Revolutionary

Christianity used to seem like a box to me. Until I found freedom in Christ. Christianity is no longer a religion to me but a revolution. Revolution is a beautifully epic word. Almost as great as redemption. Or maybe they run together. Anyhow. As I read books like "The Irresistible Revolution" by Shane Claiborne, I got these ideas of Christianity as completely counter-cultural, hippie-ish, way out there cool. But I've made the realization that maybe Christianity is less about creating utopia than quietly shaking up the ordinary. Let me explain.

Jesus makes some revolutionary claims. Going around telling people you are the Son of God is no small thing. Healing chronically sick people. Raising them from the dead. Pretty crazy stuff. Teaching things like, "love your enemy" and "whoever would save his life will lose it," and calling the religious leaders of the day whitewashed tombstones and such. Whoa.

So you might be tempted to think following Jesus requires extreme living...which it does and doesn't all at the same time. It is not necessarily selling everything you own and moving to a remote island, though it is being willing to obey if you are so asked to by God. It also means being willing to obey if God asks to take those little pet sins we like to carry around, the insecurities, the places we look for approval, the ways we try to maintain control of life independent of Him. Following Jesus is not just leaving behind all of our old ways of doing but being as well.

What it means to follow Jesus is to live in His light. To be a temple. A place set apart to be filled with God and His overwhelming love. What does this mean? It means Christ-followers gain fullness of life within. It means they are freed from attachment to this world and its promises of success, approval, wealth, etc etc...freed to live for God and for others.

As my friend Steve Rieske says, and my friend Katie Barnett blogged recently, "The good life begins the day it's not about you." That's pretty counter-cultural. Pretty revolutionary.

A Christ-follower can love freely because the unconditional love of God dwells within him. He can give freely because his true treasure is knowing God. He can live fearlessly through trying times because God's perfect love drives out fear. He be joyful in pain because the joy of the Lord is his strength. A Christ-follower is called to revolutionary living that defies the norms, that causes people to question how he keeps remains at peace through life's storms.

If I could, I would move to India and raid brothels...but the reality is I am currently called to be love and light in the cornfields of Northwest Ohio. Still, I believe that through going to class, hanging out, studying, rehearsing, performing, working out, whatever...that my life can be revolutionary. That you and I can live the ordinary life extraordinarily by the life that is in Jesus. Yup.