me and Jesus

Empire would have us believe that it is all about number one - that having more wealth, power and status for oneself is what life with Jesus is all about.

The teachings, commands and examples of Jesus show us that Agape Love, which Jesus commanded, requires us to be about the well-being of community, of those around us in the world.
Healings were about restoring people to Shalom, a big part of which was being restored to acceptance in community.
Teachings on Kingdom values regarding having enough material sustenance, sharing power equally and having dignified, mutual respect with one another are about being whole within community.

Empire devotees, many of whom claim Jesus as Personal Savior, would have us believe that though we use Jesus' name and claim Jesus, still we can and should value wealth, power and status for ourselves.
These are the folk who, since 1981 joined together to reshape American Christianity.  Prosperity Theology, Church Growth and Purpose Theology are what they have spawned out of their devotion to empire while claiming love for Jesus.
They have exploited the faith for their own gain and have duped millions into believing that it is faithfulness to God in Jesus.
They have represented empire and have victimized millions because of their greed, lust for power and desire for status.  They have sided with those who have taken what others have for themselves, abused their power over others and have gained notoriety and status for doing so.
They call themselves "Christians", but they are not followers of Jesus - the Jesus of the Gospels.

The Good News of Jesus is not about personal salvation alone.
It is certainly not about personal wealth or power or status, at least it is not about promoting them.
It is about every individual and thus the whole community, having enough material sustenance, shared power and mutual respect and equal standing in society for all to have Shalom (completeness, wholeness and well-being) in this part of God's Kingdom, here and now.
It is about the living of Agape (committed action on behalf of the other, even stranger and enemy and especially the most vulnerable), as commanded by Jesus.

Jesus' Good News is not about personal salvation.  It is not about trying to get "saved" by "saving" others and thus objectifying them for one's own gain.
It is not about offering worship, praise and tithes as a cosmic priming of the personal ATM God, who will give one a comfortable, profitable life, especially because a person worships at a huge church cult and follows a certain personality who leads it, and submits to him or her.
It is not about living a false piety based on one's own false purity or holiness, thus believing one is "better than" others and deserves to be more blessed and highly favored, or is thus justified in judging others in order to elevate one's own status within false "Christian" communities.
It is not about using one's status to abuse any power it provides by hating, discriminating against, marginalizing, disenfranchising and dehumanizing others who do not share one's own race, ethnicity, faith, economic class, sexuality, gender or nationality.
Those are the things that the Temple Cult leaders, King and Romans did in Jesus' time - the things that Jesus rebuked, as we have Jesus' teachings, commands and examples in the Gospels.
It is not all about some direct communication about one's individual life purpose, designed to lift privileged persons above other persons in wealth, power and/or status.
In other words, "It is about you sweetheart, just not ALL about you."

Jesus' teachings, commands and examples, as we have them in the Gospels, lead us to offer active commitment on behalf of others, even strangers and enemies, and especially the most vulnerable.
They lead us to accept others, receive them and join with them to make sure that all have enough material sustenance, shared power and mutual respect.
They lead us to work toward the well-being, completeness and wholeness of all around us as servants.
They lead us to deny ourselves, take up our cross and follow Jesus in the living of Agape.
They lead us to shalom for all, equally in this part of God's Kingdom, here and now.
Those are the Kingdom values that Jesus taught, commanded and modeled, and they are to be lived here and now among those who claim to be followers of God in Jesus.

Empire teaches us otherwise, and plenty of false teachers teach us that we can give lip service to Jesus and our devotion to empire and its values.
They teach us that Jesus was about our own prosperity, the church's own numerical and financial growth and status, and about our own, special purpose that lifts us up above others in privilege.

When I follow Jesus, I cannot value greed, power over others or status above others.
In fact, doing so puts me at odds with Jesus and my Neighbor.  It destroys community and the well-being of many in it.  That is not God's will as we have it in Jesus' teachings in the Gospels.
I cannot serve two masters.  I will either follow Kingdom values as I have them in Jesus, based on Agape Love and Grace, or I will devote myself to myself in the empire values of Greed, lust for Power and desire for Status.
I cannot value empire AND follow Jesus.  If I choose empire, I walk away from Jesus, very sad.
I do not want to gain the world, especially at the price of my soul and my neighbor's well-being.

It is not all about me and Jesus.
It is all about Jesus and us, together.
I am not following Jesus if I am not Agape loving (actively committed toward the well-being) of my Neighbor, even stranger, enemy and especially the most vulnerable.
I will strive, out of Agape, toward the Shalom of all those in the world around me, and thus find my own Shalom, not in order to be saved, but because I know the Grace of God that HAS SAVED ME.
I have been given much more than I have ever deserved, and for that I am thankful.  If God provides not one more thing for me but the Grace with which I am covered and the Agape within which I live, I will be satisfied.
Following Jesus is my response in faith to Jesus and Jesus' Way of Agape for the world.
How I live with Neighbor is my response of love for God in this part of God's Kingdom, here and now.
Loving neighbor as I love myself is my way of following Jesus and loving God.

Pastor Jamie