came to bring change to the ways of the world. He came to establish His Kingdom. He came to flip tables! Jesus Himself is counter to culture, counter to religion, counter to social norms and standards. Jesus is revolutionary!
So when religion (the institutional church) wants to tell us “The Bible says you’ve missed the mark” remember the Kingdom truth of Jesus says “I’m with you. We’ll hit the mark together!”
When religion wants to tell us “The Bible says you’re not good enough” the Kingdom truth of Jesus says “My Father sent me to make you perfect!”
When religion says “You must be a member and pay your dues to the institution” the Kingdom truth of Jesus says “Come, let’s take a walk together.”
When religion says “Only those who meet these criteria are allowed” the Kingdom truth of Jesus says “Hey friends, scoot over and make room at the table. We have more coming!”
When the disciples thought they knew Jesus’ agenda (sound familiar?), Jesus showed them His way was different.
When the Pharisees and Sadducees condemned Jesus for breaking with “religious tradition” (sound familiar?), Jesus showed them His way was different.
When we think we’ve got it all figured out, be ready for Jesus to remind us His way is different.
In Jesus’ Kingdom the poor are rich, the last are first, the weak are strong, the least are greatest…
And THAT’S why Beth Moore’s quote holds weight in our world today!
Do we love God and struggle with Jesus? Do we use the law and forget about the grace?
Are we ready to do this Jesus’ way, church?