Announcer (00:00:00): It's time to think about the Bible like you never have before. This is Christian Questions. After this episode, go to ChristianQuestions.com to check out other episodes, Bible study resources videos, download the CQ app and more. Today's topic is, "Is Following Christ the Same as Following Christianity? (Part II)." Coming up in this episode; unfortunately, standing for Christ and standing with Christianity doesn't always mean the same thing. Jesus and the apostles were specific about many things that much of Christianity seems to have remodeled for comfort's sake. How can we be sure we follow Jesus' teachings in their original form? Here's Rick, Jonathan and Julie.
Rick (00:00:42): Welcome everyone. I'm Rick. I'm joined by Jonathan, my co-host for over 20 years, and Julie, a longtime CQ contributor is also with us. Jonathan, what's our theme scripture for this episode?
Jonathan (00:00:54): 1 Corinthians 4:16-17: "Therefore I exhort you, be imitators of me. For this reason I have sent to you Timothy, who is my beloved and faithful child in the Lord, and he will remind you of my ways which are in Christ, just as I teach everywhere in every church."
Rick (00:01:14): It seems like it would be a no-brainer to say that following Christ and following Christianity are synonymous. Unfortunately, this is not the case. Imperfect human beings have always been very adept at creating alternative interpretations and approaches to most everything, and Christianity is no exception. In Part I of our two-part series, we began looking at some specific teachings of Jesus. We began holding Christianity up into the light of Jesus' words and asked, well, how are we doing here? In this episode, we continue this process. Even though we're asking about Christianity, the resounding question that begs for an answer is this: Am I personally choosing to follow Christ and his original teaching, or am I personally settling for some form of altered or watered-down Christianity instead?
Julie (00:02:11): Today we're dropping in on the specific teachings of Jesus and asking how churches in general apply these teachings. We're big supporters of topical Bible study and aren't looking to cherry pick scriptures to fit a specific theology. We've scripturally explored all of these topics in depth in other podcast episodes, but here we're looking at the words of Jesus and the apostles as a high-level overview. Again, our main question to consider on all of these points will be, is following Christ the same as following Christianity?
Jonathan (00:02:42): Jesus taught that humanity was doomed to death because of Adam's sin. He proclaimed death as the absence of life, as taught in Genesis. John 5:25: "Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the son of God, and those who hear will live." Romans 6:23: "For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." The mortal nature of humanity is consistently defined throughout all of the Bible. Jesus assured us that he did in fact come to save every man, woman and child from death in Adam.
Rick (00:03:27): And this is a very basic, basic foundation of Jesus' teachings found throughout all of Scripture, and that's what we're always finding, is Jesus' teachings are found everywhere. So as we move forward, is following Christ the same as following Christianity?
Julie (00:03:43): Continuing with our recap from Part I, Jesus didn't teach that the gospel would bring earthly abundance to his followers. On the contrary, he taught the very opposite. When Jesus answered Peter's question about his Messiahship, here's how Jesus responded in Luke 9:22-23: "...The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed and be raised up on the third day." He was saying to them all, if anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. The whole point of discipleship is not to be given physical abundance. On the contrary, it's to follow Jesus, who lived nowhere and had nothing and only focused on the fulfilling of God's will.
Rick (00:04:32): We kind of forget that. He lived nowhere. He had nothing. He was this itinerant preacher, the model of true Christianity because he's the model of the highest form of dedication to God through Christ, and we want to follow in those footsteps. So that was the second point that we talked about last week. Continuing, is following Christ the same as following Christianity?
Jonathan (00:04:57): Jesus taught us that the sacredness of godly reverence should never be mixed with that which is common. He set the standard when he drove the money changers from the temple (John 2:15-16), and he drove them all out of the temple with the sheep and the oxen and he poured out the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables and said to those who were selling doves, he said, "Take these things away. Stop making my Father's house a place of business." Jesus laid out the foundation for what Christianity would look like by continually stepping above and beyond all other worldly systems. This was to be a holy church set up and governed in a higher way.
Rick (00:05:42): And we were never to make God's work the work of normal business. It is spiritually driven with spiritual objectives, and we have to always be clear about that. Next question from our first Part I last week, is following Christ the same as following Christianity?"
Julie (00:06:02): Jesus stood for the highest standards of behavior on every level. The Sermon on the Mount is filled with examples of his raising of the bar. And Ephesians 5 does a wonderful job of summing up much of what Jesus taught. We'll drop in on Ephesians 5:3-4: "But immorality or any impurity or greed must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints; and there must be no filthiness and silly talk, or coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks." We learn the formula for the true Christian morality and ethics. It's simple. You hear the words of Jesus, accept the words of Jesus, apply the words of Jesus, and thoroughly live the words of Jesus. No exceptions.
Rick (00:06:46): And it's so important to leave ourselves out of that equation. There was nothing about the words of Rick in there, or the thoughts of Rick. It's no, it's all about the words of Jesus. So, we looked at those four basic points, those four basic teachings of Jesus in our Part I of our series last week. Now we move on to moving forward to some new material with the same approach in mind: is following Christ the same as following Christianity? So onto our next point. Jesus made it plain to his disciples that what they were given to know and follow would not be common. The high standard he gave them was not an option, it was a command. Keep Jesus' words without compromise. Now, the next verses we're going to read were Jesus'words the night before his crucifixion. Some of the many things he told his disciples that were absolutely precious to him because they were his last words to them in private. John 14:22-24:
Jonathan (00:07:46): "Judas (not Iscariot) said to him, Lord, what then has happened that you are going to disclose yourself to us and not to the world? Jesus answered and said to him, If anyone loves me, he will keep my word; and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our abode with him. He who does not love me does not keep my words; and the word which you hear is not mine, but the Father's who sent me."
