our 'jesus' is better than the Saviour Himself

annoying repetition or needed Truths?
Stories from rural Kenya are not in short supply, but again, I don't think the stories are what I should be writing about.

But yes, I could share many stories from rural Kenya. I could share...

...how I'd love to taste rooster meat, for that would mean one less rooster to wake me up in the morning
...how in typical Kenyan fashion, I had 5 minutes to prepare a speech as the Guest of Honour to encourage parents and students at a graduation ceremony
...how a big part of this trip has been to educate the Kenyans regarding their health both in the community (e.g. HIV talk) and in the hospital (e.g. how removing pieces of skull down to the brain won't cure a headache)
...how my heart swells up when the Kenyan children run towards me wanting to be held or played with or wanting (once again) to see if my whiteness will come off if they rub hard enough
...how Kenyans seem to transform into maniacs when they get behind the wheel; seemingly trying to reenact Evel Knievel's stunts with every turn
...how my new Australian housemates have somehow managed to bring Backstreet Boys and Taylor Swift to rural Kenya, oh boy, help needed more than ever
...how the love of my life, Viviana, figured out a way to get a handwritten letter to me in rural Kenya...(she is that great)

More stories?
I could share stories that'd make you laugh and smile and cry. I could also share so many heart-aching stories of real people, real events, and real devastations, but I've decided to not upset your stomach on this night.

For now, I'd rather encourage the church regarding our calling to meet the dire need of promoting justice for the poor and the lonely of this world. I AM included in the 'us'. Please, do not think for a moment I want to pretend I'm some Godsend who is living life exactly as he ought. I am not. I am such a disgusting man without Jesus, and even with Him, I am still disgusting with all my selfish desires (thankfully, Jesus can make us oh so clean and oh so beautiful because of His beauty, despite us). So please, I write with love...with Jesus as my motive. Shall we not encourage the true teachings of Jesus? I'm scared we are badly missing the mark at home. I do believe we hear the need...the call out...the pleads...the cry...but we just don't care enough unless it directly affects our lives...or our children...or our loved ones. 

Annoying repetition? Maybe.

But so needed? I just have to ask the orphans and the suffering what they think...

do we hear it?
Do we hear the cry?
Do we hear the cry?
Do we hear the cry of the hurting, the lost, the poorest of poor, the forgotten...do we hear the hate against Jesus and the loving teachings of Jesus that often don't find their way in our sermons (Matt. 5:44; 8:20-22; 10:24-25; 11:15-17; 13:14-17; 13:44; 13:46; 16:25-26; 19:21-30; 20:26; 23:23; 28:18-20)? Does it mobilize us?

I think if we're really honest, we'd say it doesn't mobilize us. There are very few things that would cause us to willingly live a sacrificial life for those in great need; like not even our own made-up 'jesus' can cause us to change. We don't change because the jesus we created is far more attractive and less offensive (less offensive to our comfort) than the Jesus from the Bible Who claims to have lived, died and is aching for the church to humbly get on her knees in united worship to His resurrected Self.

our 'jesus' is better than the Saviour Himself
The mourners, the lonely, the persecuted, the hungry...they are all around us; and Jesus is with us (Matt.25:40) and yet, we are completely satisfied to meet with people like us in large buildings who give us little trouble. We like gathering with these people because they never question how our churches can function with no need of the Spirit...with no God required... with no Jesus relentlessly sought out. Of course, we have our flashing lights, our smoke machines, our contemporary buildings, our multiple programs, our performances, our gadgets...if we can't have the fire of the Spirit, we might as well try to attract people to the church using the same false fire the world uses... use the same strategies as the politicians or the Jesus-bashing rock bands. Unfortunately, both of them are so much more appealing than us.

Why do we try to make Jesus look attractive...or wanted...or 'hip'? We invest so much of ourselves in hopes to make Jesus appealing. Why? Jesus doesn't need that. He doesn't want us to make Him more than Who He already said He was. Do we really think we can add to Jesus??? Why??? He is offensive. He told us to be dead to our self-wants. Why don't we just follow through on what He already did and said? Jesus sent so many people away from Himself with sadness and anger, and that never caused Him to 'soften' His message.

So why church? Why are we trying to do something that our Saviour refused to do? Why do we judge a successful ministry by how many people said some magical prayer (see previous post on my view on this)? It's nonsense. We have converted people to our own religion, not to Jesus' saving grace that mobilizes the church to the impossible: a sacrificial and God-honouring live (Matt. 19:26).

We need to stop trying to trick people into following Jesus. Just tell it like it is, and if they don't come to Him, then they don't. Our job isn't to change the heart, let the Spirit do that. Oh wait...we don't rely on the Spirit...I guess that makes sense why the fancy toys are so needed.

Quite possibly, we want to serve our own made-up hosanna (John: 12:13) rather than the Saviour Himself (John 19:15).

prayer
So so thankful for your prayers. Please continue praying for Jesus to be my Love. Pray for Viviana and our relationship; pray for the direction God is taking us, despite us. Pray for the people here who are so lost and in such desperation that it blows my mind.

Thank you!

p.s. In case you cared: I'm not against programs. I'm in support of well-run ministries (I worked at a camp that I felt was very Jesus-centred and am currently in Kenya, thanks to the organization Africa Inland Mission). But I am wondering if we're missing something when we're soo OK in spending countless hours and hundreds/thousands of dollars on decking out our 'performances', and yet, so cautiously spend our time and money on those who lack the essentials of life.

Do our ministries actually resemble the ministry of Jesus? The Man who would often turn people away sad when He knew they sought His stuff, rather than Him (Luke 7:39; 11:38-39; 18:23; John 6:26 etc...)? I would rather people come to church searching for Jesus...and find Him, rather than find some false fire coming from all our stuff. In fact, aren't we suppose to 'go out to the lost' instead of sitting back in hopes to attract them...?!?! (Matt 9:10; 28:19; Mark 2:15; 16:15; Luke 9:2; John 4:7 etc...). The attraction should come from Jesus' Truth-telling, love-unending, hard-to-swallow messages, not the stuff!

Would you really be OK with that renovation or that expensive ministry or those fancy gadgets in your home if your own mother, or father, or child had no food on his plate? Would you really be OK if you were denied education because your fellow brother upgraded his big screen t.v.? Or how about, would you be OK dropping hundreds and thousands of dollars on nonessentials if Jesus was walking around with no shelter over His head?

Answer honestly.

I know I'm not the only one scared by the answer.