GUEST POST: #ReimagineHEAVEN...when the curtain is drawn back

September 2024

I have worked my way through the Gospel of Matthew over the last six weeks. Now I am doing the same with the Gospel of Mark. Several things have encouraged this daily Gospel reading and prayer. First, I have a profound sense that I did not pay enough attention to the four Gospels over the course of my long life. (In my background we didn't even know what a lectionary was so we rarely read a Gospel text each Lord’s Day. (However, for the last eighteen years I have experienced this discipline by being part of a good Lutheran church.) I truly wish someone had told me that reading and contemplating the person and events in the life of the Messiah was central to a robust life of faith and prayer. It was through my journey to ecumenical practice and theology that I saw how central this practice really was to the whole story of the church itself. 

My companion is this present reading has been N.T. Wright. In his seventeen-volume series, The Bible for Everyone, Wright unpacks the material of the New Testament in ways that reveal the depth of the text but always in a manner that is for “everyone.” He believes, as I do, that this material is for every Christian, not just scholars. While these readings are quite simple they often reveal the obvious more clearly. 

Over the Labor Day weekend I read the first chapter of Mark. In Mark 1:9-13 the Gospel writer tells the reader of the baptism of Jesus. When Jesus is baptized by John a voice from heaven says “You are my wonderful son; you make me very glad” (Wright’s translation). Then Wright makes a simple but startling point: “The whole Christian gospel can be summed up in this point: that the living God looks at us, every baptized and believing Christian, he says to us what he said to Jesus on that day. He sees us, not as we are in ourselves, but as we are in Jesus Christ. It sometimes seems impossible, especially to people who have never had that kind of support from their earthly parents, but it’s true: God looks at us, and says, ‘You are my dear, dear child; I’m delighted with you.’”

Mark says Jesus “saw the heavens open, and the Spirit coming down like a dove.” We often miss this because we have so many wrong notions about the word heaven. “Heaven, in the Bible often means God’s dimension beyond the ordinary reality.” Heaven here is more like a curtain being drawn back so that instead of seeing trees and flowers, or in Jesus’ case the river . .  we are standing in the presence of a different reality altogether.”

Many Christians, perhaps most, have a wrong idea about this word heaven. In the Bible heaven is God’s dimension of the created order, whereas earth is the world of space, time  and matter. Sometimes heaven stands for God ( as in “the kingdom of heaven,” in Matthew). This means heaven in the New Testament is not where we go when we die. “Entering the kingdom of heaven does not mean ‘going to heaven after death,’ but rather belonging in the present to the people who presently steer their life’s course by the standards of God. (Consider Mathew 6:10, “on earth as in heaven” which means we steer our earthly life by the standards and purposes of heaven itself, or God’s reign. We live in this heaven right now when we experience the Spirit working in us. 

If you ask me what happens at death I answer, “We go to be with Jesus in paradise.” Heaven finally comes when the new heavens and new earth come ofter the return of Jesus. Try thinking this way and then speak this way regularly. I promise this will powerfully impact your life. 

In the love of Jesus Christ alone,

John

Countercultural, but Not Counter Culture

Jesus was countercultural but not counter culture.  His teachings flipped the script on all that society values – rich is poor, strong is weak, and greatest is least.  His priorities contradicted everything the world craves – popularity, power, and prosperity.  Christ chose homelessness, loved enemies, defended the oppressed, marched undaunted toward persecution, remained silent when accused, and forgave His murderers.  No one has ever spoken or lived more counterculturally.  Yet no one has ever shown more care and concern for the people He encountered.

Jesus’ words and actions, if conveyed literally and imitated fearlessly, would be considered just as radical in America today as they were in Israel then.  However, surveys show most see Christians and churches not as countercultural but counter culture.  Americans find it difficult to distinguish between their Christian and non-Christian neighbors, at least not in ways that intrigue or endear.  Scripture calls us to be transformed in our thinking but not conformed in our behaviors.  Yet believers seem less radical in their lifestyles and more vocal in their personal opinions than Jesus.  He did and said only what He heard from the Father.  Can the same be said of the typical Christ-follower today?

