Day 151: Church Rules and Fire

Mark 3:1-19; 2 Samuel 6; Daniel 3

Jesus got mad and felt sorry for the people who were so stubborn about the church rules. Jesus is not a fan. Which is more important: the good deeds of our lives or the church practices in our lives (which Jesus calls "evil" and "destorying")? Doesn't sound like a tough question. What if I put it another way: helping others on a Sunday morning or attending church? giving money to someone who needs it or giving it to the church? giving someone an opportunity to hear about Jesus, or allowing just church members to attend? spreading the news about Jesus or working on church programs? making a new person feel comfortable, or showing up to church in your "Sunday best"? playing secular music that someone can relate to, or just hymns? accepting people for where they are on their journey or saying that only the baptized can be involved? I don't know how these questions affect you, but some of them used to bother me. Jesus doesn't care about church rules or doctrine! That isn't going to be a part of heaven! As the body of Christ we have to realize that SO MUCH of what we do at churches across the nation is human-made, human-designed. Hymns vs. contemporary, instruments vs. no instruments, long hair and dresses vs. haircuts and jeans, church clothes vs. street clothes, wine vs. grape juice, membership vs. attendance, adult baptism vs. infant baptisms, sacrements being vs. representing the body and blood...the list goes on for ever. We have got to realize that what Jesus cares about, as shown in the gospels, is how much love we can show others.

Why would God kill Uzzah for trying to protect the ark from falling? This website (http://www.gotquestions.org/Uzzah.html) helps to explain it. First, it shouldn't have been on a cart because it was supposed to be carried using the poles. Second, it represented God's holiness and to touch it was to show a lack of respect for God. Uzzah probably felt it was his job to protect it, when God Almighty would have taken care of it. This sounds a lot like church rules that we were just saying were so bad. So what is the difference? This Old Testament passage was before Jesus came to bridge the gap and separation between God and people. There was no lasting sin offering in the Old Testament times and so people were not holy enough to come into the presence of God. He had to have rules because Jesus had not come to offer salvation from the sins.

Rach, Shach, and Benny. What an awesome story. Here's what stands out to me: these three would not comform to the standards of the world, they recognized that God may choose not to save them from death, but that it was worth it anyway, and that their actions made the fire even hotter than normal. These young men need to be our examples. I know that I need to examine my life and make sure that no part of me is conforming. Part of what we are attempting to do is get out of debt and cut up our credit cards. People will think we are crazy--and that's how I kind of judge that it is right. Then, by standing up for what they believed in they knew they were in trouble. God doesn't guarantee that we won't have struggles or even that we will survive those struggles. God doesn't promise that he will save Christians from cancer, persecution, or natural disaster. Then, because we stand for something totally radical, the fire is going to be hotter...yep, it is. Christians who live radical, sold out, 100% all in for Jesus type of lives, receive so much judgment and persecution by our modern culture. Should we be surprised? Nope. The king made the fire seven-times hotter for these three--we need to expect the fire to be seven-times hotter for us today. But is all that worth it? I believe with all my heart that it is.