My name's Paul.
I'm committed to living out the teachings of Jesus.
I believe God's called me to be a leader - and I'm doing my best to live radically different than the world around me. This is the best way I know of sharing the news that I've received - that God has forgiven us and is on a mission to restore all of humanity.
People have been talking about God's redemption for ages, and no one has put on the kind of display of God's affection for the world as did Jesus. He was born into the lineage of the infamous King David, he was given the title "Son of God" after people started realizing that the movement he started didn't die along with him, but gained momentum by the hour. His spirit seemed to invade the hearts and lives of those (including myself) who witnessed his teachings - even those who merely caught word of the stories surrounding him. He earned the kingship alright.
Because of the way that Jesus taught us, we've inherited the ability to share the same grace and leadership that he showed us - to everyone who doesn't consider themselves a Jew (or religious, for that matter).
To be a leader and be gracious is an oxymoron in the world we live in. You don't have to think long before some story comes to mind of how power from the throne has been used to lord over and control the masses.
So, I'm writing to everyone who can hear or read this letter, because you are all loved and considered children by the one true God. I want to share the grace and peace that I've received with you.
First, please know that I thank God for you all the time. There are stories of your faith floating around the whole Roman Empire and beyond. God knows how much I pray for you all, and I serve him by carrying on the message that Jesus was so good at spreading. I want to get out to see you really bad, but I haven't been able to catch the break I need to do that. But know, you're on my mind all the time.
I can't wait to sift through all the unique talents we all have, and find out what we can learn from each other. It's such a good way to strengthen each others' faith.
I'm obligated to share the grace I've received with everyone, not just Jews. Since our God doesn't show favoritism, I'm gonna do my best to not show it either. My job's to preach to whomever will listen. That's about it.
Even though I'm a deeply devoted Jew whose steeped in the tradition, I'm not ashamed of the message that Jesus left us with. Why? Because it's the most inclusive message we've ever heard!
There's no work to do. Just open your eyes to what's already present.
Regardless of what faith tradition you come from, believe that God has redeemed you and has set you on a path of restoration, and you're eyes will be opened to how good God is.
But . . .
When humans come up with this idea that God is some divine loan shark waiting for his cut, the shit hits the fan. Wrath happens. Ungodliness happens. Unrighteousness happens.
Yet, everything we "know" about God is right there inside us. It's that still, small voice. We all have it.
Since the beginning of time, humans have witnessed changing tides without being able to see the force behind the change. We've witnessed the most powerful storms without getting to see the meteorological phenomena that created them. We've watched the starlit skies when the overwhelming sense of something bigger than us was penetrating our very souls. We've come to know God as the unseen force that creates what we see, so we have no excuse to not at least acknowledge that there is a power behind the created world that ignites it into existence.
With all that said, we all know how strong of a pull the empire has on us. It demands our thanks, our honor, and tries to snuff our our search for truth. Our hearts become cold and we become puppets.
Our purposes in life get turned upside down as we become convinced that maybe, just maybe, the king has our best interests in mind. We in turn exchange the evolving beauty of an incorruptible God with a stagnant, heartless rock of a corruptible man. The security we once found in God gets replaced with the security of Caesar - horses, chariots, arrows and swords.
Like any introspective human, God can't make us do anything. So, he watches as we unravel - connived into following the corruption of the bogus world system. We barter the truth of God for the lie of Caesar, and pretty soon we're falling in line with every other puppet bowing to the king.
The same passions that once made us thrive turn on us. We start questioning reality and enter into the dark, dark world of status quo empire worship. We start going after the pleasures that the empire feeds us, and we become more and more enthralled by the baffling power of it all.
And our desires to gain more and more power were in direct proportion to our acknowledgment of God. And this God loved us enough to let us do what we wanted, unlike the Roman Caesar. If we wanted unrighteousness, we got it. Wickedness, we got it. Not to mention . . .
envy, murder, strife, greed, deceit, anger, and pure evil. It was exactly what the god of Rome invited us into.
And it got so bad that we started hating the God we once believed in. We started inventing new forms of power struggle and domination. Our frames of thought revolved around how we could get more powerful than the next person, and our acknowledgment of God quickly faded into a distant mist.
And unfortunately, this is where we find ourselves at this moment: looking at the world through the eyes of the empire.
Is there a way out?
Yes. I am wholeheartedly convinced. There is a way out.
