Love breaking Rules? Being a radical? Not following tradition or the crowd? Man would Jesus love you! because He was all the above. I get so tired of hearing about Christians being Rule Followers, Do Gooders, Hypocrites, Holier Than Thou, Holy Rollers. Oh I know there are plenty of people who call themselves Christians who would fit that definition, but they are missing the boat. Jesus was none of those.
Jesus was a rule breaker, a radical, a non conformer, a non traditionalist. Why do you think the religious leaders of the day despised Him? It wasn't because He was conforming to their traditions and rules. No, just the opposite, Jesus was doing things way different. He was re-defining religion to the religious world. He was accused of breaking the current religious laws. Healing on the Sabbath, not washing His hands before eating, hanging out with the "sinners", the outcasts, the tax collectors.
If you want a real exciting life, one that is full of challenging the status quo. Become a follower of Jesus! He did not let the church of the day stand in the way of love.
Matthew 15:1-3New International Version (NIV)
15 Then some Pharisees and teachers of the law came to Jesus from Jerusalem and asked, 2 “Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? They don’t wash their hands before they eat!”
3 Jesus replied, “And why do you break the command of God for the sake of your tradition?
I have said this before and it is becoming more and more clear to me. Church is broken because we are broken. God is waiting for a group to break free of the traditions of worship and start radically loving the world. What will it look like? Good question. But I can tell you this. It won't look anything like the church most of us have grown up in. I am seeking and praying. We are on the cusp of something radical.
James 1:22-27New International Version (NIV)
22 Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. 23 Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror 24 and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. 25 But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do.
26 Those who consider themselves religious and yet do not keep a tight rein on their tongues deceive themselves, and their religion is worthless. 27 Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.
Is the church today accomplishing this?
Praise Community Fellowship and Immanuel Methodist, two churches breaking the rules of tradition by meeting together to worship as as one family every Sunday at 8:45 am. We meet at 800 North Main Street Edwardsville. Services are lead by pastor Jackie Havis-Shear and Kent Schuette.
Announcements: Brad Heuchert is putting together a memorial service involving the Edwardsville Glen Carbon Fire Departments service for Sunday September 11th. The service will begin at 12:00 noon at the Sunset Hills Cemetery located on Route 157 in Edwardsville. There will be an honor guard and music provided by Anna Harris and Steve and Debbie Loucks and Matt Conway. Please mark your calendars for this event.
Stay tuned for much more! Love, pastor kent and pastor jackie
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