Rock Climbing, The Kingdom-Gospel & the Angst It Creates

I remember the first time I went rock climbing for real; it was a nightmare.  I was 20 and totally amped going into that weekend of adventure.  For about a month, over multiple lunches, my instructor friend tried to break me in by teaching me all the climbing terminology; ascend, belay, friction knot, hauling, lead climbing, top roping etc.  He showed me how to use the rope as we sat in a parking lot outside our dorm.  He clarified the need for responding to communication while climbing.  We talked about climbing and rappelling a ton.  I really thought I had the hang of it until I actually did it.  It proved to be a stressful and humbling experience.  I couldn’t recall any of the terminology in the heat of the moment.  It was like I had test anxiety while hanging 150 feet up in the air.  My friend was frustrated with my lack of communication and slowness in responding to his.  All the talk in the world could not prep me for the actual immersion in climbing.  I learned quickly that I needed to learn quickly.

Being introduced to the Gospel of the Kingdom seems to have the same effect on those who start immersing in it, especially if you’ve been primarily nursed on the Gospel of Forgiveness.

The Gospel of Forgiveness
The Gospel of Forgiveness is primarily about dealing with our “sin issue.”  The pinnacle of the Forgiveness-Gospel is accepting God’s sacrifice, free gift and coming to terms with our sinful state.  It puts us in a very passive role of receiving. The high emphasis on the Forgiveness-Gospel is only as recent as the 1500's (The Reformation).  But please understand, I do believe we sin and that Jesus rescues us from the spiritual death our sins bring upon us but still this is not the heart of the Gospel.   When receiving forgiveness is the face of the Gospel, we end up inviting Jesus into our life instead of entering into His life.  This “gospel” that’s been predominantly preached in most pulpits is a truncated version of the Good News of the Kingdom that Jesus announced.  When the gospel is reduced to mental assent of some propositional truths about sin and atonement (as interesting and important as that is), there is simply no need to become an apprentice or disciple of Jesus.  Discipleship feels like an “add-on” activity for those more serious types really motivated by the fear of God.  Sure you hear preachers in "Forgiveness-Gospel" churches preaching messages on “lukewarm Christianity” or the need to be “sold out for God.”  This only exposes the fundamental problem.  This version of the Gospel is not naturally wired for living the eternal life now with others.  The leverage of condemning people for living a lukewarm faith riles up our flesh for a few weeks or months but it does not inherently lead to a new way of life.  

I think this cuts right to the heart of a problem I’ve seen with these popular teachings of the gospel.  Dallas Willard observes, “People who are taught that salvation is forgiveness do not make the natural connection to Jesus as teacher, and so they don’t become disciples… if you look at congregations that have been told that forgiveness is salvation, you do not see a natural development into discipleship.”  I’m convinced the Gospel is much more than a contract for receiving God’s righteousness.  It's more so an invitation to change direction and follow the leader in building for His Kingdom.

The Relearning
When someone has been soaked in the Forgiveness-Gospel there is a rude awakening and an emotional grinding that comes over people when they begin to immerse in the Gospel of the Kingdom.  The Gospel of the Kingdom requires us to exercise our free will to orient our life around a tethered community and the renewal of God’s broken world.  To paraphrase Stanley Grenz “Responding to the gospel of the kingdom naturally leads to discipleship, because we soon realize that we don’t know how to live with God and others in His Kingdom.”  In this new way of participating in the Gospel you learn quickly that you need to learn how to be a follower.  This learning is humbling.  To participate in the Gospel of the Kingdom a highly teachable spirit is mandatory. 

