Elemental Season 1 - Day 31

When the disciples began to follow Jesus, they seemed to experience a life that was not exactly what they were looking for. In fact, in Matthew 8 Jesus talks about how difficult following will be. They should not expect even shelter or food. This is the cost of discipleship, and it is pretty steep. 

Perhaps part of the problem with our confusion about what a life of faith will entail is that we have bought into the idea that Christianity is not counter-culture, but rather pro-the prevailing culture. Being in a majority Christian country has perhaps done this to us. It has made us a bit presumptuous about what a life of faith might look like. Add to this the idea of a “prosperity” gospel and then you have the makings of a worldview that includes Christianity as a means to an end, not as a means to a real life in Christ. 

It sometimes feels that we should be assuming that everyone thinks and understands God like we do. I know this is not true in countries other than the United States of America, but here, it sometimes feels as if we should be simply accepting that being a Christian is part of the prevalent culture. 

However, Christianity has always been counter-culture. It has always been deeply enmeshed in the breaking down of power structures and the prophetic calling of people to justice, mercy, compassion, healing, and declaring that God is for you and not against you. Because of this, the Gospel is constantly deconstructing the prevalent culture and recommiting itself to love again and again. 

But what does this mean for you and for me? 

It means that if we are comfortable with where the gospel puts us in society, then we are probably not really paying attention to what it means to follow Jesus. If we are agreeing with everything we are hearing from our leaders and other groups that usually have self-interest as the highest moral value, we should be nervous that we have lost what Jesus was really trying to do while he was here on earth and beyond. 

This may be why some people are so disappointed by what the church has become. How are we to continually focus on the poor and disenfranchised when we go to a church that never mentions them. How can we belong to a church that doesn’t allow for the inclusiveness of the gospel to certain groups of people? 

This life that we have been called to is certainly not what we thought it should be, but maybe it is actually better than we could have imagined. Full of grace, and love, and compassion and mercy and most of it is full of HOPE!

1. What did you think the life of a Christian would be? 
2. Have you ever been disappointed? 
3. What can you do regain that radical nature of the gospel in your life?