John sounds like an odd character. I doubt he would have been hired by most churches today. He dressed and ate in an odd manner; surely he stood out among his peers. His ministry is described as one calling out in the desert. It sounds lonely and very unproductive. He did not cry out in the marketplace or busy intersections but rather in the desert. Yet his ministry was used by God and people somehow heard him. His efforts were all directed at preparing people for Jesus. One message was all he had.
And so starts the good news about Jesus. It begins with an odd man, repeating the same message over and over in the desert. Yet somehow, God used him to prepare a society for what was to come.
It makes me ask myself about my life and ministry? Am I comfortable being counter-cultural? Am I content if I am not used in the busy places of life but am placed by God in more desert settings? Am I satisfied with spending my life pointing people to Jesus rather than to self? Am I able to accept John as normative for those who seek God? Could I have accepted the call that God gave to John? Or am I just another cultural Christian who wants what every UnChristian wants, i.e., human acceptance rather than God acceptance?
2 comments:
I have been reading your blog for an hour or so backwards from the post on November 21. I am fascinated by your insight and by your ablility to make such good, solid points consistently post after post with easy to read short stories with great examples.
I am a writer from New Orleans, and I happened to stumble upon your blog while searching for situations that began with the letter x. I am doing a bit of research. One of your posts mentioned "x situation."
Anyway, I had to comment because for years now I have been questioning why so many people so easily put everything in the hands of God, Jesus, or anyone else. If I do this, God will do this. If I do x, God will be angry. Why are we not angry at ourselves? If I do z, God will reward me. Why not just work hard, help others, and reap the rewards you sow along the way. Stumble, make mistakes, learn from them, help others when they make the same mistakes.
Whatever. What world do I think I am living in?
I very much enjoyed reading your blog. I hope you continue to write.
Religion must exist in a world with competition. It is the primary outlet for the voiceless, the lazy, and the uninformed. The leaders of the world side with or utilize religion to maintain their status, and the rest of us use it to explian all that we do not understand or do not want to make the effort to understand. Religion was created by men a long time ago and is now outdated by quantum physics, organic chemistry, resourced-based economics, technology, intelligence and understanding. Is it not time to get everyone on the same page and out of the dark. Lets get people clean air and water, shelter, medical attention, food, etc. People need resources and creative opportunities, not religion.
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