The Angst It Creates
Just like I when I learned to rock climb in a parking lot and realized very little of it prepared me to actually do it well with my friend, so it feels the same inside Kingdom-Community.  There is a learning curve that is intimidating.  Our acquired knowledge might have been highly esteemed before but now it does not translate well in helping us practically live and relate in the way of the Kingdom.   The Kingdom-Gospel confronts you with what inner holiness really looks like as explained by Jesus; the ability to press into the communal imperatives in the Beatitudes.  None of this comes naturally.  Friendship comes naturally but community does not... yes there is a difference.  You start to realize that the power of the Holy Spirit is not your personal teleprompter but is the fruit of working out your salvation in transparency with others.  You collide with the idealism of renewal when it smashes up against personal indulgences.  I’ve watched people twist and turn as they face their own emotional immaturity in doing life with others; being easily offended, reacting out of insecurity, name-dropping, distancing, anger and cynicism..  I’ve observed the angst and stubbornness that rises up inside us when humility is the only way forward.  I’ve seen the gears grind when we are challenged to relearn the Gospel as a way of life and less as a gift we only have to receive.  But there is grace for us to learn how to live the eternal Kingdom in the here and now.  Jesus is our teacher, He is a kind and patient instructor.  The Gospel of the Kingdom is a new way of  being human amongst and with others as a signpost of God’s glorious love.   Thank God, Jesus showed us the definitive template for what this new humanity looks like.



For more on the Kingdom check out my post "Reclaiming the Kingdom"

Lord of the Sabbath

According to Levitical law the Sabbath is one of the key identity markers for the Israelite's that they are “of Yahweh.” The rhythm of the Sabbath in all its forms (every 7th day, every 7th year and every 50 years) was the clearest living liturgy to remind them that God cares for them, provides for them and compels them to live generously (God also instructed them to allow the poor to eat off their land on the 7th day and then for an entire year during the 7th year). God gave the Israelite's the gift of Sabbath to help aid them in keeping track of their place in this world (sorry Michael W. Smith). Sabbath helped the Jews identify whose they were, as well as it was to “bear witness” to the pagan nations. The Sabbath was a living rhythm that communicated the provision of God amongst those who worshiped false gods.

So when Jesus gives himself the title “Lord of the Sabbath” in the end of Mark chapter 2 He is stomping on some toes. At the point that Jesus arrives on the scene there are a combined 60 oral and written laws surrounding how to keep the Sabbath. He challenges the most holy marker that cemented Israel’s association to the true God. When Jesus drops this bomb about the Sabbath being “in him” he is speaking to the core issue of how to identify yourself and how others should identify you.

What does in now look like for “Jesus to be the Lord of the Sabbath?”

We should not read our own evangelical concerns about people skipping church into this passage. Jesus is not speaking to the idea of going to church on a regular basis. This is not in his scope.

Jesus is stepping into the role as King, as Lord, as President and Ruler of the estate. He is communicating that in the arriving Kingdom people will find their peace, their order, their rest and their sense of who’s they are in King Jesus.

Jesus as Lord of the Sabbath is uncharted territory in most evangelical churches. What does it look like for a community of people to be at peace in their daily life because Yahweh provides for them? What does it look like to relax that you’ll have enough if you're generous with what you've worked so hard for? What does it look like to resist toiling with anxiety to better your financial status? What does it look like to have order and margin in the rhythm of your life instead of being ruled by the cultural demands American life thrusts on us? What does it look like to run in the other direction from being a slave to what the Joneses, your coworkers, your Facebook friends and your family think of your achievements and attractiveness?

The great indictment on American evangelical Christians is that we faithfully attend church on Sunday but Jesus has not become Lord of the Sabbath the other 6 days of the week. We do not bear witness to the world that we are at rest in the rat race of life. We do not embody a way that looks unique compared to life outside the Kingdom of God that claws for more, for better, for power or for recognition.

This reminds me of when I was 12, I would go to the mall arcade to play video games for the reward of tickets. I would insert quarter after quarter into slot on the game Asteroids. When those pink tickets rolled out I felt a sense of accomplishment and greed, hording every single one. I then would rush to the counter to turn them in at the redemption counter, only to receive a 25 cent pencil after spending my hard earned allowance of 5 dollars. At the end of the day all my insane gaming got me a pencil that I ended up losing on the bus the next day.

We do this as adults playing the game of financial success, investment,social recognition and racing for political power but we are left with very little to redeem. We try to find our sense of being and identity in these pursuits but Jesus says to us “I am Lord of the Sabbath.”

