In this video Adam discusses the mystery of the increasingly fast expanding universe, as mentioned by Brian Green. The expansion rate of the universe is accelerating, which is unexpected. Einstein suggested this could be due to the repulsive gravitation of dark matter. Adam suggests a reason for this based on the increase of Jesus Christ.
Please share and/or comment your thoughts below.
When I was a younger man I believed in working very hard with zeal and in order to gain the favor of certain people in church leadership. I believed that I would be promoted to higher status and responsibility within my church. This promotion would give me access to the pastor, to his pulpit once in a while and friendships with others in the inner circle. All it required was hard work, an attitude of service and my tithes; which I was giving anyhow. I was in what can be compared to a caste system.
And the lukewarm people who wouldn’t work like us would just remain in their lukewarm lower class state.
It is like a caste system yet one can move to the higher caste with trying very hard and ‘obedience’.
I remember one time during this time in my life a friend of ours mocked our class system. At the time I had thought that she was lukewarm. I was politely offended, and I blew her off. I thought to myself that she had an attitude problem. I’d say to myself ‘what is she doing at church anyhow? nothing!’ So I had a right, so I felt, to disregard her and not listen to her critique.
Looking back I think Jesus himself was displeased with my line of thinking. He was expressing himself through her in her displeasure at our little upper class church-club mentality. I think he was with her and not with me in that exchange. It was I who had the wrong attitude toward what she was saying.
During my time at this church I had jumped into a Godless caste-like system with both feet. I think it appealed to my legalistic tendencies. I use the strong term ‘Godless’ only because Jesus Christ has not authored that system. Jesus Christ does not approve of that system, especially within groups which call themselves church. His absence alone makes a system or an institution Godless.
Any system or institution that Jesus Christ is not absolute Lord over and has not himself instituted is Godless.
Jesus’ people have no upper and lower classes. There is no promotion within the body of Christ based on performance and/or behavior with money.
The ecclesia that Jesus Christ is building is like a human body. It is not like a caste system of hard work and promotions. All members equally take commands from the head. There are no upper and lower class members within a human body. All have a specific function and all take orders equally from the head. There is not hierarchy and delegation and separation from the head. All members care for one another equally with differing roles and abilities.
I’ve come to believe that it is the duty of every member of Christ to lovingly reject Godless systems. Systems which attempt to replace the rule and will of Jesus Christ…will not succeed long term.
Living out our Christian life can sometimes be confusing. There are many attitudes, ways of thinking and perspectives that we can adopt. There are voices that try to jerk us around telling us how to live out the Christian life. Some are toxic and confused others are aligned with Jesus Christ.
Way 1) Have religious zeal by forever trying harder to please God. By trying harder and harder to dominate our circumstances, our position in life (and other Christians if necessary)… Way 1 living assumes to have Gods pleasure and approval. It’s essentially a ‘survival of the fittest’ mentality and you climb to the top of the food chain…with Gods help of course (lol). (hint … see all other religions on earth). Many 20 somethings Christians embrace this mentality … myself included. It is a great way to gather a crowd around yourself.
Way 2) Have a lukewarm/ lazy attitude, passively not caring and giving up on knowing and pleasing God. Just existing and being ok with being a loser and getting dominated. If its survival of the fittest you are ok with being down on the food chain. Many 40 something’s adopt this mentality reacting to times of difficulty, unfairness, frustration and failure.
Most Christians never realize there is a third option. We either progressively move from 1 to 2 or with great effort stay in the Way 1 line of thinking. But there is another, much better way.
The third and best way to live the Christian life is to surrender all our lives to Jesus Christ. The good parts and the bad parts, we die daily, we forsake ourselves and follow him, we let Jesus live his life through us by the spirit.
Jesus then gets to decide what we go through, all outcomes. All ministry ambitions are entirely by him, to him and through him, be they “losing” or “winning”, be they success or failure. He determines what we do day in day out. And we progressively learn to follow his life and voice within.
We let his attitude of constant seeking of His kingdom, his will being done on earth, meekness, surrender, ease, peace, rest and resurrection be our attitude. Way 3 Christians can be found in any age group, it’s not a natural phase we go through. Instead its a surrender and an independence from the control of man. Way 3 is a result of a person absolutely fixated on Jesus Christ alone.
Way 3 Christians seem to be exceedingly rare. Looking at a surface level Way 3 Christians sometimes look like 1 and other times like way 2 Christians. As they follow Jesus day in day out, they are misunderstood. But have an inner joy, a relaxed peace that outward success or failure cannot remove. They please the Lord within, they know him, hear him and allow him to live out his life as he desires. Way 3 Christians know how to keep focused and centered on him alone. Not carried about by winds of doctrine, they watch in pity as others get jerked around then demand they join in.
—-
English