Rick (00:08:13): Here's the thing; Judas asks him, "How is it you're going to disclose yourself to us and not everybody else?" This is a very perceptive question and Jesus goes on to say that, yeah, that's exactly what I'm going to do. And not only that, I need you to respond with this incredible loyalty. Love me, and how do I know that you love me? You follow my words. We can feign love. We can't feign loyalty. And that's the thing that Jesus is asking for here because he's treating Christians differently than he's treating the rest of the world.
Jonathan (00:08:48): It comes down to our personal loyalty to Jesus' words, no matter what our personal consequences may be, even if our church affiliation belittles us or persecutes us.
Rick (00:09:00): And that's a really important point. Am I going to stand for just the words of Jesus? Even if it's not popular, if it's not accepted, if it's something that people say, come on, loosen up. We need to be clear that what he gave us was a higher standard, and it's based on his words. Jesus' words were the words of his Father, and therefore they were the words of profound truth. John 17:17-19:
Jonathan (00:09:29): "Sanctify (meaning to set apart for a holy purpose) them in the truth; Your word is truth. As You sent me into the world, I also have sent them into the world. For their sakes I sanctify myself, that they themselves also may be sanctified in truth."
Julie (00:09:45): In John 14, Jonathan, you read that we're instructed to keep the word of Jesus. Here we're assured that those words are ultimately from the Father. So, we see that strong connectivity; the Father and Jesus are one in focus and in truth. Jesus sets himself apart. But here's the amazing part - he also develops his disciples to do the same. So as the conduit for the Father's truth, we trust Jesus to precisely represent God.
Rick (00:10:13): And you need to build on that very fact. The Apostle Paul is a great example of taking exactly, Julie, exactly what you said very, very seriously. He took this command, "If you love me, you'll keep my words." He took this command very seriously as evidenced when he was parting from the Ephesians, the Ephesian church, for the very last time. He had just told them that severe persecution was coming his way and they would not see him again. This is Acts 20:24-27. This is a very emotional parting.
Jonathan (00:10:49): "But I do not consider my life of any account as dear to myself, so that I may finish my course and the ministry, which I receive from the Lord Jesus, to testify solemnly of the gospel of the grace of God. And now, behold, I know that all of you, among whom I went about preaching the kingdom, will no longer see my face." Let me pause here. "You won't see me again." Emotional distress they must have felt! Now let's continue. "Therefore, I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all men. For I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole purpose of God." Paul completed his mission and is telling the brethren, you are now equipped and accountable to uphold this high standard of truth, as we are.
Rick (00:11:39): Equipped and accountable, equipped and accountable. Paul's message was simple. He was telling them, you're not going to see me again. And as I walk away from you for the very last time in this physical life, I have fully delivered to you all that I was commissioned to deliver. You now must use what you have been given to thrive in this life-changing gospel. Use what I've given you because there's nothing lacking.
Julie (00:12:09): So is that what he meant by, "I am innocent of the blood of all men?"
Rick (00:12:13): That is exactly what he meant.
Julie (00:12:16): Okay, it's up to you now.
Rick (00:12:17): Right. Right. He's saying, "You've been given all the tools. There's not a tool that's not in your toolbox. Everything, every circumstance you'll come across, you're ready for. I'm innocent if you don't use those tools; I can't be held responsible." So, it's a very important point here, and something that we need to apply to ourselves as well. Our thriving in the gospel requires us to learn and know the gospel. It requires us to also be aware of when we might stand in the way of our own understanding of this gospel. Let's look at second Timothy 2:14-15. Let's start with 14:
Jonathan (00:12:55): "Remind them of these things, and solemnly charge them in the presence of God not to wrangle about words, which is useless and leads to the ruin of the hearers."
Rick (00:13:05): "Not to wrangle about words." Why would we wrangle about words? Could it be happening because we're confusing our own preconceived ideas and preconceived "truth" with God's truth? We want to make sure there's purity in what we are seeking. Verse 15, Jonathan:
Jonathan (00:13:21): "Be diligent to present yourselves approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth."
Rick (00:13:30): "Accurately handling the word of truth." "Sanctify them through thy truth; thy word is truth." "He who does not love me does not keep my words." The whole thing is about the words of God through Christ and through scriptures that we must accurately handle. It's a major responsibility. We need to keep all of the words of Jesus and the words of scripture. So, are my Christian beliefs God-driven, or are they manmade?
Jonathan (00:14:01): Jesus made the necessity to follow him abundantly clear. He talked God's truth, and he specifically called twelve apostles to take that truth to whomever would listen. This tells us that this one uncompromising truth should not be diluted. Am I willing to completely follow Jesus' words even if it means I must let go of a humanly comfortable and compromised belief system?
Rick (00:14:30): That's a hard question. Am I willing to let go of what I like for the sake of what I spiritually need? The call of Christianity is a call to a unique present and in indescribable future. We need to pay very close attention to its amazing privileges.
Jonathan (00:14:52): Now that Jesus' words should have our undivided attention, what did he say about how we are to support one another?
Rick (00:15:01): As we continue to meditate upon the words of Jesus, we also need to meditate on the actions of Jesus. It can be easy to forget that what Jesus spoke, Jesus did. Keeping this in mind will help us see his words in an even more powerful light. It will also help us focus on not only hearing his words, but on absolutely also following his actions. In this segment, we really want to drill down on the idea that the words of Jesus and the actions of Jesus are synonymous with following the truth of scripture.
Julie (00:15:40): Let's continue our question. Is following Christ the same as following Christianity?
Rick (00:15:45): Jesus instructed us regarding giving to others, though his instruction often did not seem to have the same kind of authority that the teachings of the Pharisees had.
Jonathan (00:15:56): Jesus showed us the differences. In these next verses, Jesus is teaching in the Temple. Mark 12:38-44, beginning with 38-40: "In his teaching he was saying: Beware of the scribes who like to walk around in long robes, and like respectful greetings in the marketplaces, and chief seats in the synagogues and places of honor at banquets, who devour widows' houses (that's a curious phrase - "who devour widows' houses")," let's continue, "and for appearance's sake offered long prayers; these will receive greater condemnation."
