It is still ok to call yourself a Christian after seeing this. One thing to keep in mind is that the word Christian is used only 3 times in the scriptures. Only 3 times? Yup.

Acts 26:28-Agrippa asked Paul if he was trying to turn him into a Christian.
1 Peter 4:16-Peter tells people that if they are beaten for being called a Christian to praise God for the name.
Acts 11:26-Antioch was the first place they were called Christians. This is YEARS after the death and resurrection of Jesus. So during the life of Christ and years after his death went by the name Christian.

Apparently, while it is a name to hold in esteem, they didn’t feel that their identity was tied into a title but a lifestyle.

The word most used to describe our relationship with Christ over 290 times is the word disciple. The Hebrew word is talmid. The plural is talmidim. Now there is all kinds of historical work we could do in looking at what it meant to be and become a disciple. You can just check out this link if you want to.

Over the next few days I will mention 10 traits of a first century disciple:
1. That you have a rabbi. Rabbi was a term of reverence meaning “my master” or teacher. It is a far cry from today’s rabbi connected to a degree and synagogue. A rabbi was someone who’s life spoke for itself. Jesus was called a rabbi by six different social groups in the scriptures: His disciples (Luke 7:40), lawyers (Matt. 22:35?36), ordinary people (Luke 12:13), the rich (Matt. 19:16), Pharisees (Luke 19:39), and Sadducees (Luke 20:27?28).

2. A disciple’s goal was to be like his rabbi. This was a holistic thing. You weren’t just a head learner or a heart learner. You were a life-learner. You wanted to live your life is such a way that if your rabbi were in your sandals he would move. You wanted to hear as your rabbi would hear and see what he would see in any situation. Your goal wasn’t to be inspired but to imitate. a.k.a. the story of Grant and skipping rocks

3.

The plural of disciple is disciples but theologically the plural of disciple is church.

testing

sad…

Genesis 3:6
“When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.”

This is brilliant Satan (ha satan=the accuser), I know it isn’t normal to equate brilliance and Satan together, but he engages all of her senses.

“she sees
she notices
she appreciates
she takes
she eats
Her sight, her touch, her senses of smell and taste are all involved.”p70

Adam and Eve were created to find value outside of themselves. They were created to plug into their environment. So this fruit is one more thing for them to plug into. There is nothing evil about the fruit is there?

“The problem for Adam and Eve is what the fruit has come to represent. Rebellion against God. Rejection of the good, the true, and the beautiful. Another way…The problem is that she’s told, “When you eat of it…” and then she’s told things that aren’t true. Promises were made to her that the temptation can’t come through on. It’s a lie.”p7

Look at the story: Adam and Eve eat fruit that promised them greatness and wind up hiding in a bush from God. When push comes to shove they both point the finger, or give the finger at someone else (I’m so glad we don’t do this anymore). Their relationship with earth and their bodies are now distorted as man will return to dust and woman will experience pain in birth. So when lust, which sounds and looks so good, takes on flesh and blood it looks like this.

“Lust promises what it can’t deliver.”p7
“Lust comes from a deep lack of satisfaction with life. This is why we have to slow down and reflect on our lives before we’ll ever begin to sort out the significance of this. Lust often starts with a thought somewhere in our head or heart: If I had that/him/her/it, then I’d be..”

So what fruit hangs on your tree? What is it that is on this tree that when you see it or are around it, you lose all sensibility? Bell ends this chapter with his usual onslaught of questions. Go ahead and put your fruit through this list of questions, I think it does a good job at identifying why lust in our lives isn’t a little deal but a big deal.

“What is this craving promising?
Can it deliver?
Is this lust about something else?
What is the lie here?
Where is the good in this person or thing?
Where is the good that has been distorted?
What good thing has God made her that has been hijacked?
Have I been tempted like this before?
Have I given in before?
What was it like?
Did it work?
Was I more satisfied or more empty?
What will the moment, the morning, or the week after be like?”

I find this inspiring…

…the men’s “barracks” where people come in off the streets…

…being homeless doesn’t mean you get to sleep in…

…if you are in the rehabilitation program you get your own assigned bed. Most of these men take a bus to First Baptist Church on Sunday mornings…

…as they get further into the program they move into this housing and pay rent and room with others who have shown a commit to leave drug and alcohol abuse behind…

…me, right before playing the role of God in an impromptu skit that we put on for the womens abuse shelter and their kids…

In the movie Walk the Line there is a scene towards the end of Cash’s career, in response to a letter, where he wants to play at San Quinton. Cash had hit the highests of highs and the lowest of lows including addiction and jail time during his career. This exchange of lines takes place:

Record Company Executive: Your fans are church folk, Johnny. Christians. They don’t wanna hear you singing to a bunch of murderers and rapists, tryin’ to cheer ‘em up.
[pause] Johnny Cash: Well, they’re not Christians, then.

I feel like I live in a world where obnoxious, loud and calloused Christians get the spotlight. Partly because they demand it and partly because bad news and stupid people make good news. But this was a moment while at the theatres that all I could do was smile. Because here is a perfect picture of what it means to follow Jesus. Johnny was in touch with his own failures to know that no one is beyond God’s reach and love and therefore we shouldn’t put limits on others either.

We often take the Beattitudes (Latin for Blessed) and turn it into Jesus giving more rules and regulations. We must be poor in spirit. We must be meek. Must be beaten up. This doesn’t make Jesus’ message good news at all, it makes it harder news. Instead, Dallas Willard among others are coming around to saying that Jesus was speaking to a crowd of people and making observations. He wasn’t just throwing out another list but was speaking to people that he knew. Jesus seems to be saying just by the fact that they have encountered him and the inbreaking of the kingdom of God they will be blessed. Even if they suffer for it.

Matthew 5
The Beatitudes
1Now when he saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, 2and he began to teach them saying:
3″Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4Blessed are those who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
5Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the earth.
6Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be filled.
7Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.
8Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they will see God.
9Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called sons of God.
10Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

11″Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. 12Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

“You are really walking in the good news of the kigndom if you can go with confidence to any of the hopeless people around you and effortlessly convey assurance that they can now enter a blessed life with God.” Dallas Willard, The Divine Conspiracy p122