Remonstrance

This comes from our Cell Wednesday night 1/18, Joe’s Teaching from “More Than a Carpenter,” chapter 1.

Why must postmodernists be so dogmatic and judgemental? It is an amazing and glaring hypocrisy which somehow escapes the enlightened scrutiny of the postmodern world. (The most difficult weakness to see is personal weakness, no matter how glaring.)

Joe found a blog where some postmodernist was raging with the usual pretense of great enlightened inclusiveness, and Joe asked the guy for one simple clarification (a fair question) about the guy’s postmodern dogma, and behold! What a stream of vindictive rhetoric he drew! All the marvels of enlightened inclusiveness is so very fragile and skin-deep, if anyone scratches the surface what bloody wrath suddenly gushes out! Postmodernism reminds me of early Nazism which engulfed the most educated nation of its day, with all its sloganeering and intolerance–aimed now at Christians, not Jews.

Jesus is sometimes tauted as the prototypical postmodernist because he taught on love and acceptance. But to actually talk about Jesus will get a postmodernist pretty heated. Why? Even a scant look at the historical record quickly torpedoes the fantasy-Jesus endeared by postmodernists. Consider these:

“I and the Father are one.”
The Jews picked up stones again to stone Him.
Jesus answered them, “I showed you many good works from the Father; for which of them are you stoning Me?”
The Jews answered Him, “For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy; and because You, being a man, make Yourself out to be God.” John 10:30-33

And then:

The high priest stood up and came forward and questioned Jesus, saying, “Do You not answer? What is it that these men are testifying against You?”
But He kept silent and did not answer. Again the high priest was questioning Him, and saying to Him, “Are You the Christ, the Son of the Blessed One?”
And Jesus said, “I am; and you shall see THE SON OF MAN SITTING AT THE RIGHT HAND OF POWER, and COMING WITH THE CLOUDS OF HEAVEN.”
Tearing his clothes, the high priest said*, “What further need do we have of witnesses?
“You have heard the blasphemy; how does it seem to you?” And they all condemned Him to be deserving of death. Mark 14:60-64

Why get so caught-up in such rage? It happened then, and still today, despite our many millenia of enlightened thought. If Jesus is a fraud, so what? Why fear such a fool? Does Jesus take any money or expect anything in return? No, in fact it is His clear and simple message:

“For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.” Mark 10:45

Now what is so threatening about that?

Andy teaches next Cell Group.

Everybody needs to know about the Cell Group retreat in one week from Saturday night. It begins at 4 pm.

Filed under: truth by kmcc
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Tags: apologetics, persecution, postmodernism

“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” -Matt.28:19–20

This command to “make disciples” is the well-known model for a Great Commission Church and the foundational pattern for church growth. It defines a Great Comission Church.

But our familiarity with this passage has a significant drawback: we fail to see how threatening it really is. It isn’t one of those magnet refrigerator verses you’ll find in a bookstore. It’s a menacing verse, for three significant reasons.

It’s a Dirty Business

Discipleship triggers a close relationship of loving sacrifice which isn’t so neat and tidy like the institutional approach to raising up pastors through seminaries. Personal relationships are far more risky, especially the discipleship relationship, because betrayal, reversals, and surprising revelations suddenly threaten to undo years of personal investment.

It is in fact possible to invest years of love and equipping into someone who then becomes your most ardent persecutor–and why? Because you should have given still more! (Or so the charges read…)

Notice this — Jesus gave this commission after his own heartbreaking experience with discipleship. Judas was one of his disciples, as was Peter who denied him - actually, all his disciples fled when he was arrested and needed them the worse. Even after the resurrection, where did he find them? They all had given up and returned to their secular pursuits. They went back to their wonderful lives in smelly fish markets. Still Jesus finds them and says, “Now you guys do the same…”

The Guts and Glory

The core of Christian living is wrapped around this:

But the goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. - 1 Timothy 1:5

Christians everywhere know about this, along with the many other passages which say the same thing (see John 13:3). But how is it possible to pursue love when the relationships are so cold in the institutional church? The answer is simple: redefine love. Thus, you’ll see Christians living the famous Budweiser commercial: “I love you, man!”

When real discipleship is evident in the church it means real love in motion, not just hot words. It is seen whenever the church rises to its calling to manifest a distinctiveness not found anywhere in the Kosmos:

But you are A CHOSEN RACE, A royal PRIESTHOOD, A HOLY NATION, A PEOPLE FOR God’s OWN POSSESSION, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; - 1 Peter 2:9

Spreading love through multiplication and discipleship is the greatest proclamation of “the excellencies of Him who has called you…” comparable to no other form of worship.

To sing His praises at a worship service is not wrong, but ‘’how dare anyone compare the praiseworthiness of a Singing Worship Service against the glory which adorns God’s name through discipleship! The worship service song will be distant memories while the baptized disciple continues praising God into eternity! Those who disciple are practicing obedience, not just singing about it. Those who disciple should never buckle under the guilt of accusation from singers! Why defend a life of committed service against fleeting, wispy songs?

Upheaval and Transformation

Discipleship causes the upheaval and transformation of every area of our lives. It threatens our security, our relationships, our futures. This is what makes Christ’s call to “Go! make disciples” such a threatening, dangerous, revolutionary task.

Continued…

Filed under: worthy Purpose by kmcc
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Tags: discipleship, ministry, persecution, sacrificial-love