Jesus> Religion: Image Bearers

You want to radically change the way you see others? See them as fellow image bearers – broken just like you, but image bearers nonetheless. We love God by loving His people. – Jefferson Bethke

When I read this, something in me shifted, and my eyes were opened to this reality. The reality that the homeless people I walked past on the streets of London – are image bearers of Jesus. The reality that the people fighting through the messiness of mental illness – are image bearers of Jesus Christ. My eyes opened to the fact that regardless of race, color,  culture, sexual orientation, wealth, talents, looks – we are ALL image bearers of Christ. And what that means is, every single person deserves to be treated with love and respect.

We never know who might be the next world changer. We never know what gifts and talents people have inside them that might just be exactly what this world needs. And as Christians, as followers of Christ, we must encourage those gifts. We must value people, and remind them that they have a purpose, and a reason for being.

I also am struck by the thought that it’s time to stop judging the imperfect image bearers of Christ that are on the platform known as being a ‘celebrity.’ Justin Bieber, for example. This may come as a shock to some of you, but he is an image bearer of Christ. And no, he doesn't always get it right, but neither do WE. We just have the option of hiding our sin and our brokenness from the public eye. It’s time to open our eyes to the fact that regardless of a person’s platform and brokenness, we are called to love.

Beloved, you are an image bearer of Jesus Christ. His DNA is all over you. And friend, His fingerprint is all over the people around you too. When you see someone who is a little different than you, thank God for them. Look for ways to encourage them in their image bearing journey. Remember that being broken doesn't lessen your worth or remove your image bearing identity. Your brokenness can be used by God for His glory in ways you never could have imagined. Surrender. 

Jesus > Religion: Storming the gates of hell.

Jesus is implying that the Church will be storming the gates of hell,not running the opposite way. We should be engaging and pushing back the realms of darkness as a powerful offensive force. – Jefferson Bethke

Jeff is referring to Matthew 6:18, which in the Amplified Bible says: And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades (the powers of the infernal region) shall not overpower it (or be strong to its detriment or hold out against it).

I love this version because of what it says right there at the end. That the gates of Hell will not ‘be strong to the Church’s detriment.’ That word detriment means loss, damage, disadvantage, or injury.

Hell will not be strong enough to injure the Church, to cause damage or loss of any sort. So if Scripture says this, why is the Church hiding from injury so much? Why has the Church become peripheral to the world instead of the other way around?

Now, let me clarify. I love the Church – truly. And I want to be part of the solution of returning the Church to its rightful position. But the best way for me to do that, is to write. So here I am, writing, reminding us as Christians, as Christ’s Church, that we don’t need to be afraid of Hell. We don’t need to be afraid of Satan’s power. Because his power ain't got nothin on Jesus, and the Church totally alive in Him.

Church, we are meant to be ‘storming the gates of hell.’ We weren't made to run from the darkness for fear of it overcoming us, we were made to run straight to it. It’s not enough to hide in the four walls of our church building, to surround ourselves with Christian friends and bible studies and church meetings 24/7… It’s not okay to sit back and watch a desperate world sink further into darkness than ever before.

It’s time to rise up. It’s time to build relationship with those who don’t know Jesus. It’s time to start being the example to your co-workers by being a person of integrity, doing the right thing even when no one is watching. It’s time for all you singers, dancers, song writers, rappers, writers, spoken word poets, artists, videographers to claim back creative ground for the Church. The church is meant to be the forefront of creativity, not the sideline copycats.

And Christians, it’s time to start speaking life. That’s the one thing Satan can’t do – he can’t speak life and speak the name of Jesus into a hopeless situation. But you – you can. You can offer to pray for that friend who’s sick. You can remind your family, your siblings that it’s not too late for them, and they are never too far gone for Jesus. You can speak God’s peace even when crisis is surrounding your family, your schools, your friends.

Now is not the time to watch the gates of hell prevail. Now is the time to step up, and claim back ground for Jesus. Now is the time to proclaim that Satan will not prevail to the detriment of the Church. Now is the time to speak up for what’s right and stop ignoring everything that’s wrong. Now is the time to speak and celebrate Truth, and love people regardless of how they sin and what their brokenness is.

The Church, you see, is not peripheral to the world; the world is peripheral to the church. The Church is Christ’s Body, in which He speaks and acts, by which He fills everything with His presence. – Ephesians 1:23

Jesus > Religion: My sin is not my identity

                                        “Their sins are not their identities.” – Jefferson Bethke

In Cheaper by the Dozen 2, a scene is depicted where Tom’s kids do something crazy and get in a fair bit of trouble. As Tom is talking with Jimmy, Jimmy says ‘there’s a reason your kids are screw-ups.’ Without even hesitating, Tom says ‘my kids are not screw ups. They screwed up.’ 