The King Jesus Gospel

I think where Scot Mcknight is going is the same journey that God took me on years ago. I'm excited to see this understanding of the Gospel starting to break through all the God's hates sinners, self-help, purpose-driven, get into heaven, a decision for Christ, personal savior "Gospel Confusion".

What is the Gospel Jesus preached? At Axiom Church we are asking that question and I believe it is transforming us.

Gospel Thoughts: Insights from the Beginning of Mark.

I like to pay attention to how things start. They often give you insight into what matters most in the future. No one likes to hear a story from the middle point. We know intuitively that the beginning of a story typically lays out foundational issues and behaviors that will be addressed or built upon as the story unfolds.

One of my favorite movies is Unbreakable by M. Night Shyamalan. In Unbreakable the start of the movie is essential to understanding the climax at the end of the movie. The movie starts out introducing us to a man named David Dunn (Bruce Willis) who is obviously depressed. There is an air of sadness, self-contempt and an overall low self-esteem that hovers over David Dunn. The director makes it clear this guy has very little drive or self-worth. He’s not lazy he’s actually a hard worker; he just has very little belief in himself. His co-workers know it; his wife knows it and the opening sequences make it abundantly clear his own son knows it. Everything else that happens in the story pokes at this issue. The major event in the film being a train crash that he's the only survive of, seems to have direct messages and challenges to his self-hatred. The climax of the film (I won’t spoil it) has everything to do with whether he will face his lack of belief in himself. The beginning of the story has everything to do with the end of the story as well as what the main moral of the story is.

This is why I find the beginning of Jesus earthly ministry so illuminating. The opening sequences of the story have a ton to say about the moral (or message) of the whole story of the Gospel. I’m currently studying the book of Mark and have been delightfully bothered by the way the story starts.

A few things occur in the beginning that I think should help us define the Gospel in our communication.

Mark 1:10 - First, Jesus is approved by his Father. God the father speaks these words over his son “this is my son in whom I am very much pleased.” Here Jesus is acting out the entire drama of Israel and in turn humanity. As Jesus is about to face serious and legitimate temptation he receives surety in his identity. Affirmation that he is loved and belongs to the Father was not just a matter of show for onlookers (it’s not necessarily clear if the crowd heard it anyways) these words were intimate and firm words for the benefit of Jesus himself. They were his anchor for facing the challenge of Satan soon to come in the desert. Jesus travels the road that all humanity must walk; but Jesus could face it all because he had treasured the words his father spoke over him. I think this sequence speaks to what should be a significant part of communicating the Gospel. Your belonging is with God, you’re loved by God. No other voices can provide the affirmation and security your identity needs to be the full human God created you to be while being pummeled by the internal pressures and sly temptations of this world.

Mark 1:15 - Second, Jesus declares an earthly but supernatural Kingdom is coming: “The time has come; the Kingdom of God is arriving soon, turn and believe this good news!” The backdrop is that this arriving Kingdom of Jesus is going to collide with already existing kingdoms so it is essential to turn from living, working, protecting and giving allegiance to other kingdoms to participate in the Kingdom of God. For the audience hearing this real-time (Israel) it meant turning from social and political agendas which Israel was in bondage to. They had a gripping allegiance to ancestry, their land, their temple, their laws and their status. Jesus is calling them out to leave it all behind in order to participate in the new and arriving Kingdom of God. I think this sequence speaks to what should be a significant part of communicating the Gospel. Other kingdoms exist that are calling you to identify with them, work for them and protect them. But the Kingdom of God is here and now. It is breaking in and calling for you to abandon other kingdoms to join the underground movement that is taking hold through the leadership of Jesus.

