I’ve been reading “The Irresistible Revolution“–which is one of the most challenging books I’ve ever read. Talk about turning your world upside down! It’s really making me think about how Jesus feels about certain issues, and I’m really struggling to discern how I should feel/live/act/believe according to what the Gospel clearly preaches…and some of these points and my new feelings about them go against everything I’ve always believed/thought/felt…and that’s hard to swallow sometimes…
One of the parts I was reading tonight was about camping (sorta). The author points out that in the Old Testament, God is all about tents–simple, temporary dwelling places. He doesn’t want the Israelites to build anything big or permanent–He says “I have not dwelt in a house from the day I brought the Israelites out of Egypt to this day. I have been moving from place to place with a tent as my dwelling.” (2 Samuel 7:5-6)…
The author then says:
“God just digs camping. No wonder when I think of my most powerful encounters with God they seem to involve camping of some kind…”
How absolutely true that is! For me, youth camp was absolutely foundational to who I am today…retreats…even simple camping trips are when I feel like God is the most near…and, those times are in very simple surroundings–not in multi-million dollar buildings with fancy sound systems and other decorations…
The author also says:
“No doubt there is power in corporate worship, and there are times when I feel God among the masses…but it has had nothing to do with the color of the carpet or the comfort of the chairs.” (pg. 325)
Last weekend, at our missions retreat, they challenged us to think about how we as Christians spend our money…on fancy buildings, on material things…they gave us statistics to back up these claims…and it was astonishing to see that so much of our money stays here, at home, in our Christian institutions, rather than giving to those who are in need/going to the unreached nations…and it made us very sad…and some guilt was involved…
So that has created yet another thing for me to ponder, to struggle with, to pray about…
“As we build our buildings, human temples are being destroyed by hunger and homelessness. The early prophets would say that a church that spends millions of dollars on buildings while her children are starving is guilty of murder. Imagine the scene in a biological family: a father building a mansion while his children are going hungry. He’d be institutionalized or jailed. How much more preposterous should this be in our family of rebirth, in which we have been given new eyes to see others as brothers and sisters?” (Pg. 330)
The Gospel is not easy, and it’s not comfortable…but that’s what is making me fall more in love with it each day.
“We have a God who enters the world through smallness–a baby refugee, a homeless rabbi, the lilies and the sparrows. We have a God who values the little offering of a couple of coins from a widow over the mega charity of millionaires. We have a God who speaks through little people–a stuttering spokesman named Moses; the stubborn donkey of Balaam; a lying brothel owner named Rahab; an adulterous king named David; a ragtag bunch of disciples who betrayed, doubted, and denied; and a converted terrorist named Paul…God is indeed taking over the world, but it is happening through little acts of love.”
Any thoughts? Comments? 🙂 Every Christian should read this book…it will rock your world… 🙂
Even So, Joy 