Rebel

rebel: noun or verb?

rebel (n): a person who resists authority, control, or tradition; an agent of change

rebel (v): to dissent from an accepted moral code or conventional behavior

rebellion (n): revolt, revolution, uprising, insurgence // antonyms: complacency, compliance

To the question: Am I really a rebel? I answer a condescending: No. But in order to answer the question: Who are you? I answer: I don’t know. I find no other option other than rebellion. I’ve always been a good follower, not a resister. It’s hard to see myself breaking out of the mold. I’ve always been a ‘Yes Man.’ I’m not trying to start a new cause or lead anyone else in this - this is just a personal journey away from fearing men and toward fearing God. It’s crazy, but in order to be true to myself, I find a little rebellion necessary. It’s more than a phase, it’s an essential stage for my growth. Rebellion, for me, is nothing more than a means to an end: finding myself. I admit that I’m a little scared, but I cannot continue to accept all the assumptions and presumptions handed down to me. Up to this point, my identity has been defined by peer pressure and fear, so I must rebel for the sake of my own integrity or I must deny God’s design in me. My calling is unique to me; this is not my grandfather’s world, so I rebel for the sake of impacting my generation with the Gospel. In many ways, I am sad to have to take such a stand. Why have others thought it so important to establish the unnecessary as the norm? Why has the world (and the church for that matter) gotten so programmed, so conforming, so systematized, so average? How has the sloth of bureaucracy crept into so many areas of my life? Our culture is full of individuals just like me seeking their identity and purpose; this world is ripe for revolt!

Therefore, I revolt. I represent. I rebel. I must buck the system... Against status-quo. Against the norm. Against the daily grind. Against average. Against mediocrity. Against socialistic society. Against out-of-control special rights for favored groups. Against racism and feminism. Against big-brother control. Against bailouts. Against worldliness. Against 1950’s traditionalism in religion. Against anything that is against God.But I’m not just against certain things. The real reason I rebel is because I am forso many more-important things... I’m for truth, real truth, absolute truth. For right. For liberty and freedom. For capitalism. For creativity. For people thinking for themselves. For justice. For blood, sweat, and tears. For family. For the little guys. For the good news and for the gospel. For grace. For purity and abstinence. For God.

I’m an underdog and I’m for the underdog. I root for the challenger. Could there be a new champ? Yes, and when there is, there will be a new underdog, a new challenger. For too long the wrong things are reigning king of my hill. I am tired of complacency... in my life, at home, at work, at church, and in my community. It’s time for an uprising, an insurgence, a revolution!

Before we go any further, you should know what I’m really thinking. The term rebellion has a much more negative connotation than revolution. Although I feel that these terms are nearly synonymous, I tend to believe that rebellion implies a fearful, violent reaction, while, revolutionary implies pro-active, courageous leadership. Even still, since they are so similar, I will blend the two words and use them interchangeably - but please understand that I lean on the side of revolt and not rebellion. I’m not promoting insubordination - quite the contrary! I whole-heartily believe in submission. The only reason that rebellion or revolution is necessary is when lower authorities attempt to contradict, undermine, and usurp higher authorities. True authorities are not based on shifting morals or men’s standards; they are absolute principles found within the pages of the Bible. In our current age of entitlement and expectation, you don’t have to look far to see how causes can twist and misrepresent truths in their favor to instigate less-than-questionable rebellions (i.e. - the Occupy movement). In addition, one could apply the idea of revolution into the church and call it revival. Although the context of the two are completely different, many of the principles are very similar.

the good of rebellion

Why you should consider rebelling. What good has rebellion ever done?

I know that some might quote the 12+ Bible references that forbid rebellion and show that ‘rebellion is like witchcraft.’ But if we look closely at those passages, we find that it speaks only of rebellion against God’s authority (including the authorities delegated to parents, government, & spiritual bodies). In fact, when some authority contradicts / usurps God’s authorities in our lives, we must rebel. These 12+ Old Testament passages dictate that we rebel all lesser authorities so that we might obey God’s. You can only listen to that voice so long before you realize that it’s more of the same … the status-quo trying to thwart the birthing of excellence.