Rick (00:16:36): When we look at this, Jesus is setting a stage. He's setting a stage for some very, very, very important teachings, and it's amazing how these teachings are about to unfold. He's setting the stage for these lessons by highlighting the respect and honors the Pharisees seek among men as well as revealing how they "devour widows houses," how they take the little that widows have and essentially strip them of it. And that's a big accusation here. Let's continue Jonathan, 41-42:
Jonathan (00:17:05): "And he sat down opposite the treasury and began observing how the people were putting money into the treasury; and many rich people were putting in large sums. A poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which amount to about a cent."
Julie (00:17:21): We can picture the scene. This is the busy time of Passover. We've got locals and people coming in from out of town. There's holiday traffic in the streets. This treasury obviously wasn't in a private area if people could see how much was being donated by each person. That inherently brings public scrutiny, judgment, and trying to impress others. "Did you see how much so-and-so gave?" Yeah, it's a little like passing the collection plate and being under pressure from what everyone else is giving.
Rick (00:17:48): And you painted the picture really, really well. You get this sense that everybody's watching and they're quiet. And think about it, some rich person comes by, and he pours out his bag of gold coins or silver coins and you hear them all clinking into the jar. And then you have this widow come by and she puts in 2 cents. Little tiny "clink, clink," and then the next person comes in and it's just this drama and this incredible difference. So we have this observation. Jesus is watching this with his disciples, and after this observation, he pulls his disciples in close. He says, "Come here" and well, I'm giving a little bit of theatrics here, "Come here. I I need to tell you something really carefully." He's going to teach them a lesson that most would miss. Jonathan, verses 43-44:
Jonathan (00:18:42): "Calling his disciples to him, he said to them, Truly I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all the contributors to the treasury; for they all put in out of their surplus, but she, out of her poverty, put in all she owned, all she had to live on." Jesus is not focusing on an amount of giving. He is focusing on the motivation for giving. It's about the heart and having a proper humble attitude. The very small sacrifices, self-denials in the master's sight will be great if they denote love to the Lord and his cause.
Julie (00:19:20): That's well said. But this is a tricky passage because some churches twist this and say their parishioners should follow her example and give, give, give large offerings even if that person is in a precarious financial position. But we know Jesus wasn't teaching that because he was accusing the Pharisees of "devouring widows' houses." A quick quote from Wikipedia: "The same religious leaders who would reduce widows to poverty also encouraged them to make pious donations beyond their means."
Rick (00:19:52): And I actually knew someone who went to one of those churches, and she was a widow and she lived on just her Social Security, and it was tiny. And she was determined that she was going to give what she was supposed to give. And she was promised mega, mega manifold blessings, big blessings, and years and years and years. And then we studied it together and she thought, "I was looking for the wrong thing." And it was a dramatic change of heart for her to understand what Jesus really is focusing us on. So many Christians have a significant focus on tithes and offerings. That's really, Julie, that's what we're referring to here. And as we will see, Jesus did not ever instruct his followers to tithe.
Julie (00:20:45): There's a lot to study in in this topic. For a more detailed scriptural walk-through, we recommend listening to episode #1040, "Do Tithes and Offerings Belong in Christianity?" And in fact, we're going to have recommendations for each of these little mini topics in this week's CQ Rewind Show Notes at ChristianQuestions.com, and on our app.
Jonathan (00:21:05): Oh, here's the problem. Some churches pattern tithing based on Old Testament scriptures. The Old Testament law included three kinds of tithes. Number 1--the Levitical Tithe, a tenth of a person's annual harvest paid to the Levites. Number 2-- Feast Tithe, a tenth set aside for the person themselves to take to Jerusalem for religious festivals. Number 3--Poor Tithe; every third year, Jews were to set aside a further tenth of food for visitors, orphans and widows.
Julie (00:21:39): Okay, let's take a closer look at that Levitical Tithe, because that's where a lot of this comes from. The first tithe in the Bible is Abram. He paid a one-time offering of a tenth of goods he won in battle. He paid it to the priest Melchizedek in Genesis 14, but it did not involve Abram's own possessions. That's really important. In Leviticus, God announced a tenth part from the land would belong to Him of flocks and herds. They were to simply count and the random tenth animal was separated. Tithes were never money. And in Numbers 18, we learn that Aaron, the high priest, and his family of Levites were to receive what was called a "perpetual allotment" of these offerings, including grain and other food. Well, that sounds like a huge windfall! Serve God and you get stuff, but there's a catch. Numbers 18 also says Aaron received no inheritance of the land. So they're completely dependent on the people supporting them so they could focus on their activities for God. But here's a surprise; not many people realize this, but not only did the Levites not get land, but they themselves had to tithe a tenth of what they were given, and not just a random tenth. They had to give the best of what they received. Doesn't look like today's tithing at all.
Rick (00:22:56): Not even remotely close, as a matter of fact, not even remotely close. Folks, here's the scriptural fact: In the New Testament, tithe, tithes, tithing are only mentioned by Jesus relating to the Jewish people and the Law, and in the book of Hebrews recounting the same. They are never mentioned anywhere else. Let me say that again. They're never mentioned anywhere else.
Jonathan (00:23:26): For Christian churches to have this as a centerpiece, when Jesus never taught us to do it and the apostles never picked up on it, takes out the sincerity and resembles the giving at the Temple Treasury that Jesus criticized.
Julie (00:23:42): It's also interesting that of the what they think is 613 Levitical Laws, modern-day churches only expect their congregations to continue to comply with one of them--the law of tithing. They don't ask their followers to circumcise their children, refrain from eating pork or shellfish, or not to wear mixed fabrics. The only one they require is the law that they misinterpret as giving a tenth of your income to the church. Interesting.
