Losing our Souls - Mark 8

“³² Jesus told them plainly what would happen. Then Peter took Jesus aside and began to tell him not to talk like that. ³³ But Jesus turned and looked at his followers. Then he told Peter not to talk that way. He said, “Go away from me, Satan!^[c] You don’t care about the things of God, but only about things people think are important.”

Last week I posted a link from a tweet on my Facebook page entitled “Shadows” (http://sojo.net/blogs/2015/02/10/shadows#.VOdFTjcYuh4.facebook), a beautifully written blog by Trevor Scott Barton.  The topic of this article focused on the struggle and challenges immigrant children face to become something more than a shadow in society.  It described that to instill hope and value into a child who has been outcast or subjugated in society, it takes extraordinary efforts and acts of selflessness by individuals who take the time to care and to love.

In my post I commented that this article should be read by all who are angry about “aliens” in our country to learn what human toll is the result of such harshness.  I also put out a personal thanks to friends in Guatemala and the Dominican Republic who are desperately attempting to lift children from the shadows of poverty, homelessness, starvation, lack of education, physical and sexual abuse, prostitution, and myriad of other societal “batterings” that snuff the light of hope from millions of children each day around the world.

The comments I received on the posting took an unexpected turn.  I should have expected it considering the political climate in the U.S. against illegal immigration, but my focus was on the plight of children worldwide which seems to me to be a no-brainer when it comes to our calling to fight injustice.  It seems to me, that Christianity 101 teaches that we have a responsibility towards having an open heart and for spreading good news in bad news situations – especially where children are involved.

The comments brought into my awareness the element of Immigration Laws being a criteria for Christian passion. “I only have a problem with those who fail to follow the legal process.”  My knee-jerk reaction to this statement was: "What makes the legal process necessarily the right thing to do? Shouldn't the plight and sufferings of all peoples be the priority of the Christian heart?”

Since I made that comment I’ve been doing a lot of soul-searching on the topic.  Are we as Christians being called at times to break the law of our own country?  The “Render unto Caesar what is Caesar’s” could be a guideline from Jesus that indicates we are to respect and uphold our government – in all circumstances. And yet, Jesus was also a well-known rule breaker when he challenged the “Jewish elders, the leading priests, and the teachers of the law” by doing little things like healing on the Sabbath.

In my study of this topic I have come to believe that there are two kingdoms in which we live.  There is the Kingdom of the United States of America and there is God’s Kingdom.  Jesus’ angry rebut of Peter: “Go away from me, Satan!^[c] You don’t care about the things of God, but only about things people think are important,” demonstrates that God’s Kingdom should always be our top priority.  Fighting against injustice in the world in the form of poverty and sexual exploitation is Kingdom of Heaven work.  It is the Gospel Message at work.  We pray “your kingdom come, on earth as it is in heaven” and Jesus taught in the Beatitudes that the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand and as Christians, how we live our lives has a direct result on what the Kingdom of Heaven on earth will look like.

Man’s laws, either the laws created by the Pharisees or by law-makers today, have a clear purpose… to protect and serve the Kingdom of Man.  They are not always in line with Kingdom of Heaven work.  If we put up barriers to Kingdom of Heaven work and only focus on the injustices in certain circumstances, protecting our selves from the risk of some very necessary law-breaking activities, then I believe selfishness prevails and we will lose our souls.  

“Those who want to save their lives will give up true life. But those who give up their lives for me and for the Good News will have true life. ³⁶ It is worthless to have the whole world if they lose their souls. ³⁷ They could never pay enough to buy back their souls.³⁸ The people who live now are living in a sinful and evil time. If people are ashamed of me and my teaching, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes with his Father’s glory and with the holy angels.”

Galatians 5:1, 13-25 - Rotten Fruit

(Reflecting on these verses in Galatians 5 this morning, I recalled this devotional I wrote in July 2007.  As I look back over the years that have passed since its writing, I can remember a lot of times where I felt strongly connected to God and His guiding Spirit. There were also times when my life’s choices, including the Rotten Fruit in these verses, have made it nearly impossible to discern the voice of The Holy Spirit for months at a time.

In chapter 15 of John, Jesus says: “Remain in me, and I will remain in you.  A branch cannot produce fruit alone but must remain in the vine. In the same way, you cannot produce fruit alone, but must remain in me.”

In our blogs, tweets, and fervent discussions there is a tendency to become self-righteous in our arguments and beliefs.  There is so much as stake when it comes to the health and effectiveness of the modern church and as a result, passion for God’s Kingdom can quickly become a misguided journey where we find ourselves walking alone without the Holy Spirit present.

I am re-posting this devotional in hopes that it will remind me to stay closely connected to “The Vine” every day.  It is my prayer that God will be my Guiding Spirit at all times so that I can bear the fruit he would have be bear.)

Key Verses:  (NCV)

ü  1:  "We have freedom now, because Christ made us free.  So stand strong.  Do not change and go back into the slavery of the law." - Paul summarizes his argument by suggesting that once we turn to Christ we should not go backwards.  Our lives are changed by our faith in ways never achievable by simply following the law.

ü  13:  "My brothers and sisters, God called you to be free, but do not use your freedom as an excuse to do what pleases your sinful self.  Serve each other with love." - We are given a wonderful vision of God's kingdom but this does not provide us Carte Blanche to act self-righteously.  Love for others is our guiding principle.

ü  17:  "Our sinful selves want what is against the Spirit, and the Spirit wants what is against our sinful selves." - A battle rages within.

ü  19-21:  "The wrong things the sinful self does are clear: being sexually unfaithful, not being pure, taking part in sexual sins, worshiping gods, doing witchcraft, hating, making trouble, being jealous, being angry, being selfish, making people angry with each other, causing divisions among people, feeling envy, being drunk, have wild and wasteful parties, and doing other things like these.  I warn you now as I warned you before:  Those who do these things will not inherit God's kingdom." - Paul is holding a mirror that reveals a somber truth.

ü  22-23:  "But the Spirit produces the fruit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control." - These are the guideposts that can be seen along our pathway to holiness.

Points to Contemplate:

Are you making excuses?  Are you stepping on toes as you push through your agenda in the name of Jesus?  Has your passion for His kingdom created a bull-in-the-china-closet approach in your ministry?  Have you enjoyed being righteous?  Are all of your actions acceptable simply because you feel you are responding to God's vision and plan for your life?  Is your ministry so important that the end justifies the means?