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Let Him Transform You

We cannot transform ourselves into anything pleasing to God through discipline, attitude adjustment and hard work.

Discipline, attitude and hard work have benefits but not spiritual ones. They are sort of like working out at the gym, there are benefits but they don’t last and are not spiritual.

Only Jesus is personally able and willing to transform the Christian. If he is not doing that in us it may be because we are trying to do it ourselves. Or because we are looking for someone else to do it.

Try harder doesn’t work and never will.

Jesus works from within, Look to him, let him break you, trash your ambitions and explode your dreams. It may be painful/ disappointing but it is the way of Jesus.

Then watch in awe what he rebuilds.

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Healthy Hierarchies or Something Else?

Healthy Hierarchies

I like to study organizations of people, how to make healthy groups. Finding competent leadership, how to affect culture, devising and communicating vision for a group. Increasing levels of trust and genuine good will. No one, in my opinion has better content on this topic than Patrick Lencioni at the Table Group.

Working near the bottom of a large corporation has made this fascinating to me. Lencioni’s book The Advantage is brilliant. If you are a leader of a business or governmental organization you must get this book.

Hierarchies Everywhere

But all the business books and consultants assume one thing …Hierarchies.

Great men on top, lines of hierarchy directing the clueless nobodies on bottom.

The congregation of Jesus Christ, otherwise known as the ecclesia, sometimes translated the church simply is not a hierarchy.

At least if Jesus has any say in the matter it isn’t.

It never was a hierarchy and it never will be, so these hierarchy business principles ought not apply to the goings on of churches.

We can pretend that they do and apply them anyhow and build a religious empire just like the former generations. BUT, does Jesus want that? And if you knew he didn’t how would you respond? Is he Lord among his people gathered for him?

That’s why the largest and famous church leaders. I’m talking about the mega churches with great numbers must move away from Gods plan for his church if they want to be large, wealthy and influential. They are required to if they really want to be big. They must lead in a way that Jesus specifically prohibited among his disciples.

And their successful empire almost always prevents them from turning around.

I mean why would they listen to “some wannabe” nobody who no one is following?

Certainly they must just be jealous as they criticize the leader or his organization.

Often I think Jesus himself is that “wannabe” who no one follows.

Read more on hierarchies here.

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suffering
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Plight of The Christians in Rome

A History of The Christians in Rome

I’ve been studying the history of Rome thanks to the History of Rome podcast. With a keen eye on the Christians in Rome. Many thousands of Christians were murdered for treason in the first, second and third centuries within the Roman empire. Mostly because they would not sacrifice to the Roman gods, often even children suffered and were killed.

Even gentle and well-liked Emperors like Septemius Severus, who ruled from 193 to 211 AD. Were sometimes brutal toward Christians who were considered treasonous. The roman gods like Jupiter were seen as the reason for the past success for the Roman empire. At times leaders would try to revive the faith of the empire by forcing religious sacrifice. For the Romans, religion was first and foremost a social activity that promoted unity and loyalty to the state- a religious attitude the Romans called pietas, or piety.

Promoting loyalty to the state, that is key to understanding most religions of the world.

Principalities And Powers In High Places

The state all over the world even today represents the rulers and powers and principalities in high places otherwise known as the kingdom of Satan. Remember when Satan offered Jesus all the kingdoms of the world if he would just bow down and worship him in the dessert?

When Christians in Rome would not sacrifice to Rome’s pantheon of gods this was viewed as an act of treason.

So powerful were many of these Christians in death and suffering that Rome herself eventually left their other gods.

Despite all the killings the Christian numbers grew to the point that Rome decided to make Christianity her religion. They twisted it in many ways and added things Jesus never added but …

The Roman government officially converted and it was (at least partially) not because of their great preaching and offers of heaven. But because of their willingness to suffer in order to gain Christ. Christ was seen as the wonderful center of Christian lives, alive and well and causing love to flourish. To gain him was the extreme and supreme thing in their lives. Death and suffering was the norm for them and was a part of seeking him. It was part of worshipping him and turning their backs on Satan’s world-system.

Even death can’t stop Jesus living in humanity (when he is really there.) the only thing that has ever hindered him is religious tradition. …. But even that will be overturned by Jesus himself.

Another article involving studies in history.

 

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