Those of us who have an abundance of money, time, and/or stuff need
to be on the lookout for our friends who are struggling. It's way too
easy to get around in this world and to make it about us, tunnel
visioned all the way through. But if we can manage to catch the glimpse
of this life I've been talking about, our concerns will start
drastically shifting from ourselves to our neighbors. Something Jesus
showed us when he was around was that the most important part of Jewish
law was how we cared for our neighbors. All the rest is meaningless if
we're not taking this part seriously.
All the oral traditions that have been handed down through the generations, and carefully scribed for our benefit, are there so that we have a sort of guidebook to help us keep our heads up through the hard times, and to give us the ability to see a light at the end of the tunnel. And many of us have had the experience of praying to this God through our struggles, and finding an extra bolt of hope and peace during the journey. My prayer is that God starts waking us up to the reality of how important it is to be united. There is so much power in a group of people rallying around the things that this God is concerned about, and I want this to happen really bad with you guys.
We need to start accepting each other, faults and all, just as Jesus showed us. He really rocked the religious boat when he started accepting non-Jews into his inner circle, and he told us that God was like that - accepting all of us regardless of where we stand on the religious spectrum. But this wasn't a breakthrough concept for anyone who was familiar with Jewish law, because our ancestors spoke of a day when Jew and non-Jew would come together and unite under this God.
And I feel like we're at the turning point of seeing that happen right before our eyes. I hope you can find peace and joy as you come to believe in the hope of human unity under this God.
Y'all are great people. You're smart, you're full of knowledge, and you encourage each other pretty well. But, I need to talk to you about your relationship to the people outside of the Jewish club.
This God isn't just for you, so don't think that you've got a monopoly on this deal. You have a job to do, and it's this: get out of the synagogue and start helping your non-Jewish neighbors. This God loves them just as much as you, so don't think that this new design for living is a Jewish thing. It's not. Jesus clearly showed us that this God doesn't need any religion, but cares way more about how we treat each other.
I felt like the still, small voice inside of me was directing me to start writing letters to the non-Jews, just as I'm writing this letter to you, and I'm so glad I listened. I want you to do the same. Take every opportunity you get to love on your non-Jewish and non-religious neighbors.
I believe this God has done some amazing things through me, things I would have turned my nose away from just a few years ago. And one of those things has been opening my heart and mind to non-Jews, or, Gentiles if you prefer. The relationships that have come from it have been unbelievable. But, you know what? I could just as easily been only concerned about the people who think like I do. I could have easily started my own little club, made it nice and secure, and put a sign up that said "Outsiders not Welcome." But, thanks to this God, my mind was opened just enough to start seeing that I wasn't some kind of exclusive club member. I'm no different than my non-Jewish neighbors, and that's what I want y'all to see.
This is why I haven't had a chance to come see you yet. But, I hope to soon. Right now, I'm traveling to Jerusalem to build some more relationships with the Gentiles, and I can't wait! I hear they're struggling really hard there to make ends meet, so I'm gonna see if some of the Jews in that region can't practice this new way of living by providing financial assistance to their Gentile neighbors. We'll see what happens. I got the folks in Macedonia and Achaia to donate a good chunk of money for the poor in Jerusalem, and it was amazing! I think it opened their eyes a bit more to the realization that it just doesn't matter where you stand on the religious spectrum anymore. There was a good lesson learned there as well: Helping out the Gentiles was a much more rewarding experience than what the Jews were used to. Up until that point, it was all about teaching. But, I think they realized through their contributions to the Gentiles and hearing their stories out of Jerusalem that "true religion" consists of serving those in need.
We've gotta quit looking at people through religious lenses, and start looking at them through the lens of self-denial. "What can I do to best serve you?" should be the question that's running through our heads day in and day out.
Please know that I plan on visiting you when I travel through Spain. It's on my list of things to do, so I'm hoping to make it out.
And please pray that when I enter Judea, I won't be hated too much. They have a hard time with reformed Jews there, so I hope that God can bless them through me. Also, pray that we can serve our friends in Jerusalem well - that we'll be able to bless them and encourage them through their hard times. And lastly, pray that I make it to you, and that I'm full of joy when I get there so I can be an encouragement to you guys.
Grace and Peace.
Paul
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