"Jesus said to them, "The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them; and those who exercise authority over them call themselves Benefactors. But you are not to be like that. Instead, the greatest among you should be like the youngest, and the one who rules like the one who serves. For who is greater, the one who is at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one who is at the table? But I am among you as one who serves. You are those who have stood by me in my trials. And I confer on you a kingdom, just as my Father conferred one on me." (Luke 22:24-29)
"As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit-- just as you were called to one hope when you were called-- one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. " (Ephesians 4:1-6)
"The call of Christ is an invitation to become part of an alien "nation", a "peculiar people", forming an alternative culture. It’s not simply a counterculture reacting to, or reforming, the dominant culture. We are forming a new culture, a society in contrast to the dominant one.
"When Jesus said, 'My kingdom is not of this world', he wasn’t saying that his kingdom was apolitical; rather he was saying HOW his kingdom was political; speaking more about essence than location. Jesus' family is to be more than a group of people who share a set of religious beliefs; they are to be a community that embodies a new way of living, the way out of the empire, where slavery, poverty, war and oppression are normal." (Shane Claiborne)
Christ Followers are to be 'in this world, but not like this world'. A different kind of people with a different set of values. (see the Gospel of Matthew, chapters 5-7).
2 comments:
Pastor Jim, It seems there were many things that angered our Lord.
Lust and lack of respect for God are not a gender related issue.
Lust in any form outside of marriage... any form of prostitution, and the general lack of appreciation for what God does for us seems to bring His rath.
Blessings,
Kelly
Ezekiel:
26 You engaged in prostitution with the Egyptians, your lustful neighbors, and provoked me to anger with your increasing promiscuity. 27 So I stretched out my hand against you and reduced your territory; I gave you over to the greed of your enemies, the daughters of the Philistines, who were shocked by your lewd conduct. 28 You engaged in prostitution with the Assyrians too, because you were insatiable; and even after that, you still were not satisfied. 29 Then you increased your promiscuity to include Babylonia, [f] a land of merchants, but even with this you were not satisfied.
30 " 'How weak-willed you are, declares the Sovereign LORD, when you do all these things, acting like a brazen prostitute! 31 When you built your mounds at the head of every street and made your lofty shrines in every public square, you were unlike a prostitute, because you scorned payment.
32 " 'You adulterous wife! You prefer strangers to your own husband! 33 Every prostitute receives a fee, but you give gifts to all your lovers, bribing them to come to you from everywhere for your illicit favors. 34 So in your prostitution you are the opposite of others; no one runs after you for your favors. You are the very opposite, for you give payment and none is given to you.
35 " 'Therefore, you prostitute, hear the word of the LORD! 36 This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Because you poured out your wealth [g] and exposed your nakedness in your promiscuity with your lovers, and because of all your detestable idols, and because you gave them your children's blood, 37 therefore I am going to gather all your lovers, with whom you found pleasure, those you loved as well as those you hated. I will gather them against you from all around and will strip you in front of them, and they will see all your nakedness. 38 I will sentence you to the punishment of women who commit adultery and who shed blood; I will bring upon you the blood vengeance of my wrath and jealous anger. 39 Then I will hand you over to your lovers, and they will tear down your mounds and destroy your lofty shrines. They will strip you of your clothes and take your fine jewelry and leave you naked and bare. 40 They will bring a mob against you, who will stone you and hack you to pieces with their swords. 41 They will burn down your houses and inflict punishment on you in the sight of many women. I will put a stop to your prostitution, and you will no longer pay your lovers. 42 Then my wrath against you will subside and my jealous anger will turn away from you; I will be calm and no longer angry.
43 " 'Because you did not remember the days of your youth but enraged me with all these things, I will surely bring down on your head what you have done, declares the Sovereign LORD. Did you not add lewdness to all your other detestable practices?
Another thought: This DOES referrence the Adulterous *wife* and would seem to be speaking of gender there. (Verse 32)
Is this a metaphor or is gender important in this?
Just curious... Seeing this in a different light.
Blessings!
Kelly
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