Is Jesus revelant?

Yesterday I started a sermon series "Not a Fan". This series is all about becoming a completely committed follower of Jesus Christ. Are you a fan of Jesus or a follower of Jesus? A fan (enthusiastic admirer) who has all the right words of being a Christian but the lifestyle is lacking. A follower of Jesus is one who has made a commitment to love and obey Jesus in all aspects of their lives. Therefore the question: Is Jesus relevant? That is do the words of Jesus spoken almost 2,000 years ago speak to us today within the context of the culture that we live. I am 100% convinced that Jesus is relevant to any and all cultures to any age and time. I realize that I have just made a faith statement of which some people will disagree. In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus address a great variety of topics in speaking about the principles of the Kingdom of God. These range from attitudes of the heart, judgment, sex, finances, marriage, forgiveness, politics, worry and trust, faith and if we would take His teaching seriously here would alter how we interact with one another. One of ways to insure that proper interpretation of a particular scripture is to ask this question; can I teach this principle in any culture of the world? If I cannot then I need to pursue a bit deeper the spiritual principle from that verse. Now let's be clear about another aspect of this, application of the principle will most likely look different but the principle ought to be the same. Do not expect universal application of a spiritual principle. Jesus spoke in the context of principles which was a stumbling block for the teachers of the law of His day. They were more concerned about the washing of a cup then they were of the spiritual principle of taking care of your parents. Jesus is more then enough to speak to every situation within the cultures of today. In fact if we are willing to believe, Jesus' words when properly understood (principle) and obied (application) is relevant to us today and will help us more then anything else we will ever read. I choose everyday to not be a fan but to be a completely committed follower of Jesus Christ.

May the grace and love of Jesus overshadow your lives.

Pastor John