IMITATE ME

I was reading about THE KINGDOM today.

The Kingdom is bigger than any building, although most of us live our lives to build edifices of one kind or another. That seems kind of foolish for the church because Scripture says we're to live for the eternal, not the temporary.

Try reading Jesus' SERMON ON THE MOUNT in Matthew 5 really slowly. We've become kind of de-sensitized to that whole thing. We've READ it, some of us, many times -- but have we LIVED it? ARE we living it? What does it mean to live the Kingdom CORPORATELY - as the Church?

Jesus - John - Peter - Paul - they all said the same thing: "IMITATE ME." In other words, "Live it like I'm living it."

Look at the qualifications for pastor, elder, deacon, Christian leaders, etc ...
The majority of instruction deals more with intimacies like a person's character and integrity than with 'religious' elements like theology and education. I become convicted that I have under-prioritized how my education and theological training should influence me on an intimate level.

How many of us have been told - and in turn, told OTHERS - "When you believe the right things, you'll start living right?" Well - that's simply not true. Merely believing the right things does NOT insure Christ-like behavior. It doesn't.

We want to master the information; but the early church longed to master the LIFE. Here in the West, we have allowed ourselves to separate believing the truth from its impacting the way we live. But until our beliefs, our lifestyles, our character, and our behaviors come together, this thing called Christianity will never, ever work.

But we NEED it to work, don't we? The WORLD needs for it to work.

Be blessed.