Rick (00:24:09): Yeah, and there's a lot to this, but the point is, what did Jesus teach us and what didn't Jesus teach us? And we need to take with the same seriousness, what he didn't tell us to do from the Old Testament as what he did tell us to do in principle from the Old Testament. See Jesus, in principle, taught us to give of our time, our talent, and our opportunities in a very magnanimous, very big way. We're going to look at Matthew 10:7-8:
Jonathan (00:24:39): "And as you go, preach, saying, the kingdom of heaven is at hand. Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give." Jesus said, preach free of charge. Matthew 7:12 says, "In everything, therefore, treat people the same way you want them to treat you, for this is the Law and of the Prophets."
Rick (00:25:06): So you have this very strong teaching, "Freely you received, freely give." You have this other very strong teaching, "Treat others exactly the way you would want them to treat you." So this is the principle that Jesus takes, and he says, "We are not bound by a number. We are bound by the responsibility of giving from our hearts in a way that we would want to be given to if we were in need." It's a really wonderful thing, and it's very, very different than many, many churches teach, unfortunately. Jesus mentioned tithing, but only in relation to the Jews, as we said before, who were bound to the Jewish Law.
Jonathan (00:25:53): Remember, this is a teaching moment through a parable found in Luke 18:10-14: "Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood and was praying to himself (and count how many times he uses "I" in this prayer; hint, it's about five times): God, I thank You that I am not like other people: swindlers, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I pay tithes of all that I get."
Julie (00:26:27): "I, I, I." And it's interesting, it says "praying to himself." That makes it sound like God wasn't even listening. He's just talking into the air.
Jonathan (00:26:34): And the focus was on himself, not on God. He boasted about his fasting, his tithing and his morality over others. Since Jesus can read the heart, he gave us insight on how some of the Pharisees think.
Rick (00:26:49): So you have this comparison. Jesus begins by describing this Pharisee and "I, I, I." And now he goes to the other individual, the sinner. Let's go to verses 13-14:
Jonathan (00:27:03): "But the tax collector, standing some distance away, was even unwilling to lift his eyes to heaven, but was beating his breast, saying, God, be merciful to me, the sinner! I tell you, this man went to his house justified rather than the other..."
Rick (00:27:20): You notice how few words, in this parable, the sinner says versus the little mini speech that the Pharisee gives in his prayer? You see the authenticity, the reality of saying, I'm not good. I need help. Lord, just be merciful to me. This is the kind of attitude Jesus is teaching us to have. Let's move on. Jesus expands on this near the end of his ministry in Matthew 23:23-24:
Jonathan (00:27:52): "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cummin, and have neglected the weightier provisions of the Law: justice and mercy and faithfulness; but these are the things you should have done without neglecting the others. You blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel!"
Julie (00:28:12): Can you just see them meticulously and pompously counting out a tiny tenth of even their spices to show people around them their extreme holiness? I have a quote from a really great book I love called, "The Corrupted Gospel, Part 1: Should Christians Tithe?" by Howard Clare. Here's the quote: "Jesus wasn't telling them to tithe. They were already doing so as part of the old Law Covenant. The point Jesus was making was about arrogance and hypocrisy. He was pointing out to the Pharisees that although they were so proud and self-righteous about their tithing, they were ignorant in the need to show justice, mercy and faith, which was more important than tithing." If anyone would like a copy of the book, a PDF copy, just write us at [email protected]. It gives a lot of great points.
Rick (00:29:01): Jesus is comparing the spirit of the Law with the letter of the Law and how easy it is to get tied up in the letter and forget what it's there for. And we need to listen to what Jesus is telling us with this. He's helping us understand what giving should look like. Let's jump to the Apostle Paul and a very, very straightforward view on this. 1 Timothy 6:3-5:
Jonathan (00:29:26): "If anyone advocates a different doctrine and does not agree with sound words, those of our Lord Jesus Christ, and with the doctrine conforming to godliness, he is conceited and understands nothing... (These are) men of depraved mind and deprived of the truth who suppose that godliness is a means of gain." What a dramatic verse. "...depraved mind and deprived of the truth, who suppose that godliness is a means of gain." Making money is not what the gospel is about. Getting rich off of the congregation is an evil which is encouraged by some. This has destroyed lives and is a gross misrepresentation of God's character and His truth.
Julie (00:30:14): This isn't to say that you can't or shouldn't give to your church. What we are saying is not one verse in the New Testament requires Christians to give a mandatory tithe. Giving is to be done voluntarily, cheerfully, and modern tithing has little to do with the Old Testament pattern. Unfortunately, many suffer unnecessarily under the weight of guilt of not being able to tithe this 10 percent number.
Jonathan (00:30:39): How about this is an idea? Put a box in the back of the room and people can give what they want and when they want in a quiet, anonymous way.
Rick (00:30:50): The ideas like that are very, very significant because it takes all of the pressure off and puts it back on the heart of each individual. And the other part of this very quickly is, sometimes there's even greater anonymity here. I've had the experience of someone being in need and somebody else seeing the need and coming up to me as a third party and saying, "Rick, look, they're in need. Can you give them this $2,000 or whatever it is, but do not tell them where it came from." So I get to be the delivery person to take care of that person's need and say to them, "Somebody really cares about you. They've noticed, they handed this to me so I could hand it to you. God bless you." That to me is the giving that Jesus taught us. Let us focus in on the most important things. Let's ask the question, are my Christian beliefs God-driven or are they manmade?
Jonathan (00:31:46): Jesus shows us and taught us that all of our giving has its greatest value when it comes from a pure and willing heart. The idea of levying tithes and offerings as a fee for entrance or respect has no foundation in Christianity's original form. Am I willing to see beyond what I may have previously bought into and instead focus on the purity of giving from the heart?
