Sacred People (part 4)

In this series of articles we're examining the life of Jesus to see what a truly Sacred Person looks like. And it may not be the most spiritual or holy person, although that's what we've been led to believe.  The answer may shock you.

Sacred People (part 1)
Sacred People (part 2)
Sacred People (part 3)

Unholy people

So far we've talked about the need to be authentic and to begin to allow God to expand our small-minded thinking.  And we saw in Acts 10 that we need to treat everyone as if they are created in God's image... because they are!  As we finish up this series we'll look at ways to practically apply these truths.

When we look at the life of Jesus, we see the will of God in action.  He lived a holy life.  His disciples record God speaking from heaven about Him:

And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” - Matthew 3:17

God was well pleased with Him because He always did those things that please God.  He lived a life that was fully devoted to God.  This is the definition of a sacred life.  Jesus was truly a sacred person!  And by looking at the life of Jesus we can see how sacred people should live.

Sacred People (part 2)

In this series of articles we're examining the life of Jesus to see what a truly sacred person looks like. And it may not be the most spiritual or holy person, although that's what we've been led to believe.  What we discover may shock you.

Sacred People (part 1)
Sacred People (part 3)
Sacred People (part 4) 

Getting out of the box

The Jews in Jesus' day lived by rigid legal standards – some established by God and others added by men.  These rules were put in place to keep their hearts and their focus solely on Him.  This included isolating themselves from people that didn’t serve their God.  As a matter of fact, Jews wouldn’t associate or even eat with non-Jews.  This tradition continued with the believers in the early years following Jesus' resurrection and return to heaven.  Their churches were made up entirely of Jews or converts to Judaism.

But God never planned to keep the message of the Jewish Messiah (Jesus) just for the Jews.  His plan all along was for men, women and children of all nations to be a part of His family.  In order to make this a reality, God had to get the Jewish believers out of their isolationist box!  A radical worldview transformation was necessary for this to happen.  Jesus warned that this would happen:

Sacred People (part 1)

In this series of articles we're examining the life of Jesus to see what a truly sacred person looks like. And it may not be the most spiritual or holy person, although that's what we've been led to believe.  What we discover may shock you.

Sacred People (part 2)

Sacred People (part 3)

Sacred People (part 4) 

Just be real

The lady that cuts my hair is a trip! (in a good way)  She has multiple tattoos (almost a full sleeve), multiple piercings, WILD hair colors and likes "eccentric" clothing.  She's nothing like me, except for our mutual gift for sarcasm and honesty :)  One day she told how she used to go to church with her parents, but never really fit in because she asked too many questions.  Questions make religious people nervous because they bring up uncomfortable topics.  Apparently in a church you’re supposed to stick to the script!  So she finally came to the conclusion that, “I don’t belong in a church.”

Unfortunately I could tell you story after story after story that has exactly the same ending.  This breaks my heart!  We have FAILED in our primary assignment – to represent Jesus to a broken world.

Becoming a Better Lover

Image source: pixshark.com

Like that title? I thought it might pique your interest. I want to take a few moments and consider how growing in your relationship with Jesus can make you a better lover.

I guess maybe I should give you some background. A number of years ago I taught a series called “Redefining Relationships“ to a college group. As usual, we talked about everything from friendships to sexuality. Since this church was made up primarily of singles, this subject hit home with many of the group members. Those that weren’t facing the battles of purity were still surrounded by sexuality from the media and pop culture at every turn.

Anyway, in this series, I made a passing reference to the fact that becoming more intimate with Christ can make you a better lover. I got quite a bit of response from that statement, so I decided to develop the thought further. I thought this would also be a good subject for married couples. A healthy marriage is like a healthy garden… it requires a lot of effort to weed, water, feed and nurture, but the results are well worth it.

So, I want you to drop your religious inhibitions, take off your holier-than-thou glasses and track with me as we delve into the subject of becoming a better lover. Maybe it would be best if we started with a verse or two from the Bible, so you won’t think I’ve gone off the deep end.

Not good enough

Photo credit: Bianca Cimini

I just had an epiphany… I was thinking of the fact that Jesus didn’t choose any of the "Who’s Who Among Israeli Religion Students “ or “National Religion Honor Society” students to be one of His disciples.  Not one of them was trained (Acts 4:13 says they were "laymen with no training in Scripture or formal education").  He chose those that were passed over, those that didn’t make the cut.  He chose fishermen, tax collectors and political activists (radicals).

But what I had never realized before was that Jesus Himself was passed over by the religious leaders.  Even though they recognized that at age of thirteen He was gifted, they obviously didn’t choose Him to be one of their lawyers (experts in the Law).  He didn’t fit their expectations, so they discounted Him.  As Isaiah said, "He was despised and rejected by men!" (Isa. 53:3)

All Jewish children had to learn the Pentateuch (the Mosaic Law) before their 13th birthday.  We know it today as a Bar Mitzvah.  Then the religion teachers would choose a student in whom they saw a gift and refer him (no girls allowed) to the religious leaders for further training, in preparation for a life of religious service.

If you’ve been ignored or passed over because you aren’t the brightest or the best, you’re in good company.  God can use anyone who is willing to submit their lives to Him!

What it means to be like Jesus

When it comes to being like Jesus, we often talk about doing miracles, sharing God's heart with a broken world or serving the less fortunate.

But in our local churches we have an AMAZING opportunity every week to represent Jesus' heart.  We can model for others how to welcome and accept the less than perfect.  If we value them, others will too.  If we reach out to them, others will follow.  We need to use our influence to be a champion of the broken and the misfits… we'll never be more like Jesus than when you do that.

This is often difficult for me since I'm such a perfectionist... and I have a hard time accepting anything less than perfection.  But when I go beyond myself and help others, I demonstrate who God is to a world that is desperately searching for grace.  It is hard to do, but well worth the effort.

Let's turn our churches into places for the "everyman" that lives next door, works in the next cubicle or sits at the next school desk.  We can impact the world by impacting one life.  All it takes is us getting out of our comfort zone.