GOOD NEWS!

Saul was driving a fervent and murderous rampage. He was rooting out followers of this "Jesus," the blasphemer who'd claimed to be the "Son of God" and Israel's "Anointed One." The one who'd been crucified between two criminals atop Calvary for such outlandish profanity. Now, disciples everywhere were spreading the preposterous lie, "He is risen!" It had to be quelched!

Stephen had a target on his back and it caught up to him. In Acts 8:1a we read, "Saul was there consenting to his murder." Like Caesar signaling a gladiator's life or death, Saul gave the stone-wielding hoard the nod. Stephen, a man guilty of preaching the Good News of Jesus, the Risen King, was then stoned. To death. Publically.

The result? As one might imagine, followers of Risen King Jesus scattered everywhere like a bag of marbles spilled onto a tile floor. It wasn't enough for Saul and his band of stoners to drive followers of "The Way" out of Jerusalem and the surrounding areas. No. Saul wouldn't stop until every last one of the Jesus-following vermin were murdered into compliance.

Saul went to Israel's high priest to obtain the necessary legal docs. No lines. No, "Please fill out form 27J and have it notarized." Jesus' crucified body had disappeared. The religious leaders were made out to be buffoons. Saul's request was filled in short-order and he was on the road in no time.

By modern roads, it's about 150 miles from Jerusalem to Damascus. With no planes, trains, or automobiles, it likely would have taken Saul and his posse at least a week. Toward the end of the trip we read in Acts 9, "...suddenly a light shone around him from heaven. Then he fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to him, 'Saul! Saul! Why are you persecuting Me?'"

Saul's reply was the same for anyone suddenly struck with debilitating beams of light from heaven on their murderous quest, "Who are you, Lord?" Saul, the uber-religious murderous zealot, the one with every button, badge, and award imaginable on his nifty "religious accolades" vest, the one blazing new and bloody trails and setting new standards of legalism asked, "Who are you, Kurie?"

Saul had zero objections. Zero. Saul didn't bring up "contradictions" in Scripture, the Big Bang theory, evolution, abiogenesis, dinosaurs, aliens, fine-tuning of the universe, flat earth discussions, or the hypocrisy of religious types. Saul didn't ask, "What's with the lights, bro?" He didn't break out legal docs from the high priest in a fit of pious rage. Oddly, Saul immediately attributed legit authority to the source. His immediate and exclusive question: "Who are you, Kurie?"

The Greek word, Kurie (koo-ree-eh), is no mere formality. The word communicates supreme authority and ownership. Saul only desired to know who Kurie, Supreme Master of All, was.

The short answer to Saul's question: "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting."

Jesus (Greek for Yeshua, meaning Yahweh Saves) is Kurie - Sovereign Lord. In responding He revealed and solidified this absolute truth: How one responds to His followers (disciples, Christians, The Way, the Church, His Body/Bride) is indistinguishable from how we respond to Him.

The presentation of the "Four Spiritual Laws" is strangely absent. Jesus didn't break out a napkin to draw a great chasm between Himself and Saul with the Cross bridging it. Jesus didn't tell Saul, "Close your eyes, pray this prayer, and ask me into your heart." There's oddly no twinkly music, no dimmed lights, no massaging, coercion, or manipulation of emotions. There's no talk of Hell, repentance, or Saul's eternal security or personal salvation.

Yet somehow, despite the glaringly obvious absence of all our modern "essentials" to evangelism, Saul's only possible reply to divine revelation of Jesus as Kurie was this: “Lord, what do You want me to do?” Just like Abram's response to God Almighty telling him "Go," Saul "went."

Jesus' pure and unadulterated Gospel is this: "I, Jesus, the Risen King, I'm Kurie."

We're left to "Go" in obedience as unhindered ambassadors of THAT Gospel. Or not.

Saul later became known as Paul. He traveled through virtually every part of the known world sharing and advancing the Gospel of Jesus, Risen King, Kurie. He established numerous Gospel-communities of "The Way" with this simple Gospel: Jesus, Risen King, Kurie. No spiritual laws, no napkins, no time of invitation, and not talk of personal salvation from Hell.

