Contemporary application of Matthew's gospel

The following is a topical question posed by a class that I am taking, and thought it would be worth sharing...

The question: "How might Matthew's Gospel apply to contemporary questions of multi-culturalism in the church?", is the question which I have decided to work with for this week's forum. In doing so, it is more because of it being untouched so far. This may be a two-part post as I am thinking this through a little at a time, but just the same, while reading through the Gospel of Matthew, and with it specifically being written with a target audience of the Jewish people (from whom Matthew/Levi came), it is interesting to note the times that Jesus sends out his disciples to evangelize first the Jewish people to the stated exclusion of the Gentiles (including the Samaritans.) And then of course the various times that when describing how they are to evangelize, the door is left open on how the future church is to evangelize.

But very interestingly, if this is a gospel written to the Jews to be more revealing to the Jews who Jesus truly was and how He fit the prophetic description of Messiah, this gospel also in chapter 12 quotes again the prophet Isaiah who says that the Messiah would proclaim justice to the Gentiles, and that the Gentiles would place their hope in Him.

Contextually, and in light of the question to be answered, the Jews were being told explicitly that this Messiah who had come was not only their Savior, but the Savior of the world. This would mean that the Gentiles, and the Samaritans, were to be included in this plan of salvation. In the concluding pages of this gospel, Matthew records Jesus' words of the Great Commission which were to go unto ALL nations making disciples, and baptizing them in the Name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

How does this apply to the contemporary church and multi-culturalism? It would seem to speak as though we as Christians sometimes lock ourselves into a ghetto-like setting. We tend to become very introspective and discuss the minutiae of theology (which is important, but often of late has become the focus and not the mission). We become as the Jews had become in the days of Christ, which was seemingly a product of their own making after the days of the Restoration of the land when Nehemiah and Ezra led the people to rebuild Jerusalem. The Jews became very self-focused on their own salvation and agenda, rather than being the message bearers that God had intended for them to be. This point never seemed to be learned beyond a certain point which led to the exiles and other woes that befell them.

As 21st century Christians it seems as though we are dangerously close to the same peril in that we are so often self-focused on ourselves to the exclusion of those around us, our "Gentiles" and "Samaritans". How we react seems to be a product of the way the "culture wars" have been fought for these last twenty-five or thirty years, between ourselves over Scripture and between forces of secular and religious movements over issues such as abortion, homosexual marriage, and other items of public policy, all the while the message of salvation seems to slip further and further down the list of priorities we pursue with excellence and with passion.

While Matthew was trying to proclaim the Messiah to the Jews based on His Jewishness and the fulfillment of prophecies, we as Christians in the West in the 21st century can read Matthew's gospel and learn a lesson that we too need to remember again Who our Messiah is based upon His fulfillment of prophecy and His own proclamations; and how we are charged with bringing in the kingdom, not by force by proclaiming the message of the Gospel. We must not slacken our resolve for righteousness, but at the same time we must not get calloused hearts towards those that we engage in "cultural" discussions which then shuts the door of gaining a hearing for the gospel.

This seems to me the right application to the question being asked for further discussion. Not sure if my point is well made, or not. I am, and was, and will be passionate about God's truth as it affects our culture, and that a stand for righteousness must be made, BUT I pray that as I grow older that I grow more wiser in respect on how to engage the debate in such a way that I leave room for the gospel, or else we have fought the good fight for nothing if we win the battle for "culture" but lose the war to win the "soul".

Peace to all. Jon

Freedom of Choice?

An interesting thought that can be perplexing. If we have the freedom of choice, ultimately, which choice would we make - life or death? God or sin? eternal blessing or eternal damnation? Which would you choose as you have them placed side-by-side?

Let me approach this from another angle. If Adam and Eve had the perfect world, no sin, no death, no mourning, no sickness - and they had perfect freedom of choice - what choice did they make? These folks walked in complete fellowship with God before the Fall. They had only one decision to make or not to make, with the full presence of God before them. What did they choose?

It seems that the idea that we can choose better than Adam and Eve is just difficult to swallow. That in our sin-laden world where we have more than one choice to make or not to make (or perhaps it is just that simple still), and yet without the full fellowship that they knew, how can we choose God instead of sin? What gives us the ability to choose better than our ancestors?

Thoughts?

The cost of freedom

Meditating on the passage from Galatians on freedom tonight... 'For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery...For you were called to freedom brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another." (Galatians 5:1, 13)

Think of the cost Christ paid on the Cross so that we might have "freedom". Do we take this "freedom" to lightly? Do we truly treasure this freedom that came at so high a cost? This freedom that exists for us that gives us life to the full (John 10:10) is one that so often is forsaken and forgotten. We allow ourselves to be enslaved again by the rules of humanity that burdens us as to what it means to be "righteous", or "holy in the sight of God".

Is this to say that there are no standards in God's "freedom"? No, but what makes us "free" is the ability to no longer have to find a way to make ourselves righteous in God's eyes, or in other words, how we can be good enough to find acceptance in God's eyes. Instead, because of the price paid at the Cross by Jesus, we are now able to accept the grace of God through Jesus to be rescued from the law of death that separates us from God due to our sin, that is a result of our disobedience of God's righteous requirement that is found in the law (Romans 8:4).

So this day, and the days to come, consider the price paid by our Lord that allows those who call Him, "Lord", to be free from the overwhelming burden of seeking God's approval.
Peace and Grace,
Jon

Free Indeed!

Are we truly free? What is holding us back? Why don't we just make the decision to do what we will; not considering the consequences? What does it mean to be free? Free to choose from the dollar menu at McDonalds? Free to choose the career field into which you will commit yourself for between 20 and 40 years? (if you are truly luck these days...or is that really luck?) Or is true freedom that which frees us ultimately from the bondage that keeps all men (and women) from experiencing a revolutionizing and all encompassing freedom? Where can this freedom be found? How do we know that it will last? By turning to the One from Whom all truth flows. Jesus said, "If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." Who is this that can by simply saying the word can make men free? How deep does this freedom flow? Is it freedom from the daily cares and worries of this world? Is it deep enough to satisfy the hidden, but powerful longing in our souls to know the depth of life and what the future holds? Yes, and more! Again Jesus said, "Truly, truly I say to you, everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin. The slave does not remain in the house forever, the son remains forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed." Are you ready to begin exploring this kind of freedom? Are you ready to follow the One who can promise the kind of spiritual freedom that can only exist and can only be given by the One who not only created us, but the cosmos as well? The trail begins with something as small as a mustard seed...faith.