My experiences amongst the "Bretheren" were very eye opening. The ideals expounded in the Bible are limited to the personality and the desire of the the people in a any particular church. As in most fundamentalist churches anyone can hear good Bible teaching were the ideas of sacraficial/agape love are frequently expounded upon. Yet in truth it doesn't take much time to really see what is going on. People get together and discuss the high and lofty teachings of Christ, these discussions bring about a feeling of acomplishment, gratification, even solidify the "exclusive" attitudes amongst the congregation, "we really follow the Lord" yet for the most part people all live within their own comfort zone. Even in the Geftakys church I observed many people who did all that was required by the stated standards yet had very little love or concern for anyone else. Can anyone truely look at christianity in its corperate experession and say, "This is what Christ intended?"
No, I doubt it. David, you called it, that certainly is the case and it is sad. What do you expect from mankind? I saw a bumper sticker today that says, "The more people I meet, the more I like my dog." lol
But does it really matter? Mankind (you and me included) in his sin and hypocracy is ugly. But Jesus the Righteous One is beautiful. Why look upon and focus on man? What do you expect to find there but exactly what you pointed out. Look at Jesus. He is wonderful. And he didn't just talk. Every day he lived what he said, and he gave his life as a ransom for mankind (yes, ugly sinners like us). Now THAT is love.
So...these guys that you are talking about aren't real Christians. What is a real Christian? How about someone who is poor in spirit, merciful and meak--among other things. I'd like to meet a man like that. And I bet he learned it from Jesus.
I read somewhere that God "has chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God has chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; And base things of the world, and things which are despised, has God chosen, yes, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: That no flesh should glory in his presence."
The intellectuals talking about lofty "Christian" ideals and yet are rude jerks don't strike me as being real Christians.
Hmm...here's another one:
"8 Now ye are full, now ye are rich, ye have reigned as kings without us: and I would to God ye did reign, that we also might reign with you. 9 For I think that God hath set forth us the apostles last, as it were appointed to death: for we are made a spectacle unto the world, and to angels, and to men. 10 We are fools for Christ's sake, but ye are wise in Christ; we are weak, but ye are strong; ye are honourable, but we are despised. 11 Even unto this present hour we both hunger, and thirst, and are naked, and are buffeted, and have no certain dwellingplace; 12 And labour, working with our own hands: being reviled, we bless; being persecuted, we suffer it: 13 Being defamed, we intreat: we are made as the filth of the world, and are the offscouring of all things unto this day. "
So the apostles--the men who had been with Jesus--were...great intellectuals and prominant men who sat around talking about what great things they did on missionary trips and how much dough they got rolling in?
Um...no.
They were spectacles unto the world, angels and men, and...the "filth of the world, the scum(offscouring) of the earth".
Yeah, so man looks on the outward appearance, but God looks at the heart.
Dude, forget about man. It's always so dissappointing looking at man and what he naturally finds important and prestigeous. Focus on Jesus, he's a far-sight more interesting and lovely to behold.
You ever see the movie The Mission? You remember when that mercinary guy really caught on? He read I Cor 13 about what love really was like and he saw how that priest really, in action and deed, was helping the natives and caring for him. Then he was like, "Ah...yeah, that's love."
