City on a Hill

So last Sunday a night some friends gathered and we were discussing culture and church. We started by identifying the make-up of the culture we live in. Money, materialism, status, and freedom were shouted out. We agreed to sum all of this up as individualism.

This was important for us to do because we are talking about building a community. The trap, I have seen, is that we (churches) simply read Acts 2 as the standard of church and try to live that out as a community. What we tend to forget is the culture that the early church was a part of.

The Roman Empire was heavy on a class system (rich/poor, slave/free, Jew/Greek). It was also central to the worship of Caesar. Common slogans were, "Caesar is Lord" and "There's no other name by which man can be saved except that of Caesar." Roman citizens would gather and worship the Caesar and if they were shown to be in true worship then they were called and 'ekklesia'...or church.

Interesting.

Counter-Culture.

The church was a dangerous place. To join it meant you were risking your life. They took the propaganda from the Roman government and made it their own.

"Jesus is Lord"
"There's no other name by which man can be save expect that of Jesus"
"There's no Jew, nor Greek, nor free, nor slave, nor man, nor woman"
"Church"

They shattered the class system by sharing their possessions and caring for the poor; they worshiped and devoted themselves to the Apostle's teachings; they had all things in common.

This is probably the most punk rock movement in history.

I'm reminded of Rage Against the Machine when Zack says, "Why stand on a silent platform, fight the war, f*ck the norm."

In love, the church stood up, declared Jesus (not Caesar) is Lord, and they lived as ONE; having all things in common.

So then, we agreed Sunday night that our American culture is summed up as being individualistic. We then asked if our church reflects the American culture; the answer was yes. We can't just sit and wag our fingers so we asked if we reflect this American-Evangelical culture; the answer was yes.

Here's a sidebar story: My friend and I recently had lunch and he asked me what I do for my church. As I was sharing my thoughts on building a community that is counter-cultural he asked if people were willing to do it. I said that the majority, now, won't. His response was, "Man I'd hate to be in your position."

It struck me as we were talking: Having a community that reflects the Acts 2 community is highly spiritual. The Holy Spirit was extremely present in that community, and it was only by the power of the Holy Spirit that people were able to live counter-culturally.

I think we lack the Holy Spirit, but I think it's accessible.

An insight into the early church: Before Pentecost came the Apostle's were waiting for the Holy Spirit to come, because Jesus promised it would. They didn't start gathering AFTER the Spirit descended but BEFORE. They were all together in one place praying. They wanted it...big time.

They must have remembered Jesus' words in John 16:7, "It is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, The Helper (Holy Spirit) will not come to you. But if I go, I will send Him to you."

It was better for Jesus, in the flesh, to leave.

A young man said to me last night, "I just wish Jesus would come back and run the church."

"It was to your advantage that I go away."

If the Apostle's sat around feeling sorry for themselves, or pointing fingers at what is wrong, who knows what would've happened. However, they had something I, and most of us lack; Faith. They expected the Holy Spirit to come and help them build a community.

Do I? Do you?

When my friend asked me if he offended me, by saying he would hate to have my job, I replied no. The burden is not on me to convince people to believe. I can't make anyone want to be a part of following Jesus or building a community, that's the Holy Spirit's job. However, I felt convicted to continue to pray and seek the Lord with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength.

Jesus loves the Church. He might be sad with its current state, but He still loves it; us. I know He wants to have a healthy bride that is a radiant city on a hill.

I want to be a part of that.

It starts with my own personal devotion.

The world didn't end?

I'm just taking a chance here, being that it's Tuesday night at 7:18 and the results aren't final yet, but the world didn't end! A liberal African-American is the president of the United States!!! For many this is amazing and for many there is fear.

The election of Barack Obama says a lot. It's demonstrates that an African-American from a broken home can have hope, that in and of itself is beautiful. It demonstrates that an inexperienced Senator with a liberal voting record can become the leader of the free world by being inspirational and eloquent in his speech. It demonstrates that Americans are willing to take risk and not just be conservative or centrist. It also demonstrates that a majority is counting on government to help solve their problem.

So what does this mean? For the Christian it should mean nothing. After all, hasn't the church been on the foreground of racial reconciliation, spreading our wealth, fighting for social justice, making peace with our enemies abroad, etc.? Don't forget I tend to be sarcastic.

Let's go down the fear road for a minute. What if the worst judgments about President Obama are true? What if he's a closet socialist, maybe even a Muslim? What if the the rich are taxed more than 40% of their income. What if jobs continue to dry up and go over oversees like they have been? What if we get attacked again by terrorists? What if our freedoms are threatened?

Will this effect how you live as a Christian?

Let's go down a more positive road. What if President Obama brings us out of our economic disaster? What if the middle class is restored? What if disenfranchised African-American community see President Obama's election as the last hurdle for equality and begin to thrive. What if America rebuilds it's reputation with other countries continuing to lessen the threat of terrorism at home?

Will this effect how you live as a Christian?

Remember, YOU ARE THE SALT OF THE EARTH. It was never, "Behold, Obama who will restore the middle class" nor "Behold, McCain who will protect us and allow us to pursue prosperity", rather, it was, "Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world." Jesus didn't come here to put the church in power politically but to empower her spiritually to help solve the spiritual problem the world, our nation, is in need of.

So please remember, the day after, that our security is not in the policies of elected officials, our wealth is not measured by hard work in our vocation, our freedom is not in democracy but, instead, you already live in the Kingdom of Heaven when you are poor in spirit. Also, our influence as the church is NEVER dependant on what government we are under but we are influential when we are willing to care for the sick, fight for the oppressed, seek justice, and live a life of love that is foreign to the very culture we are a part of.

MxPx once said, "Politics-Shmolitics, it's too confusing" and I would agree with this below average punk band.