The Gospel doesn't seek a response. It produces one by default. No massaging or manipulation necessary.

When the simplicity of the unadulterated Gospel went wonky in Gospel-communities (churches), Paul wrote letters (Romans, Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, etc.) to provide the necessary correction. Paul didn't change, add to or subtract from the Gospel. In fact, he pointed out doing so was the root of all the problems in Gospel-communities.

Paul lovingly reminded Timothy of the simplicity of the Gospel, "Remember: Jesus Christ raised from the dead, descended from David. That is my Gospel." He reminded the volatile church in Rome, "I am not ashamed of the Gospel, for it is the power of God unto salvation for everyone believing..."

The power of the Gospel isn't the Gospel.

Our response to the Gospel isn't the Gospel.

Jesus, Risen King, Kurie. That's the Gospel.

Unlike Paul, it turns out we are, in fact, ashamed of the Gospel. Our take today is The Gospel needs Chip and Joanna to give it a makeover. It needs some paint, glitter, and pizazz. It needs to be cool and culturally relevant. It needs an agent, a marketing team, and a campaign manager to do damage control and PR. It needs to "get with the times" to soften its tone and ease-up on the rigid absoluteness.

In shifting the exclusive focus from Jesus, Risen King, Kurie, to ourselves, the customers, the consumers, the end-users and voters, we unveil this reality: We are, in fact, ashamed of The Gospel.

Jesus isn't the Burger King. Turns out, making it about us and having it our way is what got us here in the first place. In the end "our way" only leads to death and we'll take that over Jesus, Risen King, Kurie.

Dr. Robert E. Coleman notes, "Something is missing in the life of the church today. Today's institution has a polite form of religion, but it seems to lack power, the power to radically change the wayward course of society." Coleman is right. What's missing from Gospel-communities is The Gospel.

For centuries we've sown the seeds of a false-gospel and reaped its pathetic harvest: Autonomy. Private religion. Personal relationship. None of which have anything to do with the Gospel or the Gospel-community Jesus died for. We've made private decisions and personal salvation the apex of Christianity. We've witnessed churches, communities, and nuclear families implode. We've seen those personal and private decisions lead to the rejection of Jesus, Risen King, Kurie, and elevate the worship of self through "alternative lifestyles" (homosexuality), "pro-choice" (murder), and "church" transformed into something we "go to" vs. who Jesus called us to "be."

We've reject Jesus' supreme authority. We've supplanted Kurie's design and call to Gospel-community. We've reinvented Jesus, the Risen King, Kurie, and reduced Him to personal Savior. We've reduced The Gospel to its benefit to us. We've utterly abandoned the "doing" Gospel to evidence the reality of "being" Gospel-community. We justify our autonomy and sin with terms like "grace." We parrot Christianisms like, "I couldn't earn it so I can never lose it." We do so to avoid personal responsibility and examination to evidence authentic transformation and conformity into His image and likeness. We justify it all saying any effort to do so is "works-based" or "legalism."

We ignore that Jesus' call for every disciple is this: "Come. Follow me. And I will make you fishers of people." When we look at Scripture to see what Jesus did, we see what it means to follow Him:

• Jesus personally advanced The Gospel.
• Every disciple is, therefore, a gospelizer.
• Jesus personally taught The Gospel.
• Every disciple is, therefore, a Gospel teacher.
• Jesus personally preached The Gospel.
• Every disciple is, therefore, a Gospel preacher.
• Jesus personally revealed The Gospel.
• Every disciple is, therefore, a Gospel revealer.
• Jesus died for His Bride, Gospel-community.
• Every disciple must, therefore, be part of Gospel-community.

Chances are what's been preached to you is a false-gospel. Chances are someone told you a lie. Chances are they didn't mean to, they simply regurgitated the lie someone told them.

