A Curious Collection of the Musings of One Jeremy Wise

Is it possible to be a Christian but not a disciple of Jesus? I’ve actually been working through several different topics over the past couple months, and that’s one that’s come back to mind off and on.

As I look more into Scripture, especially the New Testament and Jesus’ teachings, it becomes increasingly evident that we’ve created a dichotomy between Christians (average Joe Christians) and Disciples (those who totally sell out for Jesus’ sake) that should never have been made. The examples I’ve found are things like…

Revelation 3:16: The lukewarm people seem to be condemned because their “deeds” were neither hot nor cold… they thought themselves rich in the world (sounds like America in 2005), but in fact they were wretched, pitiful, poor, blind, and naked. Christ calls them to repent and be rebuked and disciplined.

Matthew 7:20-23: It seems that here are where most “Christians” find themselves. They pay lipservice to God, and hope to find hell-insurance when they die, and often are even involved in “Christianly” things (going to church, tithing, praying before meals, etc.), but Christ has no knowledge of them.

Luke 9:57-62: No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the Kingdom of God. Jesus takes two situations which we today would write off with a, “Sure.. go ahead.. hurry back!” and seems to say instead, “Sure, go ahead.. but if you do, you have no business following me.” This seems a rather difficult teaching, unless we truly believe that Jesus is the only way to life, in which case we ought to say, like Peter, “To whom else shall we go?”

Luke 14:25-34: The cost of following Jesus is everything. Anyone who isn’t willing to forfeit his mother and father and wife and children for the sake of following Jesus is not fit to be his disciple.

All of these passages seem to make reference to “being a disciple”, not to “being a Christian”. But that’s all Jesus ever calls people to do — follow Him. In fact, I don’t see how a person who ISN’T a “disciple” can make others into disciples (Mt. 28).

“Look, it’s Jesus! Go follow Him because He’s the only way to find life!”
“Why aren’t you following Him then?”
“Well, because I like my earthly things for now.. but when I die, THEN I’ll be with Him!”
“Oh, ok… then I shall also enjoy my earthly pleasures and follow Him when His way appeals more than mine.”

I think it’s a deadly poison within the Church that we allow for “faith” without obedience. We allow for people to be “saved” but never committed. And if ever we question one’s commitment, we never find repentance and renewed fellowship, but only accusations of judgment, as one might expect from a criminal who’s about to be revealed.

Hello.

Oh.. well hello. Mike. Glad to meet you. *hand shake*

Greetings, Mike. My name is Jesus.

Jesus? Ah, Jesus! I know you! From the Bible, right?

Yes, that’s me. Would you like to follow after me for a while?

Well, I’d love to, Jesus… But, see, 24 is on tonight, and if I miss even one episode, the show just won’t make any sense! But don’t worry, I’m DEFINITELY one of your believers!

“Believers?” I’m not familiar with that phrase…

You know.. Your followers.. A Christian!

Strange.. I would have guessed that my followers were those who… follow me.

Well, yeah, if you take everything literally! But I know the Bible pretty well. You have to to be a believer, ya know? *nervous laugh* And it’s by grace through FAITH that I’m saved, not of works. And I KNOW I have faith, Jesus. I mean, you should know that too, right?

If you believe my Word, then why do you not follow me?

I told you, I’d love to.. but…

*interrupting* but your TV show is a must-see. I know.

Great. I’m glad you understand. I’ll talk to you later, ya know. When I pray for dinner!

Actually, I don’t know that I DO understand. Do you love me?

What kind of a silly question is that??! Of course I love you! All Christians love you!

Then follow me!

We’ve been through this twice now, Jesus.

You love your TV show more than me. Is that not true?

Of course it’s not true!

Actions speak louder than words, Mike.

*a bit frustrated* Jesus, of course I love you more than ANYTHING. I’d DIE for you!

You would? But you won’t follow me? I think you’re deceiving yourself. Come, follow me, and I will show you my Kingdom.

Oh, I know your Kingdom. It’s Heaven! I’m already assured a spot there myself! But that time comes later… after I die. I’ll see you there, okay?

Mike, do you not know that I am the Way? No man will enter my Kingdom unless he follows me there.

