And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease among the people.
From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."
Repeatedly we discover the crux of Jesus' message in scripture. He came spreading the good news about the kingdom (the realm) of God coming to earth. Quite literally, the I AM was interacting with the affairs of man in a way that transformed people.
Perhaps the most revealing thing about Jesus' message was what He did not preach. He did not attempt to persuade people to join a church. He did not challenge them to embrace the synagogue and be more faithful in their attendance. He did not invite people (other than a very few) to join his ministry.
Someone recently referred me to an online article in a newspaper's religious section. A number of pastors spoke candidly about the "unchurched", about being saddened by the amount of people not attending church services on Sunday morning.
As I reflected on the article, my mind turned to the message of Jesus, a message of the kingdom of God, a message of good news, a message of power. I wonder if we have not replaced the message of the kingdom with the message of the church. Has our focus turned from the kingdom of God to an attempt to persuade people to attend our church services?
Incidentally "attending church" is not a biblical concept. The church is the outward manifestation of the inward transformational power of the kingdom of God. If we focus on the attendance of Sunday morning services, are we missing the point?
Friday, April 9, 2010
Sunday, April 4, 2010
resurrection
This Easter morning I am in Upstate NY. The weather during the past several days has been stunning. Bright sunshine, warm breezes, and deep blue sky all combined with the sounds of spring, the frogs and the birds, for an unforgettable weekend. What a way to celebrate the power of the resurrection!
This weekend, I have been reminded of the power of the resurrection in another way as well. Bev’s parents have been here with us for the weekend. Some six weeks ago, her Dad had two major surgeries within a week to correct a stomach problem. While the surgeon repaired the stomach, something deeper occurred in the heart. Somehow during that time, the Master Surgeon performed heart surgery as well.
Leonard was always rather driven. He worked incessantly. He seemed somewhat concerned about what people thought about him. The uncertainty of the future frequently bothered him. When it came to issues of the heart, he never gave too much indication of what was going on.
He is different now. Heidi, our oldest daughter, made the statement – I like this grandpa! Something has changed. He spent much of this warm weekend walking around without wearing a shirt. (A miracle for a conservative Mennonite man!) When Esther reminded him of what his mother used to say about not wearing a shirt he responded with – I don’t care! He walked around the property singing. He cried when he expressed his joy at the beauty of the place. He spoke about his heart being happy. He marveled at the sight of thousands of walleye (a fish native to the lake) making their spawning run up the river, their eyes illuminating like Christmas lights when we shone a light on the water after dark. When we went to Lowes together, he told me that he and Esther had reserved their burial plots and had purchased a gravestone with the design of their choice. There was no trepidation about the future, about the uncertainty of death.
For Leonard, resurrection power is personal and real, transforming the soul. The tomb of fear – fear of people, fear of failure, fear of the future is empty this morning. The resurrection power that demolished the grave 2000 years ago still shakes the earth and remains the demonstration of the power of God to bring freedom.
This weekend, I have been reminded of the power of the resurrection in another way as well. Bev’s parents have been here with us for the weekend. Some six weeks ago, her Dad had two major surgeries within a week to correct a stomach problem. While the surgeon repaired the stomach, something deeper occurred in the heart. Somehow during that time, the Master Surgeon performed heart surgery as well.
Leonard was always rather driven. He worked incessantly. He seemed somewhat concerned about what people thought about him. The uncertainty of the future frequently bothered him. When it came to issues of the heart, he never gave too much indication of what was going on.
He is different now. Heidi, our oldest daughter, made the statement – I like this grandpa! Something has changed. He spent much of this warm weekend walking around without wearing a shirt. (A miracle for a conservative Mennonite man!) When Esther reminded him of what his mother used to say about not wearing a shirt he responded with – I don’t care! He walked around the property singing. He cried when he expressed his joy at the beauty of the place. He spoke about his heart being happy. He marveled at the sight of thousands of walleye (a fish native to the lake) making their spawning run up the river, their eyes illuminating like Christmas lights when we shone a light on the water after dark. When we went to Lowes together, he told me that he and Esther had reserved their burial plots and had purchased a gravestone with the design of their choice. There was no trepidation about the future, about the uncertainty of death.
For Leonard, resurrection power is personal and real, transforming the soul. The tomb of fear – fear of people, fear of failure, fear of the future is empty this morning. The resurrection power that demolished the grave 2000 years ago still shakes the earth and remains the demonstration of the power of God to bring freedom.
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