Loosing Things

I’d like to introduce you to my duck. You may kick him if you like. You can step on, poke or yell at him. You can even pick him up and throw him against the wall. Don’t be surprised if he flies. I expect he will probably quack. In some cases he may bite you. If you pet him, you may become friends.
In any case, he’s my duck. See if you can make him quack.

People don’t loose things for “sharing their faith.” Christians loose things because we are like Christ.
Us disciples, as we go, are being versions of Jesus. We are finding our sustenance in obedience to the father, finishing his work. “Our food is to do the will of him who sent us.” (John 4:34)
We are thought and spoken poorly of and perhaps must endure difficult circumstances for the sake of Jesus. For this physical, temporary inconvenience, we are encouraged to “rejoice and be glad, because great is our reward in heaven.” (Matt 5:10-11)

We are repeatedly told that following after Christ brings difficulty in this crappy world (John 16:33). We are not told we will have trouble if we “tell people about God, hand out tracts or invite people to church.” These are possible actions of being like Christ, maybe not the best ones. They are not even primary actions. If we get in trouble for them it is because of the limited understanding of the people giving us trouble. These actions, according to the perception of persecutors, represent something larger that is threatening – Christ’s likeness, a Christ like life.

Christ is a watershed. Once acknowledged, he is either loved or hated, not much in between. He is loved or hated not because he says he is God but because of what he does and what he offers. He loves and offers life by himself instead of life by doing things right. This is the new deal. For all of history, up to Jesus, the deal between God and his people was, do everything right and I’ll bless you. Blessing was lots of sheep, children, healthy crops, defeat of enemies, it was mostly demonstrated through physical possession and comfort. The new deal is blessing in the Kingdom of Heaven, right now. Freedom from sin and death, relationship with God, love, joy, hope, peace, purpose, and eternity – these are better than sheep and broccoli.

In and of themselves, these intangibles sound great. The difficulty comes when we begin realizing that they are a replacement for the physical and we can’t have both (Matt 6:24). We are offered a choice like the rich kid, “sell everything you have, give the money to the poor, you will have treasures in heaven, then come, follow me.” (Matt 19:24) This is a tough choice and though we make it in little steps, it often does not feel like a gift. It is though. To be set free from a broken world, the lies of our enemy and from death is really, really good. We find this to be true every time we choose to let go and follow.

It’s a tough and often painful choice to make, but it’s worth it. There’s more. That which we are set free from is desperate to ensnare us again. Our freedom is a threat to its existence. If we do not need to be consumers, to be religious, to be reliant on temporal systems, if we live like that and are loving, joyful, hopeful, at peace and with purpose, it is a strong indicator that those who sell the rules, the stuff and the seven steps to whatever… are wrong. Our life, like Christ’s, will demonstrate that people who are not following him are in error, big error.

Here is the synopsis. The new blessing is much greater than the BC metaphor. It includes a temporary letting go of stuff and comforts for the sake of the much greater blessing. The much greater blessing is intangible and manifests itself in our heart. It changes the way we perceive and act and talk and relate to people and our circumstances. This either blesses people because they long for it or makes them very angry because it means they are wrong (often after having invested much time and energy). So we are already uncomfortable because of our choice and now people are mad at us.

Sounds like a bummer, but remember?
"Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” (Matt 5: 10 – 12)

We do not loose anything for sharing our faith; we lay things down to follow Christ. Then, as we follow him, we become like him and we are either loved or hated because of it.

That’s my duck, does it quack?