Our culture demands conformance to its ideals – tolerance and acceptance of each person’s unmitigated pursuit of happiness.  We have an unprecedented opportunity to contrast that myopic, self-centered world view with the enduring hope of Christ-centered living.  Imagine the shock and awe of watching millions of countercultural “rebels” walk away from popularity, power, and prosperity – choosing compassion over condemnation.  There may be no better opportunity in our lifetimes than this divisive Presidential election season to shine the brightest light when our culture appears darkest.

How would the public perception of Christians change if we practiced what Jesus modeled?  The Gospel offends, but we don’t need to be offensive.  We shouldn’t counter culture by attempting to impose God’s moral standards, particularly if we don’t live by them.  Until they believe in the Lawgiver, we shouldn’t expect them to follow His laws.  What would be more effective is countercultural prayer, care and share to illuminate the shallowness of living for the dot (now), not the line (eternity).

Biblical Counterculturalism

True disciples follow in the footsteps of Jesus.  To diagnose the illness (being counter culture) and prescribe a cure (being countercultural) for churches and Christians, we look to Jesus.  He understood but broke from cultural norms and told His disciples to do likewise:

• He loves those who hate Him
• He serves, expecting nothing in return
• He associates Himself, a King, with the poor
• He said those suffering (for His sake) are fortunate
• He sees humility and mercy as signs of strength
• He said heaven isn’t for the “mature”, but for those with the faith of a child
• He ranks servants at the top of the social structure
• He said feelings for our families should pale by comparison to our love for God
• He views confessing crimes as the path to freedom (from spiritual prison)
• He said when we leave everything behind (to follow Jesus) we gain everything
• He pursues “sinners”, not the self-proclaimed “righteous” or “religious”
• He said wealth can be a curse rather than evidence of God’s blessing
• He loves Hs children unconditionally, but demands unconditional obedience

Biblical shouldn’t equate to radical.  However, taking those principles seriously would be culture shock for a post-Christian America that long ago passed the Ages of Commerce, Affluence, and Intellect that mark the evolution and fall of empires – and has entered the Age of Decadence.

Conventional Culture

Life doesn’t work without Jesus.  As countercultural and irrational as His words and example may appear, the alternative eventually leads to hopelessness and chaos:

• Preserving the freedom of one group (e.g. non-believers) unavoidably decimates the rights of other groups (e.g. Christians)
• Ignoring and denying life after death is convenient until disaster strikes
• Teaching kids they’re cosmic accidents produces exactly the response we would expect and now observe with our youth today
• Believing mankind is inherently good leads to disappointment because the sinfulness of human nature inevitably prevails
• Inventing personal “truth” ends in disillusionment when those fallacies prove untrue
• Being “my authentic self” has no foundation, morphing to align with cultural norms because our intended identity is as a child of God
• That identity crisis results in projecting façades on social media and escaping reality via VR, avatars, and substance abuse
• Secular humanism touts mankind’s wisdom yet rejects science to justify immorality (e.g. gender designations by doctors, heartbeats of preborn infants)
• Tolerance, secular society’s highest virtue, is intolerant of those who don’t share progressive views
• Advertisers promise their products will bring fulfillment when their ulterior motive is money
• Politicians pledge to protect the oppressed but know the path to ultimate power lies in dividing citizens to control both “oppressors” and “oppressed”
• Government positions itself as savior to direct attention away from our Savior, offering financial and medical life-preservers to foster dependence

Society draws wrong conclusions by passing decisions through a filter based on faulty assumptions.  No logical outcomes can emerge from a belief that there’s no God or He’s not good (or that mankind is god or good).  Those who don’t know where they came from or where they’re going aren’t sure how to get there.  Only Christians know the end of the story because we’ve read the last chapter of the Book.

Are We More Countercultural or Counter Culture?

