When we think of holiness, attractiveness is probably not the first word that comes to mind.
If there ever was a model of holiness, it is Jesus Christ. But what I find interesting about Jesus and the holy life He lived was that His holiness was supremely attractive to the prostitutes, the tax collectors, the swindlers, the thieves, the under belly of the society of Israel. And at the same time, His holiness was totally repulsive to the religious of His day - the Pharisees and the Saduccees.
And when I think about the life of holiness that I have been trying to attain, I think it's the type of life that the religious of today would approve of while the under belly of today's society would not. And the more I think about this, the more I wonder what is missing from my understanding of holiness.
How can I live my life in such a way that is consistent with the teachings of Jesus Christ, while remaining totally open and attractive to the very people who need Jesus most? How was He able to live with, amongst, and in the community of sinners and remain totally distinct and at the same time attractive?
I don't know the answers to this question but I am convinced that's who the church today must become.
I'm afraid the church I know today is a church that the religious would like, a church that is mainly disconnected with the lives and sufferings of the people in this world, and a church that is not only irrelevant but is repulsive to those who don't know Jesus.
God help us change.
James <><
Check out what God is up to @
www.trinitypresbyterian.us
Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile
1 comment:
It is only when holiness is seen and lived as freedom from the enslavement of the addictions that keep people down, and not the legalistic cage, that we can reach out.
Post a Comment