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The Concerns of Jesus, Part 1 Copyright © 2005, Roy F. Osborne. All Rights Reserved. Used by permission. After
more than 66 years of preaching, I look at the history of the church from its
inception, and trace its turbulent history through the ages. Then I take a
close look at the state of the church today, here in America. Further
narrowing my focus, I look at the particular segment of the church of which I
have been a part for 70 years. After much thought, I have to ask myself if
this is really what Jesus had in mind when He said, "Upon this rock I
will build my church." In
the early centuries, the church became a world power organization, which
dominated kings and emperors, and ruled with an iron hand. And I say, "Is
this what Jesus had in mind?” Then came a period in which the church
tortured and killed all who disagreed with the current orthodoxy. And I ask,
"Is this what Jesus had in mind?” Later during the Renaissance
(the period of "enlightenment"), the leaders of Christendom split up
into warring factions over whose interpretations of the rules and rituals were
correct. And I wonder, "Would Jesus have approved of this?” In America
today, these warring factions are in competition in the market place, and even
the group of which I am a part has a checkered history of division over
trivial matters, which has destroyed the love and unity of the members for the
better part of a century. And I ask, "Was this the message from the
Cross? Did all of this ensue from men pursuing the concerns of the Man from
Galilee?” I think not! In
this study of the Concerns of Jesus, perhaps the logical place to start would
be 2000 years before He was born in Bethlehem. In the words of God Himself,
the mission of Jesus was proclaimed to Abraham, when the Lord said,
"...through your seed shall all the families of the earth be
blessed." In these few words, the basic concern of Jesus was spelled out.
In this class, my main thesis will be that any organization or person, whose
function and pursuit is not to bring the blessing of God to others, does not
have the concerns of Jesus. That
Jesus had concerns quite other than even the most religious people of His time
was obvious quite early in his earthly life. At the age of 12 He seemed
surprised when His mother chided Him for leaving them to go into the temple
and speak with the religious leaders. His words were, "Didn't you know I
must be about my Father's business?” As
He gathered His disciples about Him their goals ranged from personal glory
("can we be on the right and left hand of your throne when you come into
your kingdom?"), to national elevation, and victory over their enemies
("Lord, will you restore the kingdom to Israel now?"). But
our goal in this class will not be to vilify the personages in history who
have missed the point of Jesus' ministry. Rather will we examine His teaching,
and His life, to see if, in our lives and in our worship, we
share the concerns of Jesus. Or, if we have allowed the deteriorating church
of history to dictate our theological beliefs, and the peer pressures of the
modern concepts of the church, to fashion our religious activities, and the
goals of our religious practice. |