The leaders of Jesus day sought to silence this "dangerous" Christ, fearing Him greatly. Today the world tries to silence Him as well. They would just as surely crucify Him as did those of Jesus day, and in fact are doing so by killing and silencing His church in any way they can. Why do you suppose they fear this humble servant that came only to bring light and life eternal to mankind?
Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2:5-11)
Just what are the teachings of this "dangerous" Christ? Is He a terrorist, that teaches His children to go about slaughtering every man, woman, and child that won't conform to Him? Is He demanding that they live as oppressed slaves? No, He is not, yet the world accepts that kind of religion. They accept a religion of men of lawlessness with no conscience, ruthless in all their ways, unmerciful and hateful, full of lies and deceit, and they reject the man of truth and light, the man of love and deliverance for their souls. They call Him the dangerous One. Why is He so dangerous? The pope recently made a statement that those "fundamentalist Christians are more dangerous than ISIS." Really? Why mister pope? Why do we scare you so much? Are we threatening to slaughter you if you do not conform to us? Have we beheaded anyone? Have we slaughtered innocent children? Why do you fear Christ so much? The very Christ you claim to serve? Is it because He exposes your sin and calls you to repentance? Is it because you would have to be held accountable to Him? This is the reason the Jewish religious leaders of Jesus day crucified Him.
Do you fear Christ? Do you fear the Gospel? If you're a child of God, you have found life and joy and freedom in that Gospel. You know that it is the only hope of the world and the only freedom and life that can be found. You understand that the world is under the sway of the evil one and cannot come into that light without painfully being exposed. It's their only hope of being delivered, so the enemy seeks in every way to deceive and to destroy that message of hope, calling it evil and calling evil good.
These are some of the teachings of this "dangerous" Christ and His "dangerous" church...His true church...His "called out ones" who have been called out of the darkness and deception of this world. This is what an "extremist" Christian believes... one who is loving Christ and following the fundamentals of His Word. He would only become extreme in His love toward God and his fellow man. The "fundamentals" of Christianity are simply the Words that Jesus taught. If we kept them what would they make us?
Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. (Philippians 2:3-4)
If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing. Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends. (1 Corinthians 13:1-8a)
And he said to him, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets." (Matthew 22:37-40)
"So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets. (Matthew 7:12)
"You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect. (Matthew 5:43-48)
Then Peter came up and said to him, "Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?" Jesus said to him, "I do not say to you seven times, but seventy-seven times. (Matthew 18:21-22)
A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another." (John 13:34-35)
"This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. (John 15:12)
These things I command you, so that you will love one another. (John 15:17)
For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die—but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:6-8)
Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. (1 John 4:7-11)
There are many more examples of what Christ has called His "called out ones" to. And what are we "called out" from? From the world of sin and darkness. There is a difference in His children from all other religions in the world. He calls us to radical love. Islam is called to radical hatred, violence, and destruction. Christ calls us to such a love as will love even those enemies of His, reaching out to them with the Gospel of truth and love, the only Gospel (good news) that saves and promises hope for all eternity, free of evil and hatred and violence once and for all. That's pretty radical. Why does the world fear this? They fear having the truth of their love of sin exposed, and they fear having to give up being their own gods, which they can never truly be anyway. They fear God taking control of their lives, even though that means their only true freedom, yet they cling to their sin which keeps them in bondage and oppression. They fear "extremist" fundamental Christians that offer the truth that leads to eternal life, because they love their darkness. So they make up their own god, their own "good" justifying their sin, and calling it good, and calling good evil, clinging to their darkness.
"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God." (John 3:16-21)
And for this reason Bibles are burned, Christians are imprisoned, lied about, falsely accused, scorned, mocked, marginalized, and the world embraces, instead, something evil in its place, even though that causes them terror and suffering. It's nothing but insanity. Yet insanity is the absence of God. When one rejects God, they accept various forms of insanity.
From Webster's 1828 dictionary: INSAN'ITY, n. The state of being unsound in mind; derangement of intellect; madness. Insanity is chiefly used, and the word is applicable to any degree of mental derangement, from slight delirium or wandering, to distraction.
It is Christ Who gives a sound mind. "...For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind." (2 Timothy 1:7-8)
Sound mind... sōphronismos
Thayer Definition:
1) an admonishing or calling to soundness of mind, to moderation and self-control
And what is the fruit of those "fundamental" believers who are filled with His Spirit? What is "fundamental" anyway? Webster's 1828 dictionary: FUNDAMENT'AL, n. A leading or primary principle, rule, law or article, which serves as the ground work of a system; essential part; as the fundamentals of the christian faith.
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. (Galatians 5:22-24)
And in contrast what is the fruit of those still in bondage to clinging to those passions and desires of the flesh and this world?
For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. (Galatians 5:17-21)
Let us then, as His children, seek to be true followers of Him, as dangerous as He is, filled with His love, forgiving our enemies, holding forth His love to all, even those who would mistreat us, lie about us, persecute us, take away our rights, and crucify us. Let us be radical in our love as He was laying down His own life for us even while we were His enemies. Let's seek to be filled with His Spirit bearing the fruit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control, being lights in a dark world that will stand out in stark contrast to that darkness, knowing we have a hope that is sure and awaits all who will come to that light. It's not much longer. This life is short and temporary. But the life He has given to us and is in us, is forever more and nothing and nobody can take it away from us. If we don't hold to the fundamentals of faith in Christ, we have no true faith at all in Him.
Let that therefore abide in you, which ye have heard from the beginning. If that which ye have heard from the beginning shall remain in you, ye also shall continue in the Son, and in the Father. (1 John 2:24)
My prayer today is that many will turn from clinging to lies and come to this dangerous Christ. Yes, He is very dangerous in regard to our sin. He seeks to crucify it and end it in our lives. He seeks to radically free us from it, so that we can partake of His holiness and live with Him in His glory forever, never again to be stained by it or touched by it. He seeks to wipe every tear from our eyes. He seeks to give us an eternity of glory and pleasure forevermore. He seeks to make us His own dear children sharing in His inheritance. Yet people would rather cling to themselves no matter what the cost. Lord, open our eyes to seek Your life, giving up ourselves, no matter what the cost for that!
If you are not sure you have eternal life, if you want to know more about salvation through Jesus Christ, and how you can be sure, you can read more about it here.
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