Mark 1: 17 - Third, Jesus immediately recruits people to work for this coming Kingdom. Just as Abraham was called to “Leave your country and your father’s house and go to the land I will show you.” Jesus invites the new disciples to leave their family businesses, old affiliations and cultural identities to follow Him. Notice there is not talk of personal sin/vices or heaven, the emphasis is less on a “decision for Christ” but more on the fundamental reordering of their everyday world. This is not a call out of the world but a call in a reordering of everything. This is a call to a life shaped by a new allegiance, a new community of people and new line of work. I think this sequence speaks to what should be a significant part of communicating the Gospel. What you think defines you, who you think you need to be should submit to King Jesus. If you really want to be somebody, come follow Jesus. The rest will take care of itself; everything else will fall into place if you first come work for King Jesus. He’s not interested in mental assent to doctrines or heart assent to comfort over your eternal destiny; he’s asking you to reorder your life to make supreme space for him to lead you into building for the Kingdom of God.

I’m convinced that what goes down in the beginning of this story is speaking to the larger message we should project from the life of Jesus. The beginning of Jesus ministry informs the Gospel. This is where the story starts.

The Real End of the Age

What does it mean in Matthew 13 when Jesus says to his disciples “I will be with you until the end of the age.” Jesus promises to be with them until the end of the age. The end of the age in Matthew is not the end of the whole world. Most American evangelicals quickly interpret this phrase and might I dare say read into this phrase; images of a Left Behind type destruction and the rapture of Christians out of this world during some type of apocalypse fantasy where God wages war on the earth, the devil and its ungodly inhabitants.

Instead let’s look at this phrase “end of the age” in context to what the present disciples and Jews were experiencing and would inevitably face in their actual life time, not our life time.

The end of the age was the end of an era, temple worship (John 4:20-) and ethnic status. The end of the age is the last judgment on God's chosen people Israel. When was this you might ask?

During the last days of his earthly life Jesus had assembled his disciples together on the Mt. of Olives overlooking the Temple. The disciples were uncertain and anxious about the future especially in light of Jesus' cleansing of the Temple and stopping the sacrifices, and his astonishing statements delivered in holy anger denouncing the Pharisees. The disciples opened the conversation by talking about the beauty of the temple and its courts. Jesus responded with his amazing and detailed reply by predicting the soon-coming destruction of that magnificent building:"You see all these, do you not? Truly, I say to you, there will not be left here one stone upon another, that will not be thrown down." As he sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, "Tell us, when will this be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the close of the age?" (Matt. 24:1-3) “Truly I tell you, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.” (Matt. 24:34)

Both the Temple and the City of Jerusalem were indeed about to be destroyed. With four Legions, Titus the Roman General, later to become Caesar, began the siege of Jerusalem in April, A.D. 70. He took the city and put it to the torch and burned it. He entered the temple and desecrated it. Every trace of beauty his army blotted out with fire, violence, rape and plunder. The eye witness historian Josephus records it this way, “no other city has ever endured such horrors, and no generation in history has fathered such wickedness. In the end they brought the whole Hebrew race into contempt in order to make their own purity a mockery in foreign eyes, they were forced to confess the painful truth that they were slaves, the dregs of humanity, and outcasts of their nation.”

When Jesus speaks of coming destruction and the end of the age, he spoke prophetically as the final prophet sent by God to declare “the weeds will be gathered out of the kingdom and destroyed (13:40-42), when the good fish are separated from the bad (13:49-50), and when the stones of the temple will be thrown down by an invading army (13:2-3), you will see in the holy place ‘the abomination that causes desolation (13:15), and many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and will deceive many” (13:5).

Jesus’ assurance at this particular point in the narrative is a firm one: he will be with his disciples every moment, no matter what they face. The only way out for them personally is for them to abandoned Second Temple Judaism and follow the Son of Man. As the Zealots were preparing to stay and fight for their national status and loyalty to the temple, Jesus was challenging them to turn their back on what they knew and to embrace the creation of a new body made up of Jew, Gentile, rich, poor, male and female. They needed to follow Jesus and let go of their "choseness" and build for a new Kingdom. Jesus is eventually vindicated for his radical departure from their current worship tradition, his resurrection and his fulfilled prophecy.

Jesus epic language about the judgment and final fall of Israel from its elected perch is declared when Jesus says “Heaven and earth will pass away” (Matt 24:35a). But what will survive and thrive in the midst of this tribulation in 70 A.D? Jesus makes it clear “my words will never pass away” (Matt 24:35b). This is the real end of the age and it has already occurred according to the context of scripture. Out of it has come the birth of a new Kingdom without borders.