Jesus, we’ve been through this already, too! I DO believe in you. I have faith. That’s all I need to get into Heaven.

You say you’re familiar with the Bible?

Of course.

Well, remember what my brother James said? That faith without works is dead?

Yeah.. That means that because I’m a Christian, I should go to church and try to be happy about it.

Not at all. It means that if your faith doesn’t lead you to die daily, pick up your cross, and follow me, then your faith is not really faith at all.

Proposterous! I have faith, Jesus! I know I do, because I asked you into my heart years ago!

Asked me into your heart? What on earth does that mean?

It means I gave over my will and decided to do what you want me to do!

First, I never told ANYONE to “ask me into his heart”. Secondly, you demand that you won’t follow me, but now tell me that years ago decided to do whatever I want you to do? Mike, you’re not making any sense.

Okay, Jesus, so I’m not perfect.

No, you’re certainly not. But follow me, and I will make you new; I will teach you how to live unto righteousness. I will forgive your sins and make you clean.

You did that already, Jesus! *nervous laugh*

Obviously not. You say you love me, but you will not follow. You say you believe, but you will not obey. Yet you expect that your sins are forgiven.

Of course they are. John said “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

I’m aware of what John said. He spoke truthfully of me. Surely I will forgive those who confess their sins. But it is in following me that you realize the latter part — Truly I will remove all sin from you, and train you in righteousness.

I dunno… It sounds like works to me! I know the Gospel — that Heaven is available to everyone who believes.

You think you believe, but you deceive yourself. If you believe, then forget about your TV show and come follow me! I will give you life everlasting.

I already HAVE eternal life!

Apart from me you are dead, Mike.

*Mike staring off into space*

Mike?

Yeah, sorry… See that guy over there?

Dave?

Yes, Dave. He is SUCH a jerk!

Mike! What did I tell you about calling your neighbor a “jerk”? Do you know I made Dave in my image? I have great plans for him!

He cut me off on my way to work.. I was SO mad, Jesus! Heh, I guess a few words slipped on that day…

I’ll say they did. But remember that out of a man’s heart come his words.

Yeah.. anyway, he’s always such a jer– I mean, so mean to me!

Mike, you’ve never even met him! Why don’t you forgive him for cutting you off? That was over three years ago.

I can’t forgive him, Jesus! I’ve tried; I just can’t…

Do you not know what I said of those who won’t forgive? Truly, I tell you, if you do not forgive Dave, and anyone else, then my Father will by no means forgive you.

Oh, come on, Lord!

Why do you call me Lord? You refuse to follow me. You refuse to do as I say. You say you believe, but your heart is far from me.

*getting angry now* Jesus, maybe those silly legalists got to you. I KNOW I have faith! I KNOW I’m going to Heaven someday. You’re way too caught up in works and proving my faith. I’ll show you someday. I’m going to go watch 24 now. I hope you get back to the Jesus I know — love and hope and GOOD NEWS. Have a good night.

As I have been, so am I now, and so I will always be. Truly I tell you, turn from your wicked ways, forgive those who sin against you, let go of this world, come follow me, and I will certainly give you eternal life. I love you, Mike.

G’night.

I’ve pulled this gem from deep in the belly of my email folders. I wrote it several years ago, so it’s not my best work, but I think the message is a great reminder for all of us!

——————————————

Joe was one afternoon rummaging through old boxes in his attic, when he stumbled upon a box filled with an assortment of toys from his teenage years. He rifled through a tackle box, a few worn baseball cards, until he picked up an old beat up radio. Joe had spent years as a teen listening to baseball games and Sunday night family comedies on the old transistor set. With a small chuckle, Joe pulled up the cord and walked over to plug it in. To his disappointment, he wasn’t even able to get static out of the dusty old box.

Joe’s eleven-year-old son, Derek, had only months earlier begun tinkering around with electronic sets. Remembering the fun he had had as a boy building little electronic kits, Joe had an idea. He knew that Derek wouldn’t be able to fix the radio, but at the same time, Joe hoped that Derek might want to work on it with him. Eager to spend a little time with his son, Joe headed downstairs.

“Derek, come here! I’ve got something for you to look at!” Footsteps came pounding around the corner.