Rick (00:32:13): Again, a hard question on an important teaching of what Jesus said, told us to do and what he didn't tell us to do. One of the startling things about the original gospel is its simplicity and its uncontaminated spirituality. Believers, take note.
Jonathan (00:32:34): With giving from a pure heart as a basis, what did Jesus teach us about being involved in the lives of our brotherhood?
Rick (00:32:42): This kind of engagement is a next step. It's a deeper step, as involvement in other's lives has an entirely different cost basis. Personally investing time, effort, talent and opportunities into our brotherhood can be consuming and challenging. As with everything else we're talking about, Jesus showed us the standard for this blessed experience. He showed us how to do this, of course in a way that only Jesus could show us.
Julie (00:33:16): All right, let's see what he did and ask the question: Is following Christ the same as following Christianity?
Jonathan (00:33:22): Jesus taught us and showed us what it means to enter into the experiences of our brotherhood. First, his simple and powerful words; John 15:12-13: "This is my commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends." Jesus lived these words. This is the standard of being involved in the brotherhood.
Rick (00:33:50): "Lay down your life for your friends." That's the standard that he set. Our next scripture takes place shortly after Jesus spent a whole night awake and in prayer and then in the morning named his apostles. So this is after a whole night of laboring in prayer. Here's what happens. Luke 6:17-19:
Jonathan (00:34:14): "Jesus came down with them and stood on a level place; and there was a large crowd of his disciples, and a great thong of people from all Judea and Jerusalem and the coastal region of Tyre and Sidon."
Julie (00:34:26): Wow, that's a big crowd!
Jonathan (00:34:29): "...who had come to hear him to be healed of their diseases; and those who were troubled with unclean spirits were being cured. And all the people were trying to touch him, for power was coming from him and healing them all." Jesus didn't stop healing until he was done. When was he done? When the last person who needed his help and assistance got his help and assistance. It wasn't when he was tired, it wasn't when the sun went down. It was when the job was complete. Jesus treated his Jewish nation with utmost compassion and respect.
Rick (00:35:05): He did. He continued to give and to give and to give until it was over. What better example could there be? So we saw his words, "Greater love has no man than this, than to lay down your life for your friends." And then we saw his actions. He gave and he healed them all. So we see the example in word and action. Now it comes to our turn. So when it comes to our turn to be invested in the experiences of our brethren, and remember, to be invested, not to contribute, to be invested in the experiences of our brotherhood, let's remember that we cannot heal them. We cannot read their hearts; we cannot have perfect understanding. We cannot be Jesus. But we can do things in God's will and according to His way. The Apostle Paul had much to say about how this works. And this is important because this is showing us as imperfect human beings how we can truly invest in the lives of the brotherhood. There's two kinds of examples. First is in Romans 12:9-13:
Jonathan (00:36:14): "Let love (this is the selfless kind of agape love) be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love (a family kind of love); give preference to one another in honor; not lagging behind in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; rejoicing in hope, persevering in tribulation, devoted to prayer, contributing to the needs of the saints, practicing hospitality."
Julie (00:36:44): That's quite a list. So if you want to know if you're doing well, take a look at this list and compare yourself. It means we want to summon the purest love we can, cling to good, be devoted to our spiritual family, be diligent, fervent, persevere, prayerful, and be hospitable. This is how we should be approaching those around us.
Jonathan (00:37:03): Something that my wife Jewel and I try to work on is hospitality. When we invite families over, we're letting them know they're important to us and we value their love for the Lord. Being in a new area over the last two years, we want to know each individual from our Bible group. We receive so many blessings in doing so. There are other ways to be hospitable, though. We can be welcoming, kind and generous to others every day, wherever we are.
Rick (00:37:29): And that's a big way, is to have that spirit of hospitality as a kind of a badge as to your character. And when people are around somebody who's hospitable and kind and courteous, they're happier. That's a wonderful way to witness to Christ. So we've got this scripture with all of these very, very specific things going on, about love being without hypocrisy. Now the Apostle Paul in a few chapters later in Romans, Romans 15, he's going to get more specific and get into two very specific ways to actually help others, very clearly and very focused. First Romans 15:1-3, 5-6. Let's do 1-3 to start:
Jonathan (00:38:14): "Now we who are strong ought to bear the weaknesses of those without strength and not just please ourselves. Each of us is to please his neighbor for his good, to his edification. For even Christ did not please himself; but as it is written, The reproaches of those who reproached you fell on me."
Rick (00:38:33): In these verses, the apostle is talking about those who are strong bearing up those who don't have that same strength. It's a matter of capacity. Are you strong enough to help others? And do others need helping? That's all this is. This is strength helping weakness. Now let's finish verses 5-6:
Jonathan (00:38:53): "Now, may the God who gives perseverance and encouragement grant you to be of the same mind with one another according to Christ Jesus, so that with one accord you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ."
Rick (00:39:09): What do you think happens when the strong bear up the weak? You now have one voice because you're working together and that's how this verse ends, "that you may with one voice glorify God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ." We can't be Jesus, but we can imitate him to the best of our imperfect and fallen ability.
Jonathan (00:39:30): How? If we have strength, give it to those who don't. Be encouraging and hold up those who need it.
Julie (00:39:37): There's a biblical expression; it's to "stand in the gap." That comes from Ezekiel 22:30 where the Lord was looking for someone to stand between Him and the Israelites. Moses is said to have "stood in the gap" to save Israel when they made the golden calf in Psalm 106:23 and Exodus 32. The expression means to intercede to God on someone else's behalf.
Jonathan (00:39:59): Through God's grace we might be given strength that we can use on behalf of someone else.
Rick (00:40:05): And that's an important thing to recognize when we have the privilege of strength and to be willing to share it, to give it, to reach out from ourselves. That's what Jesus did.
