As Christians in this world, have we overlooked important basic Christian principles that do more harm than good to our fellow brethren or even unbelievers from seeing the truth? Are we really representing God and the works of Jesus to the best of our ability? As representatives of The Kingdom, where should we start in affecting the world around us?
To be a representative of God and witnesses to the works of Jesus can be a daunting task, depending. The main trouble with Christians (both new and seasoned) is that we have a huge gap in true discipleship/mentoring.
In the mainline Church today, we have youth-groups, men’s and ladies groups, child classes, etc. While all these groups and programs are good for their intended purposes, they lack one important ingredient, true discipleship. What Jesus has taught (going out 2 by 2) is lacking or nonexistent in the Church today; rather, we have replaced personal, hands on training with mics, loud speakers, and video screens, etc to compensate for this shortcoming. The Church today usually have one person (namely the pastor, preacher, reverend, etc) throwing themselves out there by technological means having no real personal contact with others what-so-ever.
This type of method has caused apathy in the body. This method also requires vast amounts of money from Mr. and Mrs. Q’tithe-payer. *Ever wonder where exactly does your tithe money really go?* It’s much easier to build bigger buildings to accommodate new people who come in and enjoy what your particular sect has to offer, throw some money at it and be proud of what God has done!
Have you ever taken a step back and wonder, *Where are the poor, the meek, the lowly types? Why aren’t we bringing them in?* Where’s our charity? Is it towards one another, and if so, what good is that?
Luke 6:27-36
27 ”But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28 bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. 29 If someone strikes you on one cheek, turn to him the other also. If someone takes your cloak, do not stop him from taking your tunic. 30 Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. 31 Do to others as you would have them do to you. 32 ”If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even ’sinners’ love those who love them. 33 And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even ’sinners’ do that. 34 And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even ’sinners’ lend to ’sinners,’ expecting to be repaid in full. 35 But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. 36 Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.
1 Corinthians 1:17-31 26
“Brothers, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. 27 But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. 28 He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things–and the things that are not–to nullify the things that are, 29 so that no one may boast before him. 30 It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God–that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. 31 Therefore, as it is written: “Let him who boasts boast in the Lord.”
The early Church was made up of these types of people. Jesus reached out to the outcasts when no one else wanted them. They where thought of like dirt, made for ignoble purposes, but the Lord Jesus thought better of them. Jesus saw the actual value in people who were thought of as low stature. He knew better of those who do not have, that when given something of real value, would appreciate even more in what they receive than those who’ve always had.
What Jesus offered was in no way materialistic, rather things of the heart; e.g., Love, wisdom, joy, peace, knowledge, comradery, among actual physical blessings. Jesus gathered these lowly people unto him and raised them up as his Disciples, and His disciples flourished under his tutelage. Lets us not forget there were plenty of times when His Disciples were *bonked* on the head for their short-sightedness.
Most of us Christians in this present age suffer from a lack of solid mentoring; instead, roaming the land like free-ranging cowboy Christians with no real solid foundation. I do, however, thank God for his Holy Spirit who does guide us and makes up for the lack of Christian discipline as much as our hearts will allow.
The main point is that there isn’t a real program today which even comes close to what Jesus taught. We are leaving the work to “One-Man-Shows” throwing them money, resources, time, etc. What’s missing is Jesus personal touch that once was the main-stay of Christ’s discipleship.
Luke 10:1-16
1 After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go. 2 He told them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field. 3 Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves. 4 Do not take a purse or bag or sandals; and do not greet anyone on the road. 5 “When you enter a house, first say, ‘Peace to this house.’ 6 If a man of peace is there, your peace will rest on him; if not, it will return to you. 7 Stay in that house, eating and drinking whatever they give you, for the worker deserves his wages. Do not move around from house to house. 8 “When you enter a town and are welcomed, eat what is set before you. 9 Heal the sick who are there and tell them, ‘The kingdom of God is near you.’ 10 But when you enter a town and are not welcomed, go into its streets and say, 11 ‘Even the dust of your town that sticks to our feet we wipe off against you. Yet be sure of this: The kingdom of God is near.’ 12 I tell you, it will be more bearable on that day for Sodom than for that town. 13 “Woe to you, Korazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. 14 But it will be more bearable for Tyre and Sidon at the judgment than for you. 15 And you, Capernaum, will you be lifted up to the skies? No, you will go down to the depths. 16 “He who listens to you listens to me; he who rejects you rejects me; but he who rejects me rejects him who sent me.”
I’ve never received this type of mentoring in my life and I already miss it! How could one miss what he/she has never had? Easy, I can feel it in my heart and my spirit longs for good Discipleship.
Once again, like the Church of old, the Church today needs reform. I would gladly join in a heartbeat a return to the most basic of Jesus teaching. Why try to fix something that isn’t broken or ad too that which does fine on its own? Like we have a better Idea on how to do things than God who instituted it? We take something of God’s and try to make it better, but we always end up inadvertently causing more damage than what was originally intended, leave it alone! We need more interaction between each other and this world. You can’t get warm and cozy with wires and streaming video.