Are churches and Christians conforming to conventional culture or biblical counterculturalism?  In other words, are we influencing culture more than we’re influenced by it?  Obeying Jesus’ command to drop the stone, in today’s context, means:

• Rendering to Caesar what is Caesar’s, not politicizing to the point of polarizing
• Spending time with those who don’t know Jesus, not just like-minded people
• Loving those across the political aisle unconditionally, as our Father loves us
• Serving the (materially) poor in ways that actually alleviate poverty
• Being blessed to be a blessing to others, not to hoard or withhold
• Giving generously to help millions of persecuted brothers and sisters overseas
• Building disciples (to equip and send) not just churches (to attract and retain)
• Producing childlike faith in adults, not entertaining children to engage adults
• Confronting sin in the church, not judging those outside as Paul commanded
• Bringing up repentance, surrender, sanctification, and dying to self on Sundays
• Cultivating the fruits of the Spirit rather than checking spiritual boxes
• Winning the culture war through a ground campaign of compassion, not an air assault dropping verbal bombs
• Leaning on Scripture, not the world’s instruction, as the blueprint for living
• Forgiving those who offend us because Jesus graciously forgave our offenses
• Being different without being distant, seeing our “enemies” as God sees them

Countercultural, but not counter culture, means awakening society to the truth of Jesus through humility, love, evangelism, and compassion – not accusations and condemnation.  Non-believers will recognize their sin and need for forgiveness when we shine the bright light of Christ’s righteousness.  Churches and Christians dim that light, revealing our hypocrisy and not His holiness, when we compromise to look more like the world and less like Jesus.  The 2024 Presidential election is the perfect chance to Drop The Stone, providing a glimmer of authentic hope to those (mis)placing their hope in parties, politicians, and policies.

It’s Your Turn…

Visit Drop The Stone’s website and Facebook page.  Perform an act of kindness for someone across the political aisle.  Then post your story on your favorite social media channel with the hashtag #DropMyStone and challenge 5 friends to pay your kindness forward.

The post Countercultural, but Not Counter Culture appeared first on Meet the Need Blog.

GUEST-POST: City Saturation = Prayer Saturation x Christ Saturation

1. Above all, you need to start by saturating your own life with more of who Christ is today.

To enlarge and enrich your own vision of and passion for the majesty and supremacy of God’s Son today so that, in turn, you can share this with others, go to ChristNow.com. Scroll down to “Exalting Jesus: A 21-Day Video Journey Into More of Christ” and click on the button—and get ready to be saturated with much more of our Lord Jesus Christ!

2. Next, try to saturate fellow believers with more of the wonders of Jesus that you have uncovered.

3. Form a Christ Awakening Servant Team (CAST) inside your church to transform your church.

4. Subscribe for free to the Christ Now Resources Catalog so you can keep growing in your life in Christ.

5. Pastors and other Christian leaders should definitely consider drawing on the in-depth teaching found in “The Christ Institutes Video Training Series.“

About the Author

Over the past 50 years, David Bryant has been defined by many as a “messenger of hope” and a “Christ proclaimer” to the Church throughout the world. Formerly a minister-at-large with the InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, president of Concerts of Prayer International (COPI), and chairman of America’s National Prayer Committee, David now provides leadership to ChristNow.com and Proclaim Hope!, whose mission is to foster and serve Christ Awakening movements. Download his widely read ebooks at ChristNow.com. Enjoy hundreds of podcast episodes. Watch his weekly vlogs at David Bryant REPORTS. Meet with David through Zoom or in-person events through David Bryant LIVE!

GUEST POST: A New Call for Extraordinary Prayer

GUEST POST: #ReimaginePRAYER...Pray for a Business in Your Community

John Piper, theologian, pastor, and author, tells how George Muller, the prayer legend of the 19th century, said that for years he tried to pray without starting in the Bible in the morning. Inevitably, his mind wandered. He said his prayers were weak and powerless. 

Then he added the habit of using the Bible in prayer, and turned the Book into a prayer manual as he read, and for 40 years he was able to stay focused and powerful in prayer. 

