10 Commandments
There are cultural barriers that Jesus has to face when interacting with his people. Two of the most dichotomous are the Jewish culture and the American culture; they are completely different! The Jewish people love rules and boundaries so much that hundreds were added to the already existing Levitical law. This culture is bound by these laws and rules to such extreme that it seems they fear their own free will. On the other hand, we [Americans] are radically opposed to boundaries, rules and limits, because we are the American people, of course. We bear little consideration for personal preservation, conviction or consequence, and place most of our fulfillment on the “freedom” to seek gratification in any moment.
Jesus, while alive, faced the cultural opposition of trying to bring freedom from the rules, how do we communicate the same truth and need for freedom from ourselves, and relationship with the creator to the other extreme, which despises such restriction?
As American Christians, we face an entirely different set of objections than Jesus himself faced. As well as our brothers and sisters who are doing their part to “make disciples of all nations’ while inhabiting the rest of the globe. We could look back historically and see there were numerous statements made and worldviews adopted based on how Jesus interacted with his culture, the Jewish culture, which could quite possibly be the polar opposite of our American culture. One aspect of living out my faith that I am very passionate about is that of relate-ability and relevance. Not relevance like wearing a Christian t-shirt that looks like a secular t-shirt, or listening to a Christian hip-hop song that is written to a secular track. But, actually being relevant: willing to engage, connect, and be an active part of the lives of people in the subcultures we live in. [I was searching for "Cheesy Christian t-shirts" on Google and was so embarrassed that I decided against putting on up where this text should be!]
This is the part of life that I believe we miss the most as Christian men and women in America. I carry my belief mainly because I have seen more Christians turn into the Jewish people who Jesus came to redeem and restore, based on the rules we make and ignorant boundaries we set up in order to keep ourselves safe. There has been a total perversion of the idea that we are in this world but not of this world.
My understanding is that we ought to not find our comfort, fulfillment and identity from the things of this world, but rather from the God who created this world. This is what sets us apart, which is another thing we are called to be, holy and set apart for the good work that aligns with the good news.
The gospel.
A narrative of freedom and redemption, for all who seek to bring heaven to earth, in the way that we are commanded to live, the way that was perfectly modeled by Jesus Christ.
The Way…
Jesus was so widely known by this title that we were historically and publicly identified as followers of “The Way” before the word “Christian” even existed.
As a man or woman who is following Jesus, allow me to encourage all of us to either join him in shedding blood, sweat, and tears as we pave the way, or, get out of the road and stop making it more difficult for the rest of us.
That may sound harsh, however, I see it like this: Jesus already did the redeeming, he is the way to freedom, and he doesn’t need our opinions, discomforts, theological views, or selfish pride to help him finish a job he’s already done.
We are called to love, serve, sacrifice for, and even die for humanity so we may all experience the gospel. This is your opportunity to check you heart, this is between you, Jesus, and anyone else you trust who you may need to process with. I’ll end with a portion of a Psalm that literally saved my life:
Psalm 139:23-24 - Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!
