Jesus Revolution

"Status quo" is defined as "the existing state of affairs at a particular time."  There is no one more revolutionary than Jesus Christ.  Revolutionaries are only seen as rebels by those who benefit from the status quo.  God had given the Jews His law so man might know the character, nature, and righteous statutes of his Creator.  But man became enamored with the law itself and the feeble attempt to keep it.  The focus became the effort of man, not the glory of God.  Suddenly there were religious experts who were trained to interpret this law and feverishly police and punish anyone who transgressed.  Profiteers saw and seized opportunities for monetary benefits for themselves and the organization, not to mention status and position among leaders of the community.

Jesus came on the scene and said, "You have heard it said...but I say unto you..."  Instead of quoting ancient rabbis or deferring to the status quo position, Jesus turned everything upside down.  Did God make a mistake with the writing of the original law and Jesus had to come to set everything right?  NO!  The law was and is perfect.  But the law did not have the power to save.  A vain attempt at keeping the law delivered to Moses would not atone for sins committed.  Jesus revealed the law was a schoolmaster to lead us to Himself.  The law provided ample proof that no man could ever keep God's standards (even though Jesus did, being God made flesh).  It proved our sinfulness.  The law stops every mouth.  There is none who is good but God.  The law points us to the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross and His resurrection.  It is by placing our faith in Jesus that we can be cleansed of our sin and made righteous, justified by His blood.  God is faithful and just to forgive our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.  We can have peace and reconciliation with God not through self-effort, but by grace through faith in Jesus.

I believe that God desires a revolution in His church today.  I'm not talking about the overthrow of "the system" or a hostile takeover.  It takes more than being fed-up with the status quo to start a revolution.  Spiritual revolution occurs not through the addition of something new, but returning to the fundamentals.  One of the many definitions of "revolution" is "a procedure or course, as if in a circuit, back to a starting point."  I believe we make a big mistake to say the starting point was the church in Acts.  The infant church in Acts didn't have a church to attempt to model itself after and we would be silly to try to do that ourselves.  Our best would only be an attempt at emulation.  The starting point is the person of Jesus Christ, the Head of the Body of Christ which is His church.  We are taught and led by the Holy Spirit, indwelt and baptized with Him.  If we try to simply do what has been done we find ourselves with the Pharisees, trying to follow an external set of standards.

The question is, are you willing to allow God to change the way you think?  Are you satisfied with your personal status quo Christianity?  I have found I must admit I am dissatisfied before I am willing to change.  Case in point, since returning to the trade changes to my personal time with God have been forced upon me.  I am usually on the job site by around 6am.  I set my alarm for 4:50am for a little while.  I came to the realization I was completely dissatisfied by the quality or quantity of prayer, Bible reading, and reflection.  So I set my alarm for 4am and have been pleased with the change.  When you start feeling comfortable, status quo for you is now defined.  Personally, I am sick of the status quo.  The status quo doesn't amount to what it should.  When I am comfortable, laziness and lameness are not far away.  I want to go into undefined territory with my Savior, going to a level I never have before.  Believe me, setting your alarm clock for 4am is not a magic formula for drawing close to God.  We all have our own spiritual race to run and we will always be our primary hindrance.

Today at work I mused over this concept of the Jesus Revolution.  Little fear of God and great fear of man will always prevent spiritual revolution.  Spiritual revolution doesn't put you in charge, but God.  But there have been many men and women compelled by the Holy Spirit who were not afraid to break out of the status quo.  Luther and Calvin are two great examples of men who were in high regard in the Catholic church but saw descrepancies between status quo church teachings and the scriptures.  They chose to stick to the scriptures and were convinced in their own minds through the Holy Spirit.  Are you willing to throw aside the dogma of your religious affiliation, not to become your own man, but to be solely God's man?  You don't need to leave your church or start a new denomination to be a part of the Jesus Revolution.  That would line up more with the Pharisee point of view.  It's not a matter of geography, style, or flavor.  It's the substance of your heart that God looks at.  You can worship in a prison, park, jobsite, or an office just the same.  Are you willing to follow Jesus no matter the cost?  Start a Jesus Revolution right where you are right now.  I'm thinking that's just what we need.