Would Jesus be a Christian? (PART 1)

Cause my Jesus would never be accepted in my church
The blood and dirt on His feet would stain the carpet
But He reaches for the hurting and despised the proud
I think He’d prefer Beale St. to the stained glass crowd
And I know that He can hear me if I cry out loud

- Todd Agnew, "My Jesus"

Our House Party last weekend still has me thinking about some things. Quite frankly, they're not the kinds of things that make me very comfortable. But I'm getting to that age, you know... the age when you're too old to be completely stupid and too young to be completely wise.

But I'm getting wiser (I think I heard the muted sarcastic applause - thank you for that). And I've figured out something in this phase of my journey... my life has to at some level become a gift to this world, and to the "footprint" of influence God has granted me. And I can neither be still or silent any longer. I can no longer live outside of the pages of the greater story God has written for my life. Because it's not about me. It's about "them".

"Them" is a reference to something that happened at our gathering Saturday night. And it was no doubt harmless enough in its inception. We went in a new direction for our worship time, in that we had some large flip chart paper and markers available and a number of people began to draw and sketch stuff, expressing their hearts. Denise drew an image of a cross with a heart in the center and blood spilling over onto one side of the ground, which responded by springing up some pretty flowers - a metaphor for life. (Now if you know Denise at all, you also probably know that she hates even the sight or mention of blood, so this had to be God-inspired!) But what was interesting was there were a few small flowers on the opposite side of the cross, where the blood did not flow. And they were alive but barely so and stunted in their growth as well. In her explanation of all of this, she simply said those flowers represented the people that were "not to be forgotten".

In other words, "them".

And might I add that that's exactly what has happened to "them". They have been forgotten.

Just like it was about 2000 or so years ago. Because then there were the Pharisees/rabbis. There were the scribes and the religious elite. And then there were "them". The ones forgotten.

They were the widows (whose remaining assets the Pharisees apparently "devoured" under the pretense of giving them blessing - sounds a bit like some TV ministries' campaigns, no?), they were the poor, they were the outcast "sinners" (tax collectors, prostitutes, beggars, drunks, thieves), they were the sick (believed to be so because of their alleged "sin"). They were the ones nobody wanted to extend a hand to, be in the company of, or even look at. These were "them".

And where are "them" in our day, in our culture? They are actually pretty easy to find, at least as long as you look outside of the religious clubs that we call "church". Because, you see, church isn't terribly conducive to their assimilation. In fact, church is usually the very last place you'll find them. Because, let's be honest. They're not entirely the kind of "club member" you'd be recruiting if you wanted to have a "nice" church.

And so I have been asking myself how I'm doing in terms of not forgetting "them". And I'm actually a bit pleased with my progress... I've moved from a "F" to a solid "D -". Yay for me! I suck a little less at caring! But without a doubt, I still suck! And that has me wondering about what kind of Christian I really am after all.

I think in lots of ways, I'm a typical Christian. I'm a pastor, so that at least means I usually will show up at church meetings. And I can pray and speak about God articulately... sometimes. And I try to keep my life in order and "nice" and ethical. And I pray and repent of sin as I'm aware of it. And I give offerings and even use various spiritual gifts when needed. I can do all sorts of work in ministry and have spent many years helping club members in times of need. And I can rip out a mean prayer in tongues. I've even built relationships with non-believers and shared Jesus with them. Oh, and I've got the three-point expository message down, baby!

And so I'm a pretty "good" Christian. And I suck. Because I've forgotten "them" way too many times. And so have so many of us "church" people. So many of us "Christians".

And that's exactly why they have forgotten "us".

Oh, by the way, that's also why the world as a whole has forgotten "us".

Because they already know what we will never admit to in our religious pride... that we just don't care. About "them".

We're pretty busy with our faith, you know. There are buildings to build (and then pay for for another zillion years). There are ministries in the church to "get done" (gotta get lots of volunteers to take care of those buildings, right?). There are lots of "needs" to meet among the people who are our "members" (we'll forget for the moment that about 50% of them were members of different churches a couple of years ago - and left because their "needs" weren't met). And of course, there are lots of classes and messages and teachings to work through because we all know that we'll finally be able to live a life of faith if we can just have more knowledge and just know "how to" do what the Bible says. If there just was another class on better marriages or finances or business practices... then we'd finally get it right (cause it's all about knowledge, you know).

And then maybe we could talk about reaching out to "them".

But when we do, let's be sure it's safe and our insurance covers us. Oh, and let's just do some very minimal contact stuff because we wouldn't want to scare any of our members. Maybe we need another class to teach how to hand out lightbulbs... nah, maybe not. Instead, let's just throw some money at a local ministry that does that kind of thing and then we can make sure we don't lose any members because we're making them uncomfortable. Instead, we can just have another class on raising kids!