I'm committed to living out the teachings of Jesus.
I believe God's called me to be a leader - and I'm doing my best to live radically different than the world around me. This is the best way I know of sharing the news that I've received - that God has forgiven us and is on a mission to restore all of humanity.
People have been talking about God's redemption for ages, and no one has put on the kind of display of God's affection for the world as did Jesus. He was born into the lineage of the infamous King David, he was given the title "Son of God" after people started realizing that the movement he started didn't die along with him, but gained momentum by the hour. His spirit seemed to invade the hearts and lives of those (including myself) who witnessed his teachings - even those who merely caught word of the stories surrounding him. He earned the kingship alright.
Because of the way that Jesus taught us, we've inherited the ability to share the same grace and leadership that he showed us - to everyone who doesn't consider themselves a Jew (or religious, for that matter).
To be a leader and be gracious is an oxymoron in the world we live in. You don't have to think long before some story comes to mind of how power from the throne has been used to lord over and control the masses.
So, I'm writing to everyone who can hear or read this letter, because you are all loved and considered children by the one true God. I want to share the grace and peace that I've received with you.
First, please know that I thank God for you all the time. There are stories of your faith floating around the whole Roman Empire and beyond. God knows how much I pray for you all, and I serve him by carrying on the message that Jesus was so good at spreading. I want to get out to see you really bad, but I haven't been able to catch the break I need to do that. But know, you're on my mind all the time.
I can't wait to sift through all the unique talents we all have, and find out what we can learn from each other. It's such a good way to strengthen each others' faith.
I'm obligated to share the grace I've received with everyone, not just Jews. Since our God doesn't show favoritism, I'm gonna do my best to not show it either. My job's to preach to whomever will listen. That's about it.
Even though I'm a deeply devoted Jew whose steeped in the tradition, I'm not ashamed of the message that Jesus left us with. Why? Because it's the most inclusive message we've ever heard!
There's no work to do. Just open your eyes to what's already present.
Regardless of what faith tradition you come from, believe that God has redeemed you and has set you on a path of restoration, and you're eyes will be opened to how good God is.
But . . .
When humans come up with this idea that God is some divine loan shark waiting for his cut, the shit hits the fan. Wrath happens. Ungodliness happens. Unrighteousness happens.
Yet, everything we "know" about God is right there inside us. It's that still, small voice. We all have it.
Since the beginning of time, humans have witnessed changing tides without being able to see the force behind the change. We've witnessed the most powerful storms without getting to see the meteorological phenomena that created them. We've watched the starlit skies when the overwhelming sense of something bigger than us was penetrating our very souls. We've come to know God as the unseen force that creates what we see, so we have no excuse to not at least acknowledge that there is a power behind the created world that ignites it into existence.
With all that said, we all know how strong of a pull the empire has on us. It demands our thanks, our honor, and tries to snuff our our search for truth. Our hearts become cold and we become puppets.
Our purposes in life get turned upside down as we become convinced that maybe, just maybe, the king has our best interests in mind. We in turn exchange the evolving beauty of an incorruptible God with a stagnant, heartless rock of a corruptible man. The security we once found in God gets replaced with the security of Caesar - horses, chariots, arrows and swords.
Like any introspective human, God can't make us do anything. So, he watches as we unravel - connived into following the corruption of the bogus world system. We barter the truth of God for the lie of Caesar, and pretty soon we're falling in line with every other puppet bowing to the king.
The same passions that once made us thrive turn on us. We start questioning reality and enter into the dark, dark world of status quo empire worship. We start going after the pleasures that the empire feeds us, and we become more and more enthralled by the baffling power of it all.
And our desires to gain more and more power were in direct proportion to our acknowledgment of God. And this God loved us enough to let us do what we wanted, unlike the Roman Caesar. If we wanted unrighteousness, we got it. Wickedness, we got it. Not to mention . . .
envy, murder, strife, greed, deceit, anger, and pure evil. It was exactly what the god of Rome invited us into.
And it got so bad that we started hating the God we once believed in. We started inventing new forms of power struggle and domination. Our frames of thought revolved around how we could get more powerful than the next person, and our acknowledgment of God quickly faded into a distant mist.
And unfortunately, this is where we find ourselves at this moment: looking at the world through the eyes of the empire.
Is there a way out?
Yes. I am wholeheartedly convinced. There is a way out.
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