I wonder how often in life we connect our sins with our identities? I know for me, while I was recovering from anxiety, depression and an eating disorder, I had to constantly remind myself that I was not any of those things. I was not then, and I still am not my depression. I am not my eating disorder. I am not my anxiety. I am not my past pornography addiction.

And yet, sometimes I still live like I am.

But friend, here’s the thing: we are not our mistakes. We are not our struggles or temptations. We are not our failures or our successes. We are not our past, our present or our future. We are not our illnesses or diseases, and our addictions do not define us.

We are not our behavior.

So now I have told you everything you are not, please listen as I tell you who you are.

You are God’s Child. You are His Beloved, His friend, His co-worker. You are a member of Christ’s Body, you are His bride. You are faithful. You are kind. You are important. You are loved. You are a citizen of Heaven. You are a Holy Temple that Holy Spirit resides in. You are anointed, and chosen. You are an Image bearer of Christ. You are His Light to a dark world. You are His Hands and His feet. You are blameless and free. You are righteous.

And friend, you are not your mistakes. Move forward, Brave-heart. 

Jesus > Religion: My review of Jefferson Bethke's new book!

Today I have the honor of reviewing Jefferson Bethke's new book Jesus > Religion. For this post, I'll be doing an overall review, but over the next week or so, I'll be posting blogs using specific quotes from the book that challenged and inspired me. This book is definitely a must read for anyone and everyone, and I love that I have the chance to recommend it to all of you :) Jesus > Religion releases on the 7th October 2013, and is available at http://jesusisgreater.tv/ or for all us Aussie's - Koorong also has it available :)

Jesus > Religion is one of those books that just cannot be put down. I picked it up on the first day intending to just read a couple of pages, and yet, 65 pages later, I was still eager to keep reading. What I loved about this book is the way Jefferson writes. He is very humble, and the entire book reflects back to who Jesus is, and all that He has done for us. Simply put, God gets all the glory in this book - it's not about Jeff and his poems and his theological views. And a book where God gets all the glory is a great book to read.

I think it's really important to note as well how easy this book is to read. Jefferson writes clearly and simply, and he includes discussion questions at the end of each chapter - which really helps us think about what we've just read and makes it easy to use in book clubs, small groups, or even just chatting with friends :)

And as a huge C.S. Lewis fan, I just have to say the amount of Lewis' quotes used in Jesus > Religion is awesome! Sometimes C.S. just says things in ways we cant, so it's best to just go ahead and use his words... This book definitely contained the perfect amount of of his words :)

I feel this book is relevant to everyone who has been burned by a church - who has been hurt by church leadership, and mistreated by people in the church. Jeff doesn't have all the answers, none of us do, but he explains the difference between Jesus and Religion very well. See, the thing is - Jesus' heart is never to hurt you. So when church leadership and church members hurt you - that was never from Him, never His intention. It was Christians acting from a point of religion, a point of division and hatred and judgementalism (I don't know if this was a word, but it is now!).
This book will open your eyes to the difference between who Jesus really is, and who the Church sometimes portrays Him to be.

I would also highly recommend this book to anyone who struggles with the questions 'how does a good God allow so much evil in the world?' 'Why do good people suffer from bad things?'
Although there is no one answer to these questions, Jeff does a really great job of portraying what Jesus' heart is according to Scripture. We will never have complete answers this side of Heaven, but we can begin to understand God's sovereignty and heart for humanity. Jefferson's life, as you will see in this book, has been far from easy or perfect, and yet here he is writing this book and helping people understand Grace and Love. He got a revelation of Grace, and God's heart for people, and he conveys that through his words.

Another major thing I loved about this book is that Jefferson is quick to remind us that the heart is what matters. In the case of sin, it's never just about the behavior, but it's about the heart, which is always the root of the sin. This book covers so many topics that are so relevant in our culture, and they all written about from a heart of love, caring, and understanding. There is no condemnation in this book, and it's easy to see that the heart behind what Jeff is saying is not trying to answer every question and know it all - it's simply unpacking Scriptures in a different light and using his own testimony to portray Jesus' heart.

So, friends, go - buy this book! I pray that as you read, God begins to open your eyes and hearts to see that He is not religion, He is not condemning you, He is not what Christians sometimes portray Him to be - but He is so much better. You will see that He is for you, Beloved. He is for your good. He's not out to get you.

Happy reading!