Jesus asked Judas, “Are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?”
Luke 22:48

Do I do that?

dang.

Jesus died.

12 disciples set out, with the fire of Jesus Christ in their hearts, with 100% belief that Jesus died for them, and shared the good news.

12.

that’s a box of donuts.

That is .0006% of Saddleback’s weekly attendance.

That is 17% the numbers of speakers at the Nine’s conference.

That is 3% the number of followers I have on Twitter. (The majority are Christian.)

Twelve.

These 12 people set out to do what Jesus told them to do.

Love.

Shine the light.

Spread the Gospel.

No fancy slides, no creative team, no lights, no fog.

Just the love of Christ in their heart.

What if we all REALLY had (and allowed) that kind of love in our hearts?

Imagine

There is a beautiful transparency to honest disciples who never wear a false face and do not pretend to be anything but who they are.
— Brennan Manning

A lot of times, I have a way to look at the crucifixion and think, I didn’t do it.

I didn’t nail Him to the cross.

…..

Thing is….

……

I did.

Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity.
Col 4:5

My buddy Adam sent that to me the other day, and said that it made him think of me.  I’m not sure why, because I certainly do not live by this, though, I probably need to.  Maybe that’s why he thought about me.

That sentence is pretty incredible, and again, is a bold order.  The part that gets me the most is “make the most of every opportunity.”

When I read that, I first thought, “Well, I do that.  I try for every promotion at work, when I see the chance to make extra money, I do it. If I see a chance to move ahead, I look into it. Heck! I even have been known to use a coupon from time to time.” That’s opportunity to me.  Typically, when we think of the word opportunity, we think work, wealth, greed….. The American Dream.

Unfortunately, I don’t think that is what Paul was trying to say. I do not think Paul was saying, “Watch how you act towards someone different from you, and always try for that promotion, and always try to make or save money when you get the chance, and ALWAYS worry about money.”

It made me realize that every second is an opportunity. Not an opportunity to get rich.  Not an opportunity to get famous.  Not an opportunity to be popular.  An opportunity to Love.  An opportunity to allow Christ’s love to shine through me.  See, people observe.  They see how I react, they see how the world is.  That’s why people are so darn bitter these days.  When people see something that is literally out of this world, they recognize it.  They will wonder what’s different.

Maybe for you, it’s not shouting, “Hey F#(* You Buddy!” when someone cuts you off.

Maybe for you, it’s not punching a wall when you’re upset.

Maybe for you, it’s smiling and saying ‘good morning’ to the person who hasn’t had their coffee.

Maybe, it’s simply not complaining about stuff.

Maybe, it’s that dime in your pocket that that dude (who you think should get off his ass and find a job) desperately needs.

Maybe it’s just a hug, to the girl, who just did something so horrible that you (and she) disagree(d) with so much, who needs your love more than she ever has before.

I could go on forever… But, what I’ve realized is that, at any given second, someone could be watching me.  At any given minute, someone could notice something unique about me.  Any given day, someone could see a living and walking Christ, for the first time, in me!

Or.  Someone could realize that this world actually IS crap, just like they thought before they watched me.

Opportunity is knocking, this time…. I’m answering.

Christian history, both past and present, is the ongoing story of a tragic distortion of faith when Jesus Christ ceases to be the center of the Christian life.
- Brennan Manning

It’s been on my heart a lot lately.  The bickering, the nit-picking, the questioning theology.  I do it a lot.  As a matter of fact, if you took the time to look back through my blog history, you’ll probably find more criticism than positive.  Through my short ‘Christian Life’, I’ve had the privilege to see a lot.  The good and the bad.  I, like most people, took in the bad, and let it drive my views, let it drive my thoughts, and in turn, probably allowed it to, in a way, drive my faith.

We see it all over the blogosphere, this pastor said this, that pastor thinks this, so on and so on.  I wonder if we ever take a step back to realize what that’s doing.

We have these healthy debates, traditional or contemporary, organ or guitar, hymns or choirs, spontaneous or recited prayer, what translation of the Bible is best.  It seems that these discussions have upstaged Calvary.  It seems that hot button issues, a man’s role, a woman’s role, a pastor’s comments, and gays seem to have become more important than the infinite love and grace of Jesus Christ.

It reminds me of Nero, playing the Fiddle while Rome burned.

Jesus asks Peter, “Do you love me?”.  (after Peter denied him 3 times.)

He didn’t say, “Peter, do you pray spontaneously?” or, “Peter, do you light incense in your church?”, or “Peter, does your church allow women in leadership, and gays in to worship?”.

All Jesus Christ asked was, “Do you love me?”.  Jesus measures dignity, not by numbers in a church or titles, not by gifts of prophecy, healing or speaking in tongues, but by Love.  Intimacy with Jesus Christ, and Christ alone.  In a world where we bicker about things that don’t matter, where we put speakers, authors, and “Christian Superstars” on a pedestal, this is a ‘slap-in-the-face reminder’ ” that only the love of Jesus Christ gives status.

I write all of this to say, I’m resigning from cynicism.  I’m resigning from writing about pastors who say something I don’t agree with.  I’m resigning from negativity.

I resolve to love.