Jesus' disciples never told anyone, "Ask Him into your heart and you'll be saved." Instead, they advanced, taught, preached, revealed, lived and died as gospelizers in Gospel-community who gospelized The Gospel: Jesus, Risen King, Kurie.

Paul lovingly wrote, "Examine yourselves to see whether or not you are in the faith." He did this because Jesus was crystal clear, "Not everyone who says to me 'Lord! Lord!' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven." The will of the Father is that we take the focus completely off ourselves and make it all about Jesus, Risen King, Kurie. The will of the Father is that we become Gospel-community- gospelizers gospelizing The Gospel.

Jesus said His response to the "have it your way" personal salvation and miracles crowd would be this: "I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!'"

Jesus, Risen King, Kurie. That's The Good News.

Everyone responds. It's just a matter of how.

Blessings,

-Kevin M. Kelley

aMostUnlikelyDisciple.com

EVER WONDER?

Ever wonder what it would have been like to be part of the early Church described in the book of Acts? Everyone on fire for Christ! Hypocrites and charlatans literally dropping dead for blasphemy against the Spirit (Acts 5)! Miracles happening daily!

Oh, to see vast multitudes hear the Gospel preached and respond by faith! What would it be like to experience genuine commUnity?

Imagine meeting together daily at Solomon’s Colonnade in the temple courts to sharpen one another... to experience rich fellowship... to remember Christ... and to pray unselfish kingdom prayers... THEN to go and live it out, daily... What glorious WORSHIP!!!

“Those who accepted his (Peter’s) message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day. They DEVOTED themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common.”
-Acts 2:41-44

We don’t see much of that today. But why?

Because we don’t see much DEVOTION to anything today. Not to our kids. Not to our marriages. Certainly not to the church! And if not to His Body and Bride... how can we claim to be devoted to Christ?

“My relationship with Jesus is a personal and private thing.” That’s the consensus today, even though we don’t find evidence of that ANYWHERE in Scripture.

Subsequently, Christianity is culturally impotent and irrelevant. No devotion to anything but self.

Apathy and selfish desire. They got us into this mess in the first place (Gen 3)... but since the general consensus is that’s just “a story” or “antiquated fiction,” we can all just ignore that too... along with any other part(s) of God’s divinely inspired and inerrant Word (the Bible) we find offensive, difficult, or unpalatable.

The apostles weren’t successful because they taught the “four spiritual laws.” They didn’t present a “personal plan of salvation.” The apostles’ preaching never included “asking Jesus into your heart.”

The gospel (singular noun) writers (plural noun) and Apostles preached the death, burial, and resurrection of Messiah, Jesus. That’s the simple, unadulterated Gospel.

Here’s what the Apostle Paul had to say about the Gospel:

“I am not ashamed of the Gospel, because it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes...”

Mic drop.

Church today isn’t about the Gospel. Church has become big business. Experts know that profitable business depends on consumers not communities, strategies not submission, marketing not missions, and retention not repentance.

“Where do you go to church?”

“Is there church tonight?”

“Did you see the new church they’re building?”

Our cultural language confirms church today is a place not the unified people of God. Whatever it has become (in many cases) has certainly conformed to the pattern of the world (Rom 12:2).

Convenience. Preference. Autonomy. As long as sermons aren’t too serious or convicting or long or technical or overly biblical... as long as the production and entertainment value is high... as long as they don’t talk about tithing... or serving... or Hell.

“For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.”
-2 Tim 4:3

Today, most Christians don’t even know what sound doctrine is. A recent study indicated about 75% of CHRISTIANS in America don’t even believe Satan is real.

Apostolic (what’s an apostle???) teachings on fundamental biblical concepts and terms (e.g. evangelism, missions, gospel, praise, worship, teach, preach, unity, accountability, edification, and disciple) have become tragically diluted, completely warped, or wholly abandoned- not just by Christians, but by pastors and church leaders.

Take, for example, the concept of praise. What is it? What’s required? Can you praise God as a nonbeliever? Can you praise Him alone in your car? Can you do it with thoughts and silent prayers?