“Yeah, Dad?” he prompted inquisitively. His eyes lit up when he saw the radio sitting on the kitchen table.

“I found that in the attic. It doesn’t work right now, but I thought it would be fun to take a stab at fixing it up. Then you could use it to listen to baseball games, just like I did when I was your age.” There was a bit of humor in the latter statement, as Joe knew Derek wasn’t as big a fan of baseball as he had been.

“Awesome, Dad! Sweet!” Derek scooped up the radio and ran back to his room to take a look at his new treasure. Joe grabbed the newspaper and sank into his chair, hoping it would be only a matter of time before Derek reappeared looking for help with the radio.

Sure enough, after about ten minutes, Derek reappeared with two halves of the radio. “I don’t know, Dad. I can’t figure out what’s wrong. Is there any way you could help me out for a bit?” Joe tried to hide his boyish enthusiasm, but was unable to completely hold in a grin.

“Sure, Derek. I’d love to. Let’s go out to the kitchen and have a look.”

As Joe poked and prodded, cleaned and scraped, screwed and unscrewed, Derek looked on with a permanent smile, pointing at one part after another — sometimes asking, “What’s that?” and other times telling his dad what to do and which screw to try next and what part to clean and where to put that part back to (as if Joe didn’t already know).

After an hour or so, Joe had finished putting the radio back together. He handed the plug to Derek. “Here ya go. Plug it in and let’s see what we’ve done!” Derek plugged it into the wall, and sure enough, static hissed out of the speaker. Joe tuned it to one of his old time favorite stations, and to his amazement, found a baseball game. Joe and Derek sat and listened to the last six innings. Both of them were a little better off from the time spent that afternoon.

Like the broken radio, we all too often discover problems “thrown” into our lives. Some of us get discouraged: “Why doesn’t this stupid radio just work?!” Other times, we take the radio, run off to our rooms, and try to fix it ourselves — despite the fact that we’re completely unable to put things back together again. For his faithful children, perhaps God hands us problems, knowing we’re unable to fix them, simply hoping for some time to spend with us. Like Joe’s excitement about helping Derek fix an old radio, which was to Joe a rather trivial task, I’m sure that our Father takes sheer delight in fixing the world around us, bandaging a wound, meeting a need, building the Kingdom, but with us. Not that he needs our help, any more than Joe needed Derek’s help to fix the radio, but because he longs for those precious moments when he can work with us. He wants to hear the “What’s that?”s and the “What does that do?”s of his inquisitive child. He wants to see our face light up when we get through the problem and see a bit of Creation restored. He wants to teach us what he can do and what he has done. Yes, Joe could have just as easily fixed the radio on his own — perhaps even without the distraction of so many questions. But as any good father knows, there is so much more to be enjoyed. That radio will eventually die again. But the time spent and the lessons learned from a simple afternoon of father/son time will live eternally. Likewise, our problems will come and go. But the lessons our Father has to teach us, and the time we spend watching him work is invaluable — both to us and to him. His creation beckons us; we have the same invitation Adam had in the garden: “Come, see my work. Look at what I have made for you. Together, let’s clean this world up so that you and I can live together in ecstatic intimacy forever and ever. I love you so much.”

“Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For everything in the world — the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does — comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever.” — 1 John 2:15-17

At first glance, this seems an impossible command. Loving the world, if we are honest, comes very naturally. Especially in a materialistic society! But John realized something when he wrote this — that the world and its ways and its things are not lovely to begin with. The love of the Father drives us to love one another, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for the church (Eph. 5:25). The love of the world drives us to want more, more, more… The fastest, coolest car, the highest paying, most prestigious job, the most powerful computer… all the while disregarding what it may cost us in the long run.

I challenge you to ask the Lord to change your mindset. Ask that you may see the world and its ways as unlovely, that your desires for materials (which rust and rot before our eyes) will be replaced with desires for the hearts and souls of men. Ask that instead of craving the latest and greatest this world has to offer, you might crave pure spiritual milk (1 Pet. 2:2), and then as you grow, desire the true meat (Heb. 5:14) which is for those who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil. So again, do not love the unlovely world and the unlovely things in the world. The world and its things and its desires will all pass away, so do the will of God that you may live forever!