How We Are Defined

Most of us know the feeling of exhilaration when we are part of a large group united against a common enemy. There’s a certain energy elicited. It’s exhilarating. There is a certain “high” we feel as we all have something to fight against. It is always easier to unite a community around a common enemy than cultivate goals together that will create a preferred future. This is a personality of cultures – it’s incredibly easy to organize a people against a common enemy. This modus-operandi has infiltrated the church. As an organized church we’ve been increasingly defining ourselves over-and-against others. We have made it our mission to make the central focus of being a Christian; what we are against.

This dynamic however has a shelf life and the current church has not seemed to figure it out. The church consistently attempts to define itself by what it’s against. We cannot lead a community this way without constantly keeping the threat of the “others” preeminent. If we somehow don’t have enemies, then we must invent them or else the community will have nothing to get excited about. This kind of church culture works off an antagonistic energy. The continual enmity is fatiguing. It does not give life. It does not nurture spiritual transformation (Love is... 1 Corinthians 13). It has nothing at its core to hold us together.

American politics is full of this dynamic. I fear in these last few years that evangelicalism is showing signs of behaving in these same ways. I fear the church of my upbringing, the church that I love is picking up bad behaviors from our political environment. We are often taught our beliefs as the means to differentiate ourselves from those who don’t believe. We learn our theology of “being Christian” by who (or what) we are against. We find our sense of ego or status because of what we don't do. The world is watching as we become predictably defensive, argumentative and alarmist. Within the church we are making "enemies" and "heretics" out of anybody that does not talk like us and think like us.

What I believe is the gravest result in all the shouting back and forth; is the loss in what it truly means to follow Jesus and what it means to live for His present Kingdom. The story of God (what He is authoring on this earth) is all but a lost plot for most church goers. They don’t know what to tether their lives to. With all the clutter and noise we generate about what we're against, we don’t know what our King Jesus is for. I’m willing to bet that the world around us can guess what we hate and dislike but will probably have a hard time identify who and what we LOVE. This generation needs to see and hear a strong dose of the “fullness of Christ” (Ephesians 4:13). I contend we need discerning and passionate churches that intentionally reclaim our identity as people “for” something greater, higher, deeper, more costly and more compelling.

Reclaiming the Kingdom of God

A snapshot from the study/conversation our Axiom church planting team is currently journeying through.

Matthew, Mark, Luke and John are all in their various ways about God going public on earth about the kingdom of God. The central message is that the Creator God, Israel’s God, is at last reclaiming the whole world as His own, in and through Jesus of Nazareth. That is the message of the kingdom of God, which is Jesus’ answer to the question, What would it look like if God were running this show?

Arguably the fullest vision of what the Reign of God looks like is contained in the great discourses of the Gospels, The Sermon on the Mount in Matthew (Matthew 5-7) and The Sermon on the Plain in Luke (Luke 6: 17-49). Here we are presented with beatitudes which turn the world upside down. The things which the world blesses; violence, greed, power, comfort, hoarding, self-defense, physical-indulgence, vengeance, selfishness and wealth are not blessed by God.

Instead, Jesus says that God blesses the meek, the teachable, the generous, those who hunger for truth, the desperate, those persecuted for their loyalty to Jesus, those who carry burdens for others, the pure in motive, the forgivers, those who are relaxed in God and not anxious for more, the welcomers or hospitable and the peacemakers. This is an astounding vision and one so at odds with the way the other empires of life tempt us to live! Jesus summons those who would be participators in His Kingdom to radical devotion and radical dependence on Him. His followers must be meek, must not retaliate, must go beyond the letter's law to its spirit, must do what is right when only God is looking, must depend on God for their needs and pursue his interests in the world rather than their own, and must leave spiritual measurements of others' hearts to God. In short, true people of the kingdom live for King Jesus, not for themselves, not for institutions, not for laws, not for governments, not even for moral codes. The vision of the Kingdom is an ever expanding community, permeated with the presence of Jesus and is to be the catalyst for goodness, justice and integrity in the world.

