There are a couple of big questions on the minds of many people: Do I or don't I get the vaccination? And if I am going to get the vaccination, when? The question becomes more complex when a person is frail for one reason or another. Then there is the matter of believing in the science and the medical practitioners offering the cure. Do I wait for a while to see what the issues/side effects are or do I trust in the science and go ahead?
While fear is at the root of these questions, whether you accept the solution offered or not, your fate is ultimately determined by your personal choice. In much the same way, the deadliest virus of all time has but one cure and your fate is determined by your choice.
The good news is we have a vaccination. A vaccination which, like the ones offered for COVID, allows the user to experience some aspects of the disease without the fatal consequences. The vaccination is the repenting of your old lifestyle and the acceptance of the new one with Jesus. A process for some is like the sting of the needle of the other vaccinations that soon fades and requires only a regular booster to keep someone protected. These vaccination boosters are what we call our Christian values.
Psychiatrist Carl Jung said, “You are what you do, not what you say you’ll do.”
Therefore, we need to conscientiously develop our way of interacting with the world so as to to alert others to the vaccination that comes from recognizing the universal reign of God through Jesus. In applying the rhythms of Christian life, we are propelled outward, beyond ourselves, into the lives of others so we get to share the benefits of the vaccination with others.
The Fourth booster comes in the form of learning about God. By learning about God we not only demonstrate our love for God’s love, we stave off the potential effects of the virus of this life: namely sin.
A pastor was counseling a young couple and they had run into a rough patch. She said he didn’t love her. He said her insecurity was driving a wedge in between them. They were at an impasse. If something didn’t change, he was unsure if they would make it. She nodded. The pastor thought carefully. He asked the wife to leave the room. He asked the man to share some of the things he loved about her and the relationship in the beginning. The pastor took notes. After he asked the man to step outside and invited the man into the office. He asked the same question. After she finished, the pastor invited the woman back into the room. The pastor shared the husband’s list with the wife detailing all the aspects her husband fell in love with. He then shared the wife's understanding about her husband. The two looked at one another. There was silence in the room. In that moment, they realized they did “know” one another. In other words, they knew the nature of the person they were staring at. They also realized in their familiarity, they had stopped appreciating the other person for who they are.
Intimacy can be defined as: the ability to meet yourself when you are near someone else (aka Into-Me-See). When we use the word “Learn” in the Center’s value statement and this week’s vaccination application, we are suggesting each of us strive to a new level of intimacy with God.
But how?
The simplest of answers is read and STUDY the gospels.
Alan Hirsch and Michael Frost wrote a book about this called ReJesus. It was their assertion the church, the people who gather together, need to “re-Jesus”. That is to say, we need to be immersed in the Gospels, totally marinated in the work and words of Jesus.
They were taking their lead from C.S. Lewis, who wrote: “In the same way the Church exists for nothing else but to draw men into Christ, to make them little Christs. If they are not doing that, all the cathedrals, clergy, missions, sermons, even the Bible itself, are simply a waste of time. God became man for no other purpose. It is even doubtful, you know, whether the whole universe was created for any other purpose. It says in the Bible that the whole universe was made for Christ and that everything is to be gathered together in Him.”
We all need to read the gospels - Matthew, Mark, Luke and John - over and over again. This doesn’t mean stop the other Christian learning you do. However, ALL scripture is God breathed and the Bible is a living document so continuing bible study is important. The gospels regularly remind us about Jesus`s life and His action in the toughest of circumstances. Try sitting and reading one in its entirety. Mark will take you about 90 minutes, John and Luke require two hours and Matthew is closer to three. Marinating in God’s word and re-living Jesus' life is a powerful innoculation for your life.
In addition to the gospels and the rest of scripture, we live in a time with some of the greatest teachers and preachers. Their books are everywhere. The audio and video podcasts are too numerous to list. We all have favorites but regularly feed your mind. I personally like books by NT Wright, Tim Keller, Scott McKnight, Francis Chan, Jim Cymbala, John Wimber, David Platt, David Lamb, Ravi Zacharias, Nicky Gumbel, Alan and Deb Hirsh, Michael Frost, Daryll Gruder, Larry Osborne, Chris Brown, Jonathan Merritt, Greg Ogden, Will Willimon, Jefferson Bethke. I’ve enjoyed the classics from CS lewis, or other nonfiction literature like Pilgrim's Progress, the Joshua series and even some controversial books like the Shack.
The greek word ‘mathetes’ is the word that scripture uses for “disciple”, at its root it means learner. In other words, disciples are people who LEARN to be like Jesus and learn to be little Jesus. One great writer on the practice of being a disciple or discipleship put it this way:
Discipleship is the process of becoming who Jesus would be if he were you.
A disciple or Christian Learner is someone who, with increased intentionality and passing time, has a life and ministry that looks more and more like the life and ministry of Jesus. They increasingly have his heart and character and are able to do the types of things we see Jesus doing. We don’t have to look far in the New Testament to see this happening. Just look at the life of the disciples/ apostles and the communities they led over time, they looked more and more like Jesus! How did the church go from 120 people in an upper room to more than 50% of the Roman Empire in about 250 years? They did what they read Jesus said and did. They listened to the apostles who had more experience in living like Jesus and finally, they allowed other writings to inform their understanding.
I was talking with a friend recently and a celebrity came up. The person shared every person they had been married to, where they lived and what TV shows and movies they were in. It also triggered my “punk” viewpoint. I wonder how much they knew about Jesus’ life - how many demons he cast out, how many times he was sarcastic, where he lived, how many miles he walked, how old he was when he died, how many half sisters and brothers he had? I’m not sharing my ADHD thoughts to condemn but to encourage us to learn more.
This leads us to our challenge.
If we, as missionaries to our culture, live a questionable life because of what Jesus did for us, shouldn’t we be able to answer their questions about Him with the same energy and passion we have for other aspects of this culture - hobbies, sports, news, or government? .
The challenge this week is to read one gospel and learn one new aspect of his life. If you’re an overachiever, I challenge you to look at how much time you spend on other passions in life - TV or movies or romance novels or running or working out or car repair or stock picking - and then equalize the time you spend between your main hobby and learn a little more about the Lord.
To learn more about the preacher, please go to www.communitycenter.life/rev-robert-butler-info
