"I am a follower of Jesus"...but which Jesus?

Leonard Pitts is a Pulitzer Prize winning columnist with the Miami Herald. Yesterday morning, while enjoying a cup of kona with my prize, I read this piece in the Pilot.

Our paper had titled his column "Some Christians ignore Jesus' teachings". Whoa, that jumped off the page for me. Thinks I, "Someone's been following me around, and wrote about me!" I confess. I don't always do what Jesus would do or say what Jesus would say.

If you stop to read his column, please understand that I'm not taking the side of anyone mentioned in the column. I have problems with what both clergymen quoted have to say.

But here's what got my wheels turning. Pitts and the Rev. Lawson (read that name carefully - he's not me) apparently believe in a Jesus whose Gospel was one of a modern cultural buzzword: tolerance. And, we're told, tolerance, of course is necessary to being a proponent of human rights. And Jesus was the ultimate human rights defender and icon of tolerance. And so on.

Really?

Tolerance, in the mind of pop culture, means "different strokes for different folks". It means there are no moral absolutes. If you take "the gospel of tolerance" to its logical end "anything goes". Live and let live.

I've been reading about, talking about Jesus for a long time. I think I know Him fairly well. But I don't think He fits in the modern mold of being a guru of tolerance as it is defined today. He was however the most compassionate and forgiving man who ever lived.

For example, when He found men practicing capitolism but violating the spirit of God's law by ripping off the poor in the Temple, he made a whip out of cords, overturned their tables and ran them out of the house. Sounds pretty intolerant to me. But they were taking advantage of the oppressed, right? Right. But what if the story was about the poor stealing from honest, but wealthy businessmen? Wouldn't Jesus have been equally passionate about defending them?

Another example is the woman who was brought to Him after being snatched from bed with a man who wasn't her husband. Those who brought her to Him wanted Him to order her put to death, which was their law. Now, according to the gospel of intolerance espoused by some, Jesus would have said, "Hey, leave her alone. That's the lifestyle she's chosen. And God loves you, sister." But if you read the story, that's not how Jesus reacted.

Instead He challenged the accusers that whoever among them was sinless had the right to cast the first stone at her. His point: we're all sinners and it's not up to us to condemn. When the crowd dissapated without a stone thrown her way Jesus then had a compassionate, forgiving and intolerant conversation with her.

He didn't condemn her. He didn't have to, even thought He of all people had the right to do so. She already knew she was a mess. She was already beaten down by choices and life. He didn't have to say to her, "You're a sinner". Guilt was written all over her face. That's His compassion and forgiveness.

But what about His intolerance? Had He been like so many want to paint Him, He might have said, "Now go back to whatever you were doing and have a nice day." But He looked into her eyes and clearly said, "Now go and sin no more." His point: God has given you grace today. He is forgiving. Don't take that grace and forgiveness for granted. You've got the chance now to start a new kind of life.

Jesus doesn't tolerate evil from us, whether we're advantaged, disadvantaged or being taken advantage of. He loved to hang with the outcasts of His day - the sinners - not because He accepted what they did or what they were, but because He knew He could free them from their chains.

"I'm OK - You're OK" wasn't Jesus mantra. He didn't come to tolerate us as we are. He came to change us into what we were created to be. We're not OK until we have that same kind of confrontation with Him as did the adulterous woman.

So let's not make Jesus into someone He is not. Compassionate. Forgiving. Patient. Yes to all. But a man who said, "I am the way, the truth, the life" was not tolerant of whatever floats your boat. If He was so tolerant, why did He die, believing His death would make it possible for us to change?

Is it enough "just" to be a Christ-follower?

In my last post (and I encourage you to read that first) I talked about how the ancient word "Christian" can but often does not mean what it says. Over the centuries it has come to mean anything from relationship with Christ to your nationality, depending on who says and hears the word. There was an interesting comment to that post about representing Christ in another culture where "Christian" didn't mean what it meant to the missionary.

The same thing can and does apply to "Christ follower" or "follwer of Jesus" or whatever title you choose. I read an editorial column in today's paper where the writer happened to choose "follwer of Jesus" for himself. Problem is, the Jesus he represented in his column looks mighty different from the Jesus of the Bible. More on that at a later date.

But is it enough to say "I'm a Christ follower"? And is that phrase deeper than on the surface it may seem? Let's let Jesus answer that.

Consider this. When Jesus approached those He was about to select to be His disciples (learners), what verbage did He use? To Matthew the tax collector He simply said, "Follow me". When brothers Peter and Andrew were fishing He called out to them, "Follow me and I will make you fishers of men". And they followed Him. Two other fishermen bros, James and John also followed Him.

