Is Jesus Ever "Negative"?
Much of contemporary Christianity has invested in a gospel of positive thinking (call it Osteenism) that resembles certain aspects of the gospel of Christ, and features a liberal sprinkling of Christianese, but is in fact "another gospel."
Have you ever noticed that what is called "prophecy" in the modern church is often sorely lacking in the element of discomfort that seems to be a hallmark of Biblical prophecy. There is never the least hint of a challenge or rebuke, but only a vague "God-has-great-plans-for-you" promise. The upshot: we walk away satisfied, which is all we ever really wanted. Is that the effect of truly Biblical prophecy? Did Isaiah, Jeremiah, Haggai, and the others, make people feel warm, cozy, satisfied, and happy?
Paul said that one of the uses of the Word is for rebuke, but we American Christians have discarded that function as impolite and "negative." We think that if it's truly Biblical, it must be positive, and if its positive it must be Biblical. Yet Jesus overturned the tables of the money changers, calling them thieves, not once but twice, and called the Pharisees white-washed tombs with rotting corpses on the inside. How's that for negative! As far as I can tell, most modern American Christians have no idea what to do with THAT Jesus.
What do you think?
Have you ever noticed that what is called "prophecy" in the modern church is often sorely lacking in the element of discomfort that seems to be a hallmark of Biblical prophecy. There is never the least hint of a challenge or rebuke, but only a vague "God-has-great-plans-for-you" promise. The upshot: we walk away satisfied, which is all we ever really wanted. Is that the effect of truly Biblical prophecy? Did Isaiah, Jeremiah, Haggai, and the others, make people feel warm, cozy, satisfied, and happy?
Paul said that one of the uses of the Word is for rebuke, but we American Christians have discarded that function as impolite and "negative." We think that if it's truly Biblical, it must be positive, and if its positive it must be Biblical. Yet Jesus overturned the tables of the money changers, calling them thieves, not once but twice, and called the Pharisees white-washed tombs with rotting corpses on the inside. How's that for negative! As far as I can tell, most modern American Christians have no idea what to do with THAT Jesus.
What do you think?
posted by Bob at 7:05 AM
1 Comments:
I don't know if you had heard Kim Clements profecy on July 28th to New Orleans.
It had plenty of warning. Check it out on the web. It blows you away in hind
sight of Katrina.
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