Piper then notes, “I have seen that those whose prayers are most saturated with Scripture are generally most fervent and most effective in prayer. And where the mind isn't brimming with the Bible, the heart is not generally brimming with prayer.“ 

Our first Wednesday email of the month has a focus to help facilitate prayer that you can use for your business, community, city, and country. 

1. Begin with Thanksgiving and Gratitude to the Lord for being our Protector (Psalm 100:4; 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18; Psalm 18:2; Psalm 127:1).

2. Pray that Jesus will revive His believers and His church to His Beauty, Love, and Supremacy (2 Chronicles 7:13-15; Psalm 85:6; Habakkuk 3:2-3a; Acts 2:37-41).

3. Pray for unity between believers in every sphere of culture. Pray that walls of theology, doctrine and practice will come down. Pray for offenses to be forgiven. Pray for love to grow and flow in us and through us making us one with Christ (John 17:21-23; Psalm 133:1-3; Acts 4:24).

4. Pray for those that are unbelievers, or believe but have wandered away, or have been offended by Christians, to be visited again by the love of God whether through dreams, visions, friendship, or something they see, hear or read (Acts 26:18; Romans 10:1; Galatians 4:19; 2 Peter 3:9).

5. Pray for relationships. Pray that Jesus will heal, restore, and strengthen every God-designed friendship, partnership, and family (Romans 15:5-7; Malachi 4:5-6; Joshua 24:15).

6. Pray for your local, state and national government that they will honor God and be given wisdom and serve with integrity, justice and mercy (1 Timothy 2:1-2; Romans 13:1; Micah 6:8).

7. Ask God to bless your city as you pray for its peace, welfare, and prosperity (Proverbs 11:11; Jeremiah 29:7,11; Acts 3:26). 

May the Lord bless you as you partner with Jesus to be a house of prayer for all nations. 

Your prayer partner in Christ’s love,

Bob Perry 

Workplace Prayer A Ministry of A.C.T. P.O. Box 1649 Brentwood, TN 37024 United States

• Make time.
• Practice quiet listening.​ ​
• Express trust that God knows all the things you are not saying with a simple one-word prayer​.
• Declare hope that as you submit your mind/thinking, the Word of the Lord will come to you to reveal truths about yourself and the circumstances you are facing.

GUEST POST~ #ReimagineCHURCH... As A Society of Redeemers

Francis Frangipane

There exists a certain degree of hypocrisy among us. What I mean is, without qualms, we condemn the world for not being Christian, yet without remorse we accept we are not Christlike.

I am not saying we shouldn't cry out against evil; sin exists and we must reprove it. However, at some point we must recognize there is more to our destiny than judging sin. God is looking for the perfection of mercy within us. "Mercy triumphs over judgment" (James 2:13), and to follow Christ is to walk the path of mercy toward full redemption.

Recall the words of Paul. He tells us to "have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus" (Phil. 2:5). He goes on to explain that Christ existed in the form of God, yet He emptied Himself, took the form of a man, and died for our sins. In other words, He saw the need, but instead of condemning man, He died for man. Paul says we are to have this same attitude in us.

I do not want to be a typical American Christian. I am hungry for more. I want to "grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head [of the church], even Christ" (Eph. 4:15). Our call is to attain "the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ" (v. 13).

Jesus said, "As the Father has sent Me, I also send you" (John 20:21). As Christ was sent into the world to pay the price for sin, so in following Him we become a society of redeemers. When wounded, we forgive; when forced to go one mile, we go two. We bless those who curse us and turn the other cheek to those who strike us. As Christ hung on the cross at Calvary and prayed, "Father, forgive them" (Luke 23:34), so we stand before God, and on behalf of our sinful world, we pray the mercy prayer as well.

I am convinced that the more Christlike the church becomes, the greater will be the backing of Heaven. The more we become a society of redeemers, the more hope we have to see our nation turned back to God.

Adapted from Francis Frangipane's ebook, Spiritual Discernment and the Mind of Christ available in ebook format at www.arrowbookstore.com