He considered Himself a shepherd and said that His sheep hear His voice and follow Him.

To His disciples He equated "following" Him with denial of self and taking up the cross; losing your life for His sake. Sounds pretty heavy. That's no insigificant commitment.

In what may have been His last instructions to Peter He said, "You follow me".

As I use "Christ-follower" I use it to describe a level of commitment beyond belief. While I believe firmly that it is simple belief (faith) that gives one a relationship with the Savior, I also believe that Savior calls believers to follow Him into a life of devotion and service. That's anything but easy or simplistic.

"Christ-follower" gives a picture of what that means, even to those who don't believe. It says, "I don't just talk the talk, I'm striving to walk the walk". And the walk is accomplished by going where Jesus leads.

Is it enough? I would say it's all we can handle and then some. But what a journey it is!

You can call me Ray, or you can call me Jay...

Some of us with a few gray hairs remember that line from a beer commercial a few years back. Yesterday Bill responded to this post and asked about my use of the term "Christ follower".

I have seen you use "christian" as well. Just out of curiosity, do you have something against the term christian? Some people these days seem to shy away from the word and I am confused by that.

One way we communicate is through words. Words have meaning. And a word's meaning can be changed by time, culture or simply in the understanding of the person using the word or hearing the word. For example, when I was a boy, the word "gay" meant "happy". Now it means "homosexual". So if I use it in it's historical sense today and walked into a room of strangers and pronounced, "I'm so gay today" I would get a very different response than if I said, "I'm so happy today." The latter would probably get me some smiles. The former might get me ostracized or worse, depending on who was listening and interpreting what I said.

When the word "Christian" was created by non-believers in the Syrian city of Antioch, it was meant as a derogatory term. They heard believers of "the way" speaking of their Lord and Savior "Christ" and attached the tag "Christians" - adherants or followers of Christ.

Yet throughout history the word has been applied to many groups that, can I say, have been less than "Christian". And in many parts of the world, the word is synonymous with "Westerners", the assumption being that if you're of European descent, you're likely not Hindu, Bhuddist, Muslim, etc., therefore you must be "Christian".

But since it was my use of the term that sparked Bill's question, let me give you my definition. Simply put, I consider a Christian someone who has put their faith in Christ. They are believers that Jesus is the Christ (the anointed One of God) and that His life and death and resurrection provide the only way to God. That's where I'm coming from when I use "Christian". And I believe it to be a biblical understanding of the word.

So, I personally have nothing against using the term Christian as long as those who are hearing (or reading in this case) me understand how I define the word. The problem is, in our current American culture and certainly in other cultures, "Christian" means something different, maybe even something evil. I speak and write with them (non-Christians) in mind. First and foremost my calling in life is to communicate. And to be an effective communicator you have to understand your "audience", whether it's one or a crowd. It's not so much what I'm saying, but what are they hearing?

I'm not a "Christian" because I'm an American residing in the Bible belt. I'm not a "Christian" because I have European ancestry and speak English. I'm not a "Christian" because I attend a church! If I'm a Christian, it is because I have accepted Jesus as the Christ. But all that doesn't come out simply in the word "Christian".

And because I am a Christian my life should be characterized by "following" Him and His example. More on that later.

...but you doesn't have to call me Johnson.

Sunday Flashback

It's 10PM and I just got home. It's been a long but very good day. This evening was our CREST meeting at church, which we do once a quarter. It accomplishes five things for us and serves as a vehicle for vision casting and cheering what God is doing among us. Good (but long - 90 minutes) meeting tonight. Lots of God things are happening and we got to hear about them.

After the meeting my friend Sam and I went out for a cup of coffee. He's new to our church but a great encourager.

This morning started off a little stressful for Burnie. Both of our experienced video techs were out of town, and we needed to load a couple of things on the Mac at church. So Burnie was on the phone with Rox and she was guiding him through the steps to get 'er done. All the while the band was delayed in getting their practice session started (Burnie was on bass today). But it all came together and worked out great!

One more installment to go on this current series on the spiritual armor God gives believers.

After the second gathering I met with a group of guests and new attenders. "What did we do today that you liked?" A young man quickly raised his hand. "I liked how you got the band back up during the sermon and did a song right in the middle of it. You need to do that, Dad." His dad, a pastor, was sitting behind him! Ha!

Don't know what's caused the transformation but the last two Sundays the 9 o'clockers were full of life! Must be the coffee?

Awesome choice of songs. The band was sooo good.

Great day! Long day! Good night!! Got to be back at church for First Appointment with our men at 6AM.

