The Care Less Gospel Jesus Preached

I’m tired of people who don’t know Jesus telling me about Jesus.

The biblically illiterate masses are vocal on social media and they purport to tell Jesus-followers we don’t know our own God, we’re ignorant of our own gospel.

Shame on us, if we let them get away with it! We have access to Jesus. Why would we let anyone else tell us what He would do or say?

Contrary to this counterfeit Jesus they describe, the Jesus of history, the Jesus of the Bible, the Jesus who was there at creation, who was born of a virgin, who lived in the flesh, who died on the cross, who rose from the dead, who ascended to heaven, who is active in the world today, and who will come again, did NOT teach that everyone should live and love however they feel. That’s not the gospel Jesus preached.

They (the posers who pretend to know) tell us that Jesus was all about love; but they’ve let the darkness define love for them (not Love Himself). I’m afraid they’d be shocked to find that, in fact, contrary to the “love guru” they describe, Jesus commanded us all to care much less.

The truth is that modern-day Christians care too much and that’s impeding the work of furthering the kingdom of God.

Why does that matter? It matters because the work of furthering the kingdom of God is the work of bringing the dead to life,

of rescuing prisoners from eternal chains,

of facilitating the deliverance of slaves to freedom

of reclaiming from the kingdom of darkness what rightfully belongs to Jesus.

It’s not about filling pews, keeping a religion alive, or voting the right person into power. It’s not about paying pastors’ salaries, maintaining traditions, or protecting a fading culture or way of life.

It’s about slipping prison-door keys past demonic cell guards. It’s about distributing bread and living water to famished souls. It’s about retrieving the walking dead from the places they’ve wandered and infusing them with new life. It’s about restoring sight, hope, relationships, and God’s true vision of our humanity.

To do this, Christians everywhere must follow Jesus’ example and heed the scriptural call to care less.

Care less what others think.

“The fear of man lays a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is safe.” Proverbs 29:25 (ESV)

Care less about being comfortable.

“And a scribe came up and said to him, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.” And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.” Matthew 8:19-20 (ESV)

Care less about momentary happiness.

“As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance,  but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.” I Peter 1:14-16 (ESV)

Care less about hurting feelings.

“Whoever is of God hears the words of God. The reason why you do not hear them is that you are not of God.” John 8:47 (ESV)

Care less about being right.

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others. You blind guides, straining out a gnat and swallowing a camel!” Matthew 23:23-24 (ESV)

Care less what the gospel looks like or sounds like to others.

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.” Romans 1:16 (ESV)

Care less about what you will eat tomorrow or what you will wear or where you will retire.

“Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?” Matthew 6:25 (ESV)

Care less about appearances.

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people’s bones and all uncleanness. So you also outwardly appear righteous to others, but within you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.” Matthew 23:27-28 (ESV)

Care less about using the right words or the cleverest arguments.

“And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.” 1 Corinthians 2:1-5 (ESV)

Care less about protecting, maintaining, and furthering our own lives.

“Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul?” Matthew 16:24-26 (ESV)

When was the last time you read one of the gospels? If it’s been awhile, take an hour and read one. The words and actions of Jesus are shocking compared to how He is portrayed by those who would remake Him in their image.

We have a call, a responsibility, to represent Him as He revealed Himself – not to spin Him so He’s acceptable to the masses, not to airbrush Him so we can fill His house, not to market Him so He has curb appeal.

Yes, Jesus called us to love but it’s love that hung on a cross so it’s no easy thing, no whitewash, no recliner chair, no kum bah yah if you aren’t willing to deny yourself and follow the real Jesus into real love. Love that submits. Love that sacrifices. Love that dies.

The love that is stronger than death. The love that prevails. The love that endures.

The first step for most of us will be the hardest. We’re going to have to learn to care less.

The Care Less Gospel Jesus Preached http://t.co/X8KptKnmER are you living the biblical call to care less? #amwriting #Jesus #Christianliving

— Lori Roeleveld (@lorisroeleveld) June 11, 2015