Yes Jesus did, as Paul says, die for our sins, but his whole agenda of dealing with sin and all its consequences was never about rescuing individual souls from the world but about gathering humans so that they could become part of his project of renewing this world (the Kingdom of God). The resurrection of Jesus is to be seen not as the proof of life after death or a heaven and a hell but as the launching within the literal world of space and time, the now public reality of new kingdom with King Jesus at its helm. Within 30 years, this was announced under Caesar’s nose openly and unhindered. The reason those who made that announcement were persecuted is, of course, that the fact of God acting in public is deeply threatening to the rulers of the world and the allegiance they require.

The incarnation, the crucifixion and resurrection are the defeat of evil, sin and Satan and the return of YHWH to his human project. The church has been entrusted with the ongoing task of implementing this achievement in the world. Our partnership with God is too build the foundation of His Home.

When Jesus said “the Kingdom of God has come” he meant it.  He meant it to the audience in front of him, in their time, on this planet. But the typical evangelical church struggles with this literal earthly 1st Century vision cast by Jesus because of a lens they read with. This tainted lens reads that all prophecies are in the future for us. This is a poor interpretation and a very western-centered hermeneutic. Many evangelicals think the world is getting worse and that the book of Revelation prophecies a world headed for destruction (the apocalypse) and somewhere in the time line we are raptured out of here and then God eventually ends everything.

When this "end-times" lens is employed it is very difficult to take Jesus words literally and therefore take our task of community, renewal and sacrificial-love seriously. If we relegate the Kingdom of God to a “heaven up there” we do not take Jesus at his word. When He said it was near, he meant it was near. When he said it had come, he meant it had come.

Inspired by Walter Brueggermann

1st Priority?

Jesus entrance into this world, His death and His resurrection marked the beginning of His earthly and eternal term in office as the Good King of this world. It inaugurated His reign. The entire book of Colossians states loudly the qualifications of the Lord Jesus Christ as He begins to set up His earthly kingdom.

Colossians 1:15-20 "When we look at the Son we see the invisible God. For in Jesus Christ all things were created and find their original purpose. For absolutely everything, above and below, visible and invisible, rank after rank of angels—everything gets it start in Him and finds its purpose in Him. He is before all things and He holds all things together. He is the founder and leader of the church. He was supreme in the beginning and through His resurrection He is supreme in the end. From beginning to end He's there, reigning over everything. Everything finds its fullness and its proper place in submission to Him. Not only that, but all the broken and dislocated pieces of this world are recovered and put back together by Him".

Why is the so significant? Jesus was stating His rightful place as the integrity-center of life. His kingship, His rule, His lordship is the only thing worth submitting to. Most people lack an integrity-center that guides all of their loyalty and allegiance. Most of the world lives under the rule of economics, sex, family, nationalism, religion, self-betterment, personal comfort, status and entertainment. Their sense of identity is bound up in one of these things or potentially distributed amongst many of them. That is why Jesus’ message is so life altering, it calls for the embodiment of our whole being, all our choices, and all of our acquired goods - concentrated and drawn together under one place.

When most Christians list their priorities everyone seems to know the right answer. It’s God first, family second and then all the other stuff after that. Making God first is what I learned in church as a kid; making Him priority. This message has been taught over and over in Americas churches to millions of adults. So in an attempt to “make God number one” people respond with getting rid of secular music in exchange for Christian music, they buy Christian products, they attempt to do their devotions every day, they go to church every time the doors are open, give a little money to a nonprofit and possibly they invite their unsaved friend to a crusade that comes to town. Still, I’m not sure this is what Jesus has in mind when it comes His Reign.

Jesus' reign is not a measurement of time or priority. One of the problems of trying to make God the first priority is that we begin to see God as a task master with a long list of things we need to do more of. Or we see God as a bucket or a compartment that we throw more stuff into in order to feel good about how much we have crammed in there. This is where moralism, legalism, guilt inducement and self-rightousness breads in our brand of Christianity. Have you ever been tempted to make God a bigger priority? Have you ever been tempted to counsel someone this way?