“...praise must come from a genuine and vital relationship with God, and praise to God must be vocal and in public forum. Praise is not silent nor is it possible in solitude.”
-Dr. Ronald B. Allen
And I Will Praise Him

What about prayer? Does God listen to the prayers of the proud, the disobedient and unfaithful? Will He listen because you’re a “good person” by your own standard?

“If anyone turns a deaf ear to my instruction, even their prayers are detestable.”
-Proverbs 28:9

How can we be followers of Christ (Christian) if we don’t understand the Gospel... if we’re not devoted to Him... if we’re not growing in stature united in Christ as the Body/Bride... if we’re not about the mission of the King as worship... if we’re not praising Him (public & vocal)... if our prayers aren’t being answered because of sin... if everything in every moment isn’t about Him and His eternal glory... How?

Sound extreme? So was the very real Cross. His very real death. His very real burial. His very real resurrection. Not for YOU as an individual. For US as His Bride.

That’s who He’s coming back for (Heb 9:28).

That’s who joins the wedding banquet (Rev 19:7).

Ever wonder what's going to happen when Christ returns? Are you waiting alone(Mt 25:10) or in the Body/Bride?

Blessings,
-Kevin M. Kelley
aMostUnlikelyDisciple.com

GOD'S DELIGHT

He brought me out into a spacious place; He rescued me because he delighted in me... You, Lord, keep my lamp burning; my God turns my darkness into light.
-from Psalm 18

Do you know God delights in you? Not in our sin, but in our being made in the image and likeness of God and our righteousness exclusively in Christ.

Our faith in Him is the oil that keeps our lamps ever burning. In Matthew 25 five virgins are foolish and five are wise. The foolish are those whose lamp oil is self-righteousness. Their oil runs out. While they search for righteousness apart from the Bridegroom (Christ), He comes.

The virgins whose righteousness is found in Him enter into the eternal wedding banquet (see Rev 19:6-8). Meanwhile, the door is shut on those who aren’t prepared. Their faith was in something other than exclusively in Jesus.

Is your righteousness in Christ alone or in something else? Are you prepared for His return today? Will your oil run out and your lamp extinguish, leaving you outside forever?

Will you repent, call out to Him in desperate dependency, and fill your lamp with His everlasting and life-giving righteousness?

He will bring you into that spacious place because He delights in you! You are God's delight!

Blessings,

-Kevin M. Kelley

aMostUnlikelyDisciple.com

DRINK DEEP!

"A little learning is a dangerous thing; drink deep, or taste not the Pierian spring: there shallow draughts intoxicate the brain, and drinking largely sobers us again."
-Alexander Pope
An Essay on Criticism
1709

I love books. Not the audio or ebook variety so much, but actual physical copies of books. If the option is available, I'll go for the hardback edition every time. A hardback silently sings, "I'm going to stick around with you a while."

Over the years I've read several blogs and articles about the plight of Christianity today. Many attribute the demise to what's referred to as "Bible illiteracy." It's true, many Christians don't read their Bible, and many who do don't understand it.

Enter stage right: Ravenous wolves, the false prophets. Prophets in the biblical sense are NOT fortune-tellers or mystics. A prophet is a spokesperson, an ambassador, or a watchman. Jesus spoke of ravenous wolves in Matthew 7:15. One false prophet infiltrated Eden in the form of a serpent. They've been infiltrating the ranks of God's people ever since.

But God is no dummy. In Ephesians 4:11-15 we read:

"So Christ himself gave apostles (leaders), prophets (watchmen), evangelists (missionaries) and pastors-teachers (shepherds over local churches), to equip his people for works of service so that the Body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming."

The point of that passage: as a Christian, a follower of Christ, and a fisher of men, YOU have a singular purpose: to glorify God in all things, at all times, forever! Along with that purpose comes a HUGE and critical responsibility: Get equipped for works of service to build-up the Body of Christ in unity!

We cannot be okay with being infants in the faith. We have to reach maturity, i.e. unity in the Body in the faith and knowledge of Christ.