Let's just be honest. We think we're all out on the edge in this "organic" emerging church model. (After all, at least the building and classes don't apply to us, right?) But are we club members or are we disciples who have laid down our lives for Him... and "them"?

I don't know about you, but I've still got too much club member in me. And God is wanting to expose this attitude... in all of us. Because to the extent we're myopically thinking about our little comfortable worlds, we're denying most of the real substance of the message of the cross, which is a love that laid down its life... and still does!

I know a few young people who will quickly say they follow Jesus but refuse to be labeled "Christian". I daresay if Jesus were walking the earth physically today, He would flatly refuse that label as well. Because of "them".

Ah... what about "them"? You can say what you will about personal responsibility and people making excuses about not coming to Christ because of their own sin and rebellious attitudes. And you'd be right, because at the end of the day, God is still going to ask each of us what we did with what we knew about Jesus.

But therein lies a paradoxical problem for us "Christians". Think about what Paul writes in Romans:

But how shall they ask him to save them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them? And how will anyone go and tell them unless someone sends him? That is what the Scriptures are talking about when they say, "How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the Gospel of peace with God and bring glad tidings of good things." In other words, how welcome are those who come preaching God's Good News!

Romans 10:14-15, TLB

Tell me, exactly what "good news" have we (the institutional /evangelical /modern church) given "them"? That they're sinners and need to turn or burn? That God is unhappy with them and that they are totally depraved? That (in a subtle way of course) their lives are a mess and that God can clean them up to be (horrors!) like us? That Jesus wants to save them from their sin so they can be brought under the very law they couldn't understand, much less desire, much less keep? That coming to Jesus means they have to (still more horrors) join a church (ours of course, is the best one)? That they can be just as bitter and unhappy and hypocritical and phony as us?

So again, where's the good news? The news about all of heaven being accessible now... about a True Love they've never seen before healing them... about God turning their willing acceptance of Jesus' sacrifice for them into a change of desires that will ultimately change their darkest behaviors into works of light... about a kingdom more beautiful and powerful and welcoming than any they've ever known... about the opportunity to find out who they really are and live a destiny they could never have attained before... about a love affair with the Hero of the greatest story ever told and with them having a key role in its outcome? And yes, about the cross and its cost - but not without the power of the resurrected life and the ascension into heaven itself in Christ. And, oh, yes, the blessings that God has for them in every part of their being and thier lives!

Is this what they have heard? Not from my experience (which is becoming fairly significant at this point). They have heard how bad they are, how unlike "us" they are and how mad God is at them. They have seen everything from us but Jesus, including hypocrisy, criticism and condescension. They have determined that God and Jesus are good (and many of them believe deep down, by the way), but that all things church and Christian are to be avoided at all costs.

My point is that they can only respond to what they have been shown and shared... and neither of these looks much like Jesus.

And on top of it all, we just shun "them". They are already aware of their own social rejection. And we just affirm it, again. And again. And again.

And after all of this, I don't know where to begin yet with "them". I'm doing a few things, extending my life and my spiritual (I like that word better than "Christian" these days!) being out among people, looking to serve more, etc. But I know I haven't gotten dirty or bloody enough to have earned a right to be in their stories. But I will in the days ahead. And I want very much for us as a church to give up our seat at the table to go and find some hungry people who need to eat what we've been feasting on for years. We can't afford to wait till we're ready, because that day will never come. We're more than ready now to simply lay down our lives and love people. And I want that to be my - our- legacy in this world.

Because Jesus loves "them". And He would never be a Christian if that meant forgetting "them". Because they are why He came, and why we are sent.

And isn't there an irony here too important to miss? We're all the same -every one of us! We all have the same issues and so many of them are our struggle to matter and find meaning. And sometimes we as believers have the most difficult struggles because we hide them so well.

In the world centered around my search for identity, rejection is like the poison arrow I avoid at all costs. And that's why we so often see the "us" distinct from the "them". We can't afford to be on the outside, can we?

And yet, we are all outside apart form Jesus. Which means except for Him, we'd be "them". And if we live in His love, you know what? We start to walk so close to "them" that we become as "them". And then maybe in a good, real, meaningful way, they can become as "us" as we are in Jesus.

And that's why they call it "incarnation". And so, it's time to "incarnate". To stop being "Christians" and to start being Jesus. To "them". Because we can't afford to allow "them" to be... forgotten.

I'll have more to say about Jesus and Christianity in coming posts... stay tuned!

Live Courageous!!!