Julie (00:40:18): I have a practical example about that. My sister, a few years ago, went through a very painful divorce. She had no idea her husband had clearly been unfaithful, and that long divorce process left her broken, weak, kind of in a zombie-like state. She said she was living hour to hour in despair in a helpless fog. She let our church family know what had happened, and I describe it as she was broken into a million little pieces. But those friends came holding a million little bottles of glue. I'm going to add her full comments to the CQ Rewind Show Notes for this week. But some made it their mission to build her up weekly with pep talks, others continuously sent cards and emails with encouragement and scriptures. And Rick, you jumped in with scriptural counseling and helped her with her finances. I navigated the legal process with her, and her and I started a Blessings List to make sure that we would notice the Lord's many gracious overrulings through this tough experience. My parents were in complete shock, but they never stopped helping in a ton of ways, and the love and support just kept coming. When it came time for the final court date, she said this, "It felt like I was going into the courthouse not only with the Lord but with an army of praying warriors." This was "standing in the gap" to help her keep glorifying God during a time when it was hard for her to function, let alone to look up and count her blessings.
Rick (00:41:45): That's an amazing testimony to what happens when those who are strong bear the infirmities of those who are weak. Sometimes we're weak - not because we just don't have strength - but because something happens, and we are debilitated by it. So this is the body of Christ working together. That's a very, very significant example. Now let's move on to something a little bit different. Not only should the capability of one support the feeble or condition of another, but the spirituality; this is a little bit different now. The spirituality of one should aid in recovering the error or transgression of another. First it was strength and weakness. Now it's spirituality and transgression. Galatians 6:1-5:
Jonathan (00:42:30): "Brethren, even if anyone is caught in any trespass, you who are a spiritual, restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness; each one looking to yourself, so that you too will not be tempted. Bear one another's burdens, and thereby fulfill the law of Christ. For if anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself. But each one must examine his own work, and then he will have reason for boasting in regard to himself alone, and not in regard to another. For each one will bear his own load."
Julie (00:43:02): When we have strength and others don't, we "stand in the gap." But the second example, when we see others fall into sin and we stand in that gap, then we need to humbly and very carefully pull them back towards Christ.
Rick (00:43:15): And this is prefaced by saying "you who are spiritual." This is not for the faint of heart. This is not for somebody new. This is for those who we can look at and depend on for their spiritual strength and maturity and knowledge in Christ. Because this is a very scary position to be in, because it's very easy to be tempted by pride or maybe you understand their problems because you've had those problems and maybe you can fall back into your own patterns by being reminded. We need to be careful. This is about spiritual maturity. Jesus knew the hearts of his followers. He knew their strengths and he knew their weaknesses and he supported them in their experiences in spiritually appropriate ways. And that's a strange phrase to use for Jesus. He did things in a spiritually appropriate way. Listen to this next account and it's profound in what Jesus did and what he didn't do. Luke 22:28-32. Jonathan, let's do 28-30 first:
Jonathan (00:44:19): "You are those who have stood by me in my trials; and just as my Father has granted me a kingdom, I grant you that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom, and you will sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel." Let me pause here. There was a beautiful invitation to the future because they stood by him. What an incredible opportunity! Listen to what he said next, though; "Simon, Simon, behold, Satan has demanded permission to sift you like wheat; but I have prayed for you, that your faith may not fail; and you, when once you have turned again, strengthen your brothers."
Rick (00:44:57): So he says, "I've got this amazing opportunity." And then the next breath is, "Satan is demanding to sift you like wheat. But I've prayed for you." You notice Jesus didn't say, "But I'm going to take care of Satan for you. I will stand in his way. I will not allow him." He allowed it. He let it happen. And he let it happen in a prayerful appropriate way. He spiritually supported Peter. Why? Why didn't he get in the way? Because Peter needed to learn, and Jesus understood that he needed to learn and he allowed him to appropriately learn. And we of course, we see after Jesus is raised and they're on the shore, and "Peter, do you love me? Do you love me? Do you love me?" He's reinstating him. There's a beauty in the spiritual appropriateness of how Jesus took care of his beloved follower, Peter. When we look at our experiences, when we look at how we are helping one another...are my Christian beliefs God-driven or are they manmade?
Jonathan (00:46:01): Jesus and the apostles gave us everything we need to be a mutually supportive brotherhood. To be successful in this support role, we need to be willing to be vulnerable. This requires prayerful humility, strength of character, and a clear spiritual outlook. Am I willing to change my environment if it avoids such difficult circumstances and doesn't encourage such humility, strength, and spirituality?
Rick (00:46:30): Am I willing to change my environment if I see that it's lacking in this kind of wisdom and profound clinging to scriptural guidance? Being part of the body of Christ is not for the faint of heart. It calls for us to stand so that we don't leave our brothers or sisters to suffer.
Jonathan (00:46:53): Jesus was unmistakably clear about how the brotherhood should treat one another. What did he teach about God's kingdom?
Rick (00:47:01): Well now we're changing subjects. Many of Jesus' teachings were easy to understand and many of them, they weren't. When it came to personal character and sacrifice, his messages were easy to follow. Now they're easy to follow intellectually, not necessarily in real life, but you could follow the reasoning. When it came to prophetic things about God's plan, Jesus' messages were far more mysterious. His teachings about the kingdom were in that very mysterious category.
Julie (00:47:32): We'll ask this question one last time. Is following Christ the same as following Christianity?
Jonathan (00:47:38): Jesus taught us to prepare for his kingdom. The question is, do we know what we are preparing for? In Acts 1, before Jesus ascends to his Father, he tells his disciples to wait in Jerusalem for the promise of the holy spirit. Acts 1:6-8: "So when they had come together, they were asking him, saying, Lord, is it at this time you will restore the kingdom to Israel? He said to them, it is not for you to know the times or epochs which the Father has fixed by His own authority; but you will receive power when the holy spirit has come upon you; and you shall be my witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth."
Rick (00:48:21): Notice Jesus' answer. He says, "You're not to know the time for this." Well, the time for what? For the restoring of the kingdom to Israel.
