Saturday, November 15, 2008

Jesus and the religious

I have been feeling in my spirit recently that we are on the verge of a breakout in the church of america. We are facing some of the most challenging times in US history and everyone is losing the false security we have created for ourselves with every crash of the market. I believe God is allowing certain things to take place to whittle away all of these false comforts in order for us to seek his face. I think that the world is looking for the truth and we need to prepare our hearts to receive the,. I was reading Luke 7 today and something really hit me hard. Are we ready for such church growth? Sure we would all love to see our churches full but are we willing to accept those people who will be coming. Maybe the majority of them have never set foot in a church....Maybe some are atheists...Former drug users....Maybe Prostitutes....Whoever it might be are we ready to received them? Jesus is chillin with some pharisee eating dinner. So Jesus is already breaking bread right in the mist of the religious spirit. He doesn't avoid it....He dines with it...Then walks in a woman who had lived a life of sin. Some say she might have been a prostitute but not enough scripture to confirm it. She falls at his feet weeping and wipes his feet with her tears, drys them with her hair and pours perfume on them. It was custom to wash feet with water but she used her box of perfume. Probably pretty expensive....Maybe even her best possession? So she sacrifices not what is normal and expected but she gives everything. Which is a different subject. So when the pharisee see's this he calls in question Jesus being a real prophet because Jesus totally misses the fact that a sinful person in touching him. Then in true Jesus fashion he breaks every religious way by saying I came in your house and you gave me no water for my feet. You didn't kiss my head but she hasn't stopped kissing my feet. You did not put oil on my head and shes putting perfume on my feet. Her many sins have been forgiven because she loves me. But he who has forgiven little loves little. WHEW. So pharisee you didn't even do what is expected. You didn't even do the norm. So what will we do when this woman comes to our church? What will we do when prostitutes come and sit in the front row? Will we tell them to get saved then come back,? I believe the next wave of people to join our churches are going to be completely different than the ones we have now. I believe we are going to see a group who has never stepped in a church or stayed more than two weeks. A group who is really broken and in need of a Saviour. Will we remember that we are a broken people and everyday are in need of a saviour or will we be like the pharisees who tried to derail salvation before it took place?

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