God is not interested in being a higher priority. Jesus does not say in the Sermon on the Mount “seek God first” He says “seek first the Kingdom of God”. Matthew 6 speaks like this - “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things will be given to you as well. So don’t worry about tomorrow”. Jesus is not asking for a level of importance or obligation. My own translation of Matthew 6:33 would go something like this - “But first work towards the advancement of God’s Reign here and now and live by His Kingdom ethic. Trust me if you do this I will take care of you. So relax don’t be scrambling to secure your identity in other things.

We need less talk about ways to put God first or make Him number one. What we desperately need is a robust understanding of God's reign in this world and how we are to go about living under His gracious rule. God’s Empire has begun not by force but by His radically sacrificial love and triumphant return from the dead. Jesus is Lord and His kingdom has come and is coming. This needs to take center stage in how we understand the Gospel and how calibrate our everyday lives.

Clearing Space for the Gospel: Part 1

The gospel needs room, room to breathe. We don’t realize it sometimes but we can gradually suffocate the gospel’s power in our lives and in our church communities. It happens ever so slowly. The centrality of what Jesus Christ did, began, said and accomplished can be scootched to the perimeter of our spiritual life without us being aware of it. In my assessment I don’t think we intentionally take something that is at the center of our lives and move it aggressively to the back corner of our lives. In most cases something else subtly begins to take center stage and whatever was there before finds that it doesn’t have space anymore and so vacates the center. In the next few blogs I want to briefly converse about 3 different agendas (politics, moralism and pragmatism) that end up crowding out the power and life of the Gospel in a church or in an individual life.

For this post let’s look at political agendas.
There is an interesting back story to Judas the betrayer. Judas was a rich man and an active member of the Zealot Political Party of the Jews. This political party was advocating for the forceful removal of the Romans out of Israel. This Zealot Party believed that when the trumpet sounded and the Messiah returned to reclaim His thrown He would over throw Rome in an epic battle. Zealot’s where known for carrying their sword with them at all times to be ready for the Jewish take back that the Messiah would begin. So here is Judas following Jesus around for three years, listening to His every teaching about the coming kingdom. What Judas and the majority of the disciples where hoping and expecting Jesus to do, was over throw the Roman Empire for the glory of God and the reinstallment of the Chosen People to their rightful place. Judas wasn’t only expecting and preparing for this, his theology was fused with his political fire. Hence the problem when Jesus refused to be a political leader. Jesus gradually aired out His agenda to inaugurate and establish a different type of kingdom that was supernatural. Judas was let down. He felt tricked and then we know how the rest of the story goes.

This is a perfect example of a political agenda crowding out the real gospel. Let me get practical and pointed about the application. I know and meet many believers who are wrapped up in the current political environment. They see that every twist, every news flash, every law passed or not passed somehow has grave implications for Christianity in America. Be careful. Jesus agenda is not our earthly agenda. His approach, strategy and kingdom way is not glued nor tied to the political landscape. When we look at Jesus tactic of bringing about his beautiful and glorious kingdom it’s quite backwards. Instead of a power-over move, what I mean by that is; instead of getting a position or leverage that comes with authority or gaining a louder voice in the culture, Jesus went the route of power-under; sacrifice, humility, and fierce servant love (Phil 2:1-11). That is a completely different politic. Kingdoms of the world seek to acquire and exercise power-over others, whereas Jesus incarnated and demonstrated a kingdom that advances by exercising power-under people.

Let me reign in my A.D.D. and get back to the original point about the gospel slowly being crowded out. When we become ravenous, amped up and are searching for any political breakthrough we may not realize it but the true, undiluted Gospel of Jesus Christ gets less attention, thought, treasuring and in turn, less of a role in our life. Whenever we get too close to any political or national ideology, it is disastrous for the church and for the clarity of what God is all about. The Gospel becomes no longer central. You see the Gospel needs room to breathe, no competition in its sole position in our hearts, lives and churches. It requires us to clear out space.

For deeper reading on this check > "The Jesus Driven Life" by Michael Hardin & "Myth of a Christian Nation" by Gregory Boyd