Julie (00:48:32): But he is not really answering their question, is he? He doesn't deny the kingdom will come, but he isn't telling them when it's going to come.
Rick (00:48:38): Exactly. And he does that on purpose, because he knows that their work needs to be done in faith, not in sight, like, the kingdom's coming in "x" day, that's when it comes. He says, you work in faith. He's validating the legitimacy of this restoring of the kingdom to Israel. So that's the important part of Jesus' answer. And no, he did not answer their question. It's like, darn, I wish I could have known that. But no, some things you're just not supposed to know.
Jonathan (00:49:08): Because Israel rejected him as Messiah, they would be rejected, only to later be restored into favor. Matthew 23:38-39, Jesus was speaking to the Pharisees about Israel: "Behold, your house is being left to you desolate! For I say to you, from now on you will not see me until you say, blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord." Here's another hint that Israel will receive favor in the future, and even the Pharisees he's talking to. He is pronouncing serious judgment. "Your house is being left to you desolate." But with that judgment, he is giving a future hope. The judgment wasn't the end, it was the beginning.
Julie (00:49:54): Jesus is talking here to the Jewish nation and some Christians take these kinds of promises made to Israel and say that they now apply to Christians. It's called "replacement theory." But there are separate promises made to Christians that do not negate the promises and prophecies for the Jewish people.
Rick (00:50:13): That's an important point. That's why it's called a "replacement theory" because you have a different set of promises, a different pathway for the Christian versus the faithful Jewish person. It's different, but it brings us to the same overall picture of this kingdom that we're looking at here. So before Jesus' ascension, he verified that it would be an earthly kingdom. He said no, it's not restored yet, you won't know when but it will happen. He also verified that it would be in the future, because he said, you're going to have to do all these other things first. This fits exactly with what he taught in the Lord's prayer. Everybody knows these verses. Matthew 6:9-10:
Jonathan (00:50:57): "Pray, then, in this way: Our Father who is in heaven, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven."
Rick (00:51:06): What a simple statement. "Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven." The simple truth is easily and often missed by the majority of churches. We can think, well look, how simple? How could you miss it? Well, that would be an easy question except for the fact that Jesus was explaining one piece of a very complex matter. God's kingdom according to Jesus has many moving parts. And we want to look at some of those moving parts to illustrate that Jesus didn't make this simple, but he did give us the pieces. First of all, we'll look at Matthew 4:16-17. And in these verses what we're going to see is Jesus carried himself, carried the kingdom within himself. And the next verse, these verses are right after John the Baptist was put in prison. And this is significant. It's right after John's put in prison. Here's what he says:
Jonathan (00:52:00): "The people who were sitting in darkness saw a great light, and those who were sitting in the land and shadow of death, upon them a light dawned. From that time Jesus began to preach and say, Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."
Julie (00:52:16): This is going to get a little confusing because "the kingdom at hand" means it's very near. So is it very near, or is it coming in the distant future? When? When is it coming? He didn't answer that question for us. That would've been easier.
Rick (00:52:27): Yes, it would have. And the answer is yes, it is very near, and it is in the distant future. Now how do we know that? The reason he said "the kingdom of heaven is at hand" is because the messenger, John, was in prison. John's work was done. Jesus was now the sole voice of the kingdom and he was showing them, we're at a different stage now. And the kingdom is at hand because things have moved forward in God's plan. So we get that sense that Jesus knows exactly what he's teaching and he's withholding exactly the right things so that we can learn how to study to really understand this. So Jesus did carry the kingdom with him, but that's not where it ends. Though the kingdom is unseen, Jesus will next say in our next verse, he will say, it's in your midst, within those who follow Jesus. Luke 17:20-21; a different picture here:
Jonathan (00:53:23): "And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation: Neither shall they say, lo here! Or lo, there! for behold, the kingdom of God is within you."
Julie (00:53:39): It's not only at hand - imminently near - but now it's inside people? Again, the Lord's Prayer, Matthew 6, told us to pray for what is yet future, "Your kingdom come" describing a time when His will "will be done on earth as it is in heaven." You wouldn't be told to pray for something that's already here. But what strikes me is he gives two different answers to these different groups. Remember when we read when his disciples asked this back in Acts 1, Lord, is this the time you are restoring the kingdom of Israel? He implies yes, but doesn't give them the timing. But here the Pharisees essentially ask him the same question in Luke 17, and he tells them it can't be seen because it's within us. What?! So my questions are, why does Jesus give a different answer to the same question to two different groups of people? And when and where is this kingdom? Is it within us? Is it in front of us? Is it yet future? Is it on earth? Is it in heaven? What do you got?
Rick (00:54:33): Well, first of all, the reason he gives different answers, remember, we read the scripture earlier when Judas (not Iscariot) says, how is it that you're going to manifest yourself to us and not the world? There's the big hint. Jesus builds upon that and he says, yeah, that's exactly what's going to happen. So the Pharisees were on the outside looking in because they weren't looking to believe, they were looking to criticize, they were looking to break down. The apostles, the disciples were looking to believe. So you have this, "I will give those who are chosen and called who are following the will of God, greater insight." He's not going to give them the answers, but greater insight. How is it that it's within, and he carries it, and it's still coming? Because the kingdom is a group of many, many pieces. That's what it is. He's answering different parts with different statements. We'll expand on that as we go further.
Jonathan (00:55:26): How about another part? The kingdom was a message to be spread, and it was accompanied by healing miracles. Matthew 4:23: "Jesus was going throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and healing every kind of disease and every kind of sickness among them."
Julie (00:55:46): The good news of the kingdom, the gospel of the kingdom. Where and when is it? And who gets that message? They're proclaiming that message.