The author of the book of Hebrews put it this way:

"Although by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the basic principles of God’s revelation again. You need milk, not solid food. Now everyone who lives on milk is inexperienced with the message about righteousness because he is an infant. But solid food is for the mature—for those whose senses have been trained to distinguish between good and evil."

So how do we get there, to that place of unity in the Body through faith in Christ? Have a look at Acts 2:42. Prayer is essential. Fellowship in the Gospel is non-negotiable. Devotion to apostolic teachings is imperative. Another great way is to embark on an unending quest for maturity through learning. One of the best ways to learn is through reading!

With that in mind, here's a list of books I highly recommend for every Christian:

A Bible: Get a simplified version of the Bible that uses contemporary language to convey the original meaning. This might sound blasphemous but no compilation, version, or translation by itself is perfect. That's why we have so many. Maybe try something like the NIrV (New International reader's Version). I typically use about five different translations along with original language study tools like biblehub.com


#10: How to Read a Book by Mortimer J. Adler. I was in my second year of grad school when professor Howard Hendricks recommended this book. My initial thought was, "Seriously? I'm paying for this class? We're in grad school! If you can't read by now you're in trouble." Once I got out of my own way, bought the book, and read it... my life was changed. Enough said.

#9: Mere Christianity by C. S. Lewis. Lewis was a world-class academic, professor, a literary genius, and an atheist. His friend, J.R.R. Tolkien, was instrumental in Lewis' conversion. Mere Christianity is as brilliant as it is timeless. It wrecks the ignorance of denominational walls and redirects followers of Jesus back to Ephesians 4... maturity unto unity in the Body of Christ.

#8: The Epic of Eden by Sandra Richter. The picture Richter paints at the onset is of a closet. Typically, our understanding of God and Scripture is a total mess. There's stuff everywhere in our theological closet. It's stuff we need but it's unorganized and ugly. Reading Richter is like inviting a ninja-maid into our home to get everything in our closets organized so we can breathe again. Ahhhhhhh!

#7: Why You Think The Way You Do by Glenn S. Sunshine. You've probably never thought about it, but no group of people in history has ever thought like you. We assume everyone everywhere throughout time has, is, and will always think like us. We apply that same mindset in our reading of Scripture ("Well, what that means to me is...") and twist God's intended meaning and message beyond all recognition. Sunshine takes us on an incredible and essential journey of how we got here so we can turn it around.

#6: The Lost World of Genesis One by John H. Walton. Mind-blowing. Don't read this until you've read #10-7. This truly is next-level stuff. Walton is a veteran guide leading us into the ancient near-eastern mindset and thought-world. It's an exercise in perspective. If we cannot rightly wrap our minds and hearts around the opening chapter of the Bible... everything that follows is diminished at best.

#5: My Utmost For His Highest by Oswald Chambers. Having a mentor is critical to move from infancy to maturity. Chambers is exactly that. Lots of Christians talk a good game, but how does that play out in reality? Would you literally lay down your life for others? Chambers did. On the journey through God's word, Chambers' perspective will stretch you, rebuke you, sit with you, hug you and lovingly guide you... if you let him. You don't have to agree with his every thought, but don't dismiss him too quickly either. Available in the "classic" edition (with lots of words we don't use anymore) and an "updated" edition (with contemporary language).

#4: What is Biblical Theology by James M. Hamilton Jr. One of the greatest obstacles to maturity in the faith is a lack of biblical theology. BT is simply seeing God and the Bible from God's perspective. Lots of Christians know individual stories in the Bible (David and Goliath, Jonah and the Whale, Moses and the Red Sea, etc.) but can't tell you where they fit, why they're there, or how they integrate into the whole narrative. Hamilton does a masterful job of getting us in touch with the story of God from His perfect vantage!