“How tragic that we in this dark day have had our seeking done for us by our teachers. Everything is made to center upon the initial act of ‘accepting’ Christ (a term, incidentally, which is not found in the Bible) and we are not expected thereafter to crave any further revelation of God to our souls. We have been snared in the coils of a spurious logic which insists that if we have found Him we need no more to seek Him…Complacency is a deadly foe of all spiritual growth. Acute desire must be present or there will be no manifestation of Christ to His people. He waits to be wanted. Too bad that with many of us He waits so long, so very long, in vain.”

A.W. Tozer “Pursuit of God” pp16-17

I’m borrowing this shamelessly from Chuck Swindoll’s teaching, but I found it quite interesting. In speaking of Job’s heart after being questioned by God, Swindoll gave traits of a truly repentant and contrite heart.

A contrite heart:

- holds no grudges
- makes no demands
- has no expectations
- offers no conditions
- simply acknowledges the wrongness of what’s been done

Rarely, anymore, are we willing to admit we’re wrong with no excuses, no blame-passing… Our pride always hopes that we can get out of trouble without looking as dirty as we really are. Hope comes, however, when we confess in humility, prepare for punishment, and God instead raises us, overjoyed that we have acknowledged what he’s already known for so long.

I’m often struck by two types of people in this world: those who exhibit a great deal of compassion and those who don’t. Most of us sit somewhere in the middle — we have our good days and we have our bad days. Often times we are compassionate when we manage to get some benefit out of the situation, such as impressing a friend or coworker.

Looking back to the life of Christ, however, I’m amazed how frequent, even constant, his compassion was. It was as if he was out looking for those to whom he could show his love and compassion. Ironically, he never had to go very far. He was always surrounded by people humble enough to admit they were in need of something — grace.

Today, we’re so wrapped up in everything that is going on in our own lives that we seldom even notice the hurting, needful people around us. Much less do we go out looking for someone whose needs we are able to meet. And then we rationalize our actions by telling ourselves, “I need this more than the next guy!” We surround ourselves with money, with possessions, with shallow friendships, thinking that in these things we will be secured from the calamity that has beset those very people Jesus went out looking for. Even worse, we learn from the day we’re born that we’ve come to planet Earth with our “certain unalienable rights”, such as the right to be a dictator over all the roadway we can see, the right to a $5 coffee every morning, the right to all the money we can possibly lay hold of (whether by legal means or not), the right to download songs we don’t own, and the list goes on and on.

And here, I believe, we begin to see the problem. Defending our “rights” means we care more about ourselves than we do about those around us. We would rather go 65 mph and cut Grandma off by blowing a red light than wait 30 seconds and restore Grandma’s hope in a courteous America. We would rather murder millions of innocent babies than to be bothered by the embarassment of admitting we’ve blown our sexual purity and the huge cost of caring for that new baby.

How does this tie into compassion? Simple. Compassion is the willingness to surrender our own “rights” and desires simply for the sake of someone else’s. We forgive wrongdoing so that someone else will be freed from guilt and judgment. We give up our coffee in the morning so someone else might get a good breakfast. We surrender our TV-watching time so that we can invest that time into the lives of those around us. And in this way, the Kingdom of God will be built, one stone at a time. And, as salt preserves meat, we, the salt of the earth, will preserve the dead and decaying world in which we live. That’s why compassion makes the world go ’round.

“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves.” (Phil 2:3)

As life becomes more and more interesting, I figure this will provide a sufficient place for me to document and share some of my interesting thoughts. Not that I think the world, by and large, will care what thoughts pass through my head, but I’m sure one or two may find humor here or a spark will ignite someone to delve far deeper into something never before considered.

What, then, you may ask, will you read here? No one really knows… yet. Perhaps you’ll find some deep theological or philosophical discussions as I chase after the Lord. Perhaps you’ll come across a new trick you can use as a computer programmer. Maybe you’ll just find insight and quick notes on life as it comes to me.

And come to me it will! I’ve been a college graduate now for a little over a week. I’m two months away from becoming a married man. I have a great job where I get to meet all sorts of interesting people and learn all sorts of interesting things about other jobs. Yes, life is grand. Read all about it here… or don’t.

:)