Platforms

Christ-followers are by commission from Christ people on a mission. In its simplest form that means that we represent Him to the world in which God has placed us. Our words and likely more importantly our actions and the attitudes we display send signals to those around us about the reality of our faith. It's not something we should take lightly, especially since being light in the world is a major reason we were called to follow Him.

With that in mind, it stands to reason that God has given each of us opportunities, unique to our location and relationships to send those signals. Call it your platform. Your life, no matter how insignificant you may deem it to be, has the potential to influence others. And sometimes God will greatly expand that platform.

The image on this post is just one example of how God widens a circle of influence. Having your story picked up by media guarantees more people than normally typical will be exposed to yur values, faith and message. How you use that widening influence is up to you.

You and I who are His followers, Jesus said, are a city set on a hill.

Shine the light.

The current American political scene most resembles...How you voted

I posed four different television shows:
Survivor - a "reality" show about doing whatever it takes; betrayal; backroom deals; teamwork; looking out for #1.

American Idol - where the most popular, not necessarily the most gifted or talented wins.

American Chopper - A dysfunctional family's business deals with the stresses of building custom motorcycles and a weekly deadline. You wonder how they get a bike built without killing each other.

My Name is Earl - Stupid, crude rednecks trying to do good. Can people really be this dumb?

With 263 votes cast, 39% chose My Name is Earl as best typifiying what's happening right now in American politics. I don't have any idea what percentage of those voting are Americans, but I'll guess it is a majority.

So the answer is (according to those who voted) those who would lead our nation appear to be dumb as they come. Close behind was Survivor, at 34%, indicating a lot of you see our politicians as back stabbing self-promoters who will say/do anything to get a win.

At least the Teutuls always end up with a great product and smiles.

Except when Vinnie quit.

Duke Univ. Hospital ROCKS!

I've been holding back on coming out with this, but after watching this video, it seems like the right time.

The people at Duke are amazing. We're so blessed to be close enough to a research medical facility of the highest quality.

Are they perfect? Heck, no. Only One person gets that status. But what's so cool is that He uses people - doctors, nurses, social workers (Hi Bill) and others in the health care profession to "over achieve" and to be willing to take risks that lesser mortals might not attempt.

I love to hear docs use terms like "amazing" and "miraculous". My guess is that the best of them realize they have an unseen partner.

Thanks to all of you at Duke. You are the best.

I'll even start cheering for the Blue Devils now.

Strong Genes

As I look at my first grandchild I see some strong family resemblance. So I went searching and found a remarkably similar photo of me and my first daughter taken 24 years ago. (Sarah has really changed a lot since then.)

I might someday also show you a picture of me as a baby. No, it's not a tin-type, but it is black and white. And you'll know where Gwyneth got those cheeks everyone is raving about.

But genetics aren't the only thing, and certainly not the most valued things we get from our ancestors. There's nothing you can do about what has been physically passed down to you. It's also easy and very PC, I might add, to blame all our shortcomings and failures on how we were raised and our environment.

But no matter what genetic or socio-economic cards you been dealt, what you do with your life ultimately comes down to the choices you make. Things like faith and attitude trump the gene pool every time.

Tricia is a glowing example of that.

Naps

I distinctly remember hating nap time when I was a little boy. I didn't want to go to bed! Not in the middle of the day. But Mom didn't care much what I wanted. Somewhere in Parenting 101 there was this chapter on "Every child needs to take a nap", and she believed it to be true.

So I would go, protesting to no avail, to my room to lay upon my bed for what seemed like hours, wide awake. Eventually my "Can I get up now" whines would take her to the end of her patience and she would relent. I took plenty of "naps" but rarely, if ever, went to sleep. What was I thinking when I was four?

Now at 52 I'd like to redeem some of those lost naps and put them to good use. Where's Mom when you need her?

Amazing indeed!

Dr. Duane Davis, director of transplantation at Duke University Medical Center says he's amazed Tricia was able to give birth and survive the transplant. "The amazing thing is what she had to go through to get here- fact that she had a pregnancy-- survived that, then survived the transplant, the rest is what we do, but the fact that she got through it really is the amazing component," Davis said.

From a story broadcast by ABC 11 in Raleigh.

When a layman like myself looks at Tricia's story and says, "Amazing!", that's one thing. Scientifically what do I know? But when the main TX dude says "Amazing!" it escalates the meaning of the word.

More media coverage of Tricia's discharge from Duke yesterday can be found here in the Raleigh News and Observer. (Gotta run out and buy a copy!)

Here's another quote from Dr. Lin, who performed the surgery: "This in itself is a miraculous outcome."

Not to be repetitive, but when a scientist of Dr. Lin's caliber says "miraculous", it kind of gives it a little more luster.