Be Strange Alien!

This is the first blog that I have done since leaving for Uganda this Summer.  It's long over due and I finally believe I have something that the Lord would have me share so hang on!

First I have to say that I love it when our church comes together and studies the bible everyday TOGETHER!  We are reading through the Gospels(Matthew, Mark, Luke, & John) in the next 30 days.  If you wanna join you can see the reading plan www.youversion.com and select the "gospel reading plan."   

Today is day 3 and I love me some "J to da B!"  I often wonder what people would do with John the Baptist today?  Would he look like a hippie and be out in the desert somewhere in CA?  Would people listen?  Would the message be the same?  What would people FB and Twitter?

This cat was wearing camel's hair, leather belt (before it was cool), and his dinner was locust and honey!  This obviously would cause him to be different now and even then!  

So looking at Matthew 3 one would see that John was teaching a message that people wanted to hear but was tough to swallow.  In Luke 3 verse 4 we see fulfillment of the prophecy in Isaiah 40:3 telling of the Messiah the One who is to come.  That there would be one before Him that would prepare the way "making straight paths for Him."  So, of all the people to make straight paths to Jesus, God uses an seemingly "obscure" person.  An alien type person that would make straight paths to Jesus.   But if you remember John is never quite been ordinary.  His father Zechariah was a priest, an angel of the Lord told him that he would have a son, (this is strange because his wife Elizabeth was old and they had no children and she was thought to be barren) this son he was to have will bring great joy to him is what he tells him in Luke 1:15, he's never to take in wine, he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even from birth, he will prepare the way for the Lord!  There is nothing normal about John even from birth he is strange!  It's so strange that even his dad can't believe it and he loses his voice because of his unbelief (flip back to Luke 1 & 2)

But John is does exactly what God had called him to do.  Prepare the way for Jesus, make a straight path to Him.  So I'm thinking again what would this look like today?

What if God's whole plan is for us to see John as an example for our lives?  An example for each of us to live?  Now I'm not talking about being a "schizophrenic tree hugger" going all natural but at the same time wearing animal skins.  What I'm talking about is what Jesus later teaches about the rejection that will come to all who follow Him, strangers and aliens to this world is how we are to be expected to be seen-even hated.  In Luke 17 Jesus teaches about the coming of the Kingdom of God and the rejection that would take place.  I can't help but think this is exactly what David was talking about in Psalms 69, the cost of living for God doing things His way opposed to our way:

Psalms 69:8 I have become a stranger to my brothers, and an alien to my mother's children;

See, the more I read about Jesus and what it means to follow Him the more I see that I'm to be more like John the Baptist.  As followers of Jesus we should make a straight path to Him telling others of His love and the fact that He is coming again.  We may be looked at oddly when we don't do things that everyone else sees as normal.  When our actions don't really make sense to people who don't follow Jesus.  Not sleeping around having casual sex.  Things like giving away large portions of income to help the poor or further the name of Jesus, not taking that high paying job but a lower paying job that would allow more time for ministry.  Figuring out ways to serve Jesus instead of serving ourself.  See, all of these are counter cultural for most Americans.  All of these things would be seen as weird, strange, even stupid.  I have a friend that gives away 60% of his income, he owns a company and tithes off of his company too.  Most "people" would see this as odd, strange, and even again stupid.  But he knows this is what God has called him to do.  When I left my job in Denver I remember one of my co-workers asking me if I was leaving to make more money as a TV Evangelist.  She couldn't figure out why I would leave a lucrative career to become a pastor.  It was strange, the only thing she could see was it must be for more money-was she ever misguided :)  Now, don't lose me here and think I am suggesting that you give all your money away or quit that sweet job where you're banking hard.  Although maybe some of you really should :) I am simply suggesting that we are to look more like John the Baptist and less like the "normal people" of the world.  That people who follow Jesus are strangers and aliens and should expect to be looked at this way.  I hear Jesus saying things like "if you want to save your life you will lose it or if you lose your life for Jesus sake will find it" (Matthew 16:25), things like "what good is it to gain the whole world and lose your soul" (Mark 8:36).  This is the journey people who follow Jesus are on.  This isn't easy, in fact you may be saying right now "this is a hard journey!"  I know, I am with you, I'm on this journey too and it's a constant fight and battle to be a stranger and alien rather than normal by the worlds standards.  

When we understand our call to "make a path to Jesus" for His return it all makes more sense.  That by losing our life and living for Him not only do we really find life but it's abundant life(John 10:10) and the life God wanted for us.  Our life then becomes a light in a dark world lighting a path to Jesus for all to see that they too may find abundant life only found in Jesus and believe.  So ask yourself, are you strange?  Why or why not? 

Be encouraged when people look at you weird, when old friends don't understand your new life.  Be good at being strange and be a good alien in the name of Jesus!