Tongue In Cheek

Tongue in cheek rendition of the Western mentality of Jesus’ last words recorded in the book of Matthew, known as the Great Commission…

And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and build massive churches that are inclusive for only the elite in your community, baptizing (and re-baptizing) them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit for your attendance numbers to look great at the end of the year, teaching (and commanding) them to observe your particular church as the only TRUE denomination, and behold I am with you always, unless your church splits, or your preacher moves away, or you get a divorce, or begin to question or doubt your faith or denomination in any way… then I am no longer with you”

Offended?

I am too!

Our western mentality has tweaked the gospel to feed our consumerism. Here are 2 cliché attitudes about the ekklesia (aka: the church).

“Its all about me and how ‘your’ church makes me feel”…is the attitude of the ‘outsiders’.

– OR –

“I love my church! I love how the semi-challenging and culturally based (or guilt-based) sermons make me feel throughout Sunday. By the time Monday begins, I am back to my normal self and my life looks the same as it did Saturday night. I am so glad that I tithed my 10% to clear my conscious. I think I will post a bible verse with a cool picture on Facebook now”… is the unconscious attitude of so many of the ‘insiders’.

Did you notice all of the times the words “me” or “my” or “I” was used? Probably not till it was pointed out. See what I mean? We are programmed by our culture to consume. Jesus came to serve (Mt 20:28) and not to teach how to consume. As believers, we are called to follow Him.

This is what the Great Commission really says…

And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
~ Matthew‬ ‭28‬:‭18-20‬ ~

The English Standard Version is translated into a 10th grade reading level, so the above scripture isn’t very hard to understand. However, to truly believe and follow this commandment requires a huge amount of guts! First, it removes the “me” or “my” or “I” approach and gives Jesus ALL authority on our planet. Secondly, it gives specific commands to teach, and to baptize, and to create disciples. Thirdly, Jesus’ words has no borders. That means these words (wrote 2000 years ago) are for an Arkansan, an Oklahoman, a southerner, an American, a Canadian, Japanese, Iranian, Russian, African…I think you get my point. Love has no borders!

For so many Christians, the first step towards revelation might be to simply change the way you perceive or profile yourself. For instance, Jesus referred to his followers as disciples. That is what a disciple is… “a follower”. As a matter fact, the word “Christian” was mostly used as a derogatory term by the Romans during the 1st century. You don’t need to be a theologian, a paid pastor, or graduate from seminary school to consider yourself a disciple. Jesus used fisherman for Christ sake.

Disciples read scripture differently than a simple believer. Disciples can see God’s Kingdom here on earth within the scriptures. Disciples are able to take the focus off themselves as consumers and serve others instead. They are able to remove stereotypes of people groups and cultures different from theirs. They are able to love their neighbors as themselves. Even deeper, a disciple is called to love their enemies. Like I said, it takes guts!

As Jefferson Bethke says it, “the question we always have to ASK is, WHAT is it like in heaven right now and HOW do I make this true on earth?”

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One thought on “Tongue In Cheek

  1. The creeping cultural narcissism is now dominate in our country. The church has evolved in many instances to one concerned with its about me. My Jesus, my spiritual gift, my ministry and so on. On that day many will say Lord,Lord did I not prophesy in you name…………And then I will declare to them , depart I never knew you Matthew 7;21-23. You have hit the nail on the head with your Tongue in cheek. Until we surrender our will and seek His will in all things we can’t truly show love. It comes from God Himself. If we do not operate in his will we are but the noisy gong or clanging cymbal. God bless you guys. We’ll keep you in prayer.

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