#3: Slow Church by Smith and Pattison. Microwaves, disposable everything, and overnight delivery. That's our cultural mindset today, but it isn't God's. The church isn't all about spontaneous, quick, easy, convenient or enjoyable. Smith & Pattison make an appeal to us, as members of the Bride and Body of Christ, to slow waaaay down. The authors invite us to stop thinking in terms of programs in a cookie-cutter franchise-mindset, and instead to think of the church in terms of its unique people and beauty achieved through unity, patience, obedience, and expectancy.

#2: Accidental Pharisees by Larry Osborne. Larry Osborne is probably my favorite author. With books like Mission Creep, and Lead Like a Shepherd, his insights and accessibility have been invaluable in my own maturity and ministry. Accidental Pharisees is a needed wake-up call for every follower of Christ, not just those in "professional" ministry. Along with extra Bibles, this is one of the books I love to keep extra copies of to give away. If you don't end up seeing a little "Accidental Pharisee" in yourself after reading this... the prognosis may not be so good.

#1: Room on the Broom by Julia Donaldson. I'm sure I'll have lost all credibility in the eyes of many with my #1 pick being a secular book with a cartoon witch on the cover. Go back and read #2 first. Donaldson captures this truth: everyone is hurting, broken, and desperately longing for authentic Gospel-community. I certainly was until the age of thirty-five. Bible-thumping, tract-passing Christians were (and still are) offensive to me. Snobby. Judgmental. Hypocritical. Superficial. I was in total accord with Gandhi's statement, "I like your Christ. I do not like your Christians." 

Donaldson's work conveys the heart of what every person longs for in Christ; there's room for everyone in the kingdom of God. The compassionate witch should be everyone who claims to be a follower of Jesus. Our hearts and lives should be overflowing with the love of Christ and His Gospel of grace. We should always be willing to stop. There should always be room on the broom. We should never place our personal comfort or priorities above the people we meet along the way. If Christians could ever grasp what Donaldson masterfully captures in her little book, we'd win the world over for Christ in a day.

I left out a lot out of great books, but this is a good start. Before you go, would you share this post with some friends, maybe even the ones you don't think will listen? The ones who might be offended? Maybe to let them know you are a Christian. Maybe to let them know there's room on YOUR broom. Who knows, maybe they'll realize you're sharing out of the love of Christ!

Will you drink deep?

Blessings,
-Kevin M. Kelley
aMostUnlikelyDisciple.com

BEEN BUSY

“He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters”
-Matt 12:30

Been Busy? I get it. “That’s life,” right?

Is it?

Maybe you’re saying, “Excuse me? I don’t understand the question.”

Is “busy” life? Let me rephrase. Is “life” in our busyness? In the striving? In the endless string of day-after-day-after-day of self-determined “critical” content therein?

Think back to last month or last year... the last decade... with all the “critical” stuff going on each day we must be knocking “life” out of the park! Right?

That said, what have you truly accomplished? Eaten lots of food. Paid lots of bills. Mowed the grass. Gone to Disney. Watched TV. Read some stuff. Done laundry or maybe dishes... or not. Maybe a big project or promotion at work? Raised kids who will repeat that same “critical” cycle?

But in one-hundred years will any of it truly matter? What about in five years? Five months? Five minutes?

Is it our Creator’s objective conception of “life” that you’re engaging in, or merely your subjective interpretation and improvisation?

Where do you see Christ truly manifest in your “life?” Has He been the wellspring and resurrection ALIVE in you? Or has He been merely a “religious thing” you do from time-to-time when your “life,” (which amounts to your pursuits and priorities) gets put on hold?

Is it still “your life” or is it really His? Do you see the King and His kingdom in EVERYTHING? Are you glorifying Him in all things, at all times, forever?

How far did the kingdom advance this week because of you and your service IN THE BODY? How far through your prayer, “Christ be revealed in and through me!” How far through your humility? How far in your decreasing and Him increasing? How far in your dying to self and considering others more important for Him and His eternal glory?

How busy have you been about the business of the King and His kingdom vs busy with “your life?”

“Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not speak in Your name, and in Your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you evildoers!’”
-Jesus

Been busy?

Blessings,
-Kevin M. Kelley
aMostUnlikelyDisciple.com