Perspective

I find it interesting as I read about Paul in Acts and his confrontations with the Jewish leaders that they accuse him of stirring up trouble and causing riots. It is true that there were often riots when he spoke in the towns and synagogues but it was the Jews, not Paul, stirring up the trouble.

They disagreed with his teaching and were jealous of his influence so they followed him from town to town and told lies and called his motives into question so that the people would be inflamed with fear and anger. From the Jews perspective it was all Paul's fault. THEY were the righteous ones, the guardians of God's law. They could not accept that God just might be doing something new, something that would take power from them and give salvation and freedom to all people who would believe in the name of Jesus Christ.

The saddest part of that is it still goes on today. In the Church Jesus established to carry the gospel to the world traditions have become more important than revelation. Status quo more important than change. Comfort of the saints more dear than reaching the lost. And then there those that wants to throw Truth out the window and just include everyone with no repentance of sin.

The Church = people, not a denomination or group that meets together in a building on Sunday. People, me. I am the Church, I am a saint. What about my perspective of the people I know and encounter on a regular basis. Do I just let them go along as they are? Do I speak to them of Jesus? Do I just assume they will be saved "some day"? Do I put aside my prejudices to include those who are different than me? What about my religious traditions, my comfort? Am I open to God turning it all upside down? Am I ever jealous of someone else who reaps visible rewards while I don't?

Too often we want to box God in and say things like God wouldn't do that! I've said that myself. How presumptuous!! But that is the perspective the Jews had. Although they knew God was going to send the Messiah, He wouldn't be from Nazareth and He certainly wouldn't be a "nobody" - an child born out of wedlock, a "sinner" who broke the rules to reach the people.

I guess the problem with perspective is mine is pretty flawed unless I am seeking God's wisdom daily. Even then I still need to keep God out of the box. "For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thought than your thoughts." Isaiah 55:9