Sunday School Class Proverbs
25:18-20 We probably all have friends who are like a 'bad tooth' or a 'lame
foot.'
Scripture reading: #632
Sunday
evening – “The life of Christ”
chronologically in a 'harmony' of the Gospels. Luke 12:35-59 Continuing
our conversation of what's involved in being 'ready.'
Wednesday Study
Class
Repentance and the kingdom
Matthew 3.1-8
1. In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the
4. John's clothes were made of camel's hair, and he had a
leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey. 5. People
went out to him from
6. Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in
the
8. Produce fruit in keeping with repentance.
The 'kingdom' is in the
'fruit.' There's a huge difference between fruit of
arrogance and fruit of repentance. What kind of fruit is present-day
Christianity producing?
John 'the Baptist' probably wouldn't prove any more popular today among
Christian 'evangelicals' than he was 2,000 years ago among the Jewish religious
elite.
I hope you will take time to read this brief chapter in Matthew telling
of John's ministry down by the river side. Lots of people were coming to see
this very unorthodox son of a very orthodox Jewish priest. I suspect there were
those who were wondering where his parents had gone wrong.
John seemingly had no sense of propriety when it came to lining up with
the religious trends of the 'Godly' people of his day. There was a huge sense
of national pride accompanied by an equally large affinity toward the showy
'temple' that was bigger, better, and more expensive than anything previously
on that old hilltop.
That definitely showed that God was their God and on their side. They
were God's people! Their arrogance was unbounded and possibly unprecedented. Their attitude was quite simply
that success defines God's approval. This was the pinnacle of
post-exilic accomplishment and they knew the formula for its maintenance and
expansion.
John just didn't fit. If you don't fit - you must be wrong...and what
about this nonsense that religious leaders are to be producing fruit in keeping
with repentance?! Repentance and humility? Who would follow a leader who
was repentant and humble?
The religious world likes to present as their favorite sons men who are
forceful, well-spoken, nicely coiffed and dressed - 'successful' men who undoubtedly are hearing from
God because they do it bigger, better, and at more expense than anyone else.
They have books and seminars telling you how successful they are.
We seem to want political leaders with that same self-assurance, sense of
absolutism and destiny.
The 'kingdom' isn't that of
temples and cathedrals but that of repentance, humility and compassion.
It isn't the priest at the head of the procession that becomes central in my
thoughts of the temple at