Rick (00:55:55): So where is it? It's wherever the gospel, the true gospel is preached. Who gets it is whoever has hearing ears. Now the hearing ears may not absorb it, but they can at least gain the hope of it or hear that there's something about a kingdom. The point is that the kingdom message needed to be spread. And when Jesus was ascending, that's what he said. "You go throughout the kingdoms of the world and you are going to preach this because it's so important. It's the midpoint of God's plan. It's what everything hinges on--what I am doing. I am the kingdom essentially. And what I am doing is going to put all of this in place."
Jonathan (00:56:38): Another piece - the kingdom is difficult to enter but holds position of honor for the humble. Matthew 18:2-4: "And he called a child to himself and set him before them, and said, Truly I say to you, unless you are converted and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever then humbles himself as this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven."
Julie (00:57:03): But we just read that it's a message. How do you enter something that's a message in your midst, and yet future? And I'm starting to see this kind of like a puzzle; little pieces. And you've got to put the little pieces together in order to get the full picture.
Rick (00:57:16): And think about, you've got a box with a puzzle in it, but you don't have a picture on it. Okay? It says "Kingdom," but you have no idea what it's going to look like. And you pour those pieces of the puzzle out. Some of them are upside down, but they're all mixed up. What do you need to do? Sort them out. Jesus, many of his teachings, especially with doctrine, were puzzle-like. They needed to be sorted out. They needed to be put in order. The like pieces needed to be joined to the like pieces. And the pieces that showed a different part went on a different part of the puzzle. That's what he's telling us about the kingdom. We want to understand that he's being sensible with the big picture, but you can't see the big picture necessarily by just focusing on, where does this one little piece go?
Jonathan (00:57:59): Hey Rick, what about first Corinthians 15:20-26? Here the kingdom is associated with the resurrection, starting with verses 20-23: "But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who are asleep. For since by a man came death, by a man also came the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive. But each in his own order; Christ the first fruits, after that those who are Christ's at his coming, then comes the end, when he hands over the kingdom to the God and Father, when he has abolished all rule and all authority and power."
Rick (00:58:39): All right, let's take a look at that and let's put it in order because there's a lot there in this verse. Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who sleep. Death came from man. Adam brought death to the human race. So showing us Adam brings in death, and Jesus, many, many, many generations later, pays the price to take that away and that brings the resurrection of the dead. So he's building the case for the kingdom. And Jesus being there, he was the one who took death away. Now, it didn't manifest itself right then, but that was the beginning of the kingdom. You see the kingdom in Jesus. "As an Adam all die, so in Christ, all are made alive." But then he says, but wait. There's an order to that too. Christ, the first fruits. And after that, the rest of everybody else, faithful ones raised first because they're the ministry of reconciliation. The rest of the world raises later because they need to be reconciled. And then he says, then comes the end when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father, when he's abolished all rule and authority and power. So then comes, chronologically, the actual kingdom in place and all of the learning and all of the work that has to be done. Now, let's go to verse 25:
Jonathan (00:59:49): "For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy that will be abolished is death."
Rick (00:59:55): And that's the point. You see that this puzzle now, you're putting it together and you're saying, wow, what an amazing picture! And the last piece is the abolishing of death entirely. And when that piece is in, it says then, then things can be turned over to the Father, so God can be all and in all. The kingdom will be in full force on earth. It will be run from heaven. It is God's kingdom through Christ and all of the goodness is now in place.
Julie (01:00:27): Wow! For more on this topic, we highly recommend listening to episode #883, "How Did Jesus Describe the Kingdom of Heaven?" We'll go into a lot more of the scriptures that are available for this.
Jonathan (01:00:40): We can see that the kingdom Jesus taught us about has many facets. First, yes, it refers to Jesus himself in his first advent.
Julie (01:00:48): And yes, it refers to the context of the development of the true church in this present time.
Jonathan (01:00:54): Yes, it refers to the time of resurrection.
Julie (01:00:57): And my favorite part, yes, it does refer to the final reign of God after all enemies, even death, are destroyed.
Rick (01:01:05): 1 Corinthians 15:20-26, Jonathan, those verses you said, Hey Rick, what about these verses? Well, really what you said is, Hey Rick, here's a picture of all of those pieces. Let's now try to put them in order. And that's exactly what we're seeing. Jesus was focused on God's kingdom. The question is, am I? Am I in my faith focused on God's kingdom the same way Jesus was? Are my Christian beliefs God-driven or are they manmade?
Jonathan (01:01:34): Jesus taught us that God's kingdom has many parts to it, including present day and future applications. This kingdom is the very core of the good news for all people announced at Jesus's birth. Somehow many Christians seem to lose this broad application that Jesus taught. Am I willing to open my mind to the full scope of Jesus' teachings?
Rick (01:01:58): You can see that the kingdom is a big part of Jesus' teachings, but he taught it in little, tiny pieces. Are we willing in our Christian lives, with the experience of our Christian faith, wherever we might be, whatever church we may be attending, are we willing to look seriously at the words in the scriptures, the words and actions of Jesus and the words of the Bible in its entirety and say, I need to follow this. And if my church environment's not offering that, what am I going to do? Am I going to be comfortable or am I going to rise up and follow Christ? Think about it. Folks, we love hearing from our listeners. We welcome your feedback and questions on this episode and other episodes at ChristianQuestions.com. Coming up in our next episode, we're actually going to expand on this kingdom thought. Next episode: "When Jesus Prayed, 'Thy Kingdom Come,' What Did He Mean?" We'll talk to you then.
Final Notes (01:03:01): copyright @2023 Christian Questions. In addition to this transcript, we provide comprehensive CQ Rewind Show Notes for every episode. They include every scripture quoted during the podcast, as well as graphics, illustrations and bonus material. Click the "CQ Rewind Show Notes" button near the audio player or sign up to receive these weekly at ChristianQuestions.com. This transcript was created using artificial intelligence. While we believe it to be accurate, we apologize for any errors that may exist.