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When Peter writes to the 'elect-alien-exiles' (v.1), Peter wants to provide these seemingly 'otherworldly-Jesus-ambassadors' an identity in a foreign world. Peter is aware these aliens are suffering. So he proclaims, "this is how 'you aliens' are to live in and amongst this world."
Looking at the news might make us think, "Has anything changed since Jesus?" But according to the New Testament, as provocative as it may seem, our bodies have become the 'dwelling place of God on Earth'. So this begs the question, what kind of New Creation Life can we expect here today?
When we are in dangerous situations, the sympathetic nervous system kicks us into a ‘fight or flight’ response to protect us from danger. When it comes to dangerous spiritual matters, sometimes we intentionally, or ignorantly, or innocently fail to ‘kick in to gear’ our ‘spiritual-sympathetic’ system. These choices often result in a destructive ‘deep wound’ in our body, in others, and God’s creation as a whole. It’s then when we explore these deep wounds where we find God’s liberating power to heal his image-bearers.
When people reflect on the question: ‘who is Jesus’, the answers can vary from ‘some Jewish revolutionary’, ‘a teacher’, or unusually ‘a life coach’. Undoubtably Jesus is a complex character. Yet Hebrews wants to nail down with certainty the truth that God in flesh became the very ‘man’ humanity so desperately needed.
When we talk about Spiritual Growth, unfortunately the tendency is to gravitate towards a legalistic and moralised spiritual growth; “if I do more prayer, then I will be a ‘more mature’ Christian.” This only results in guilt, spiritual discontent, and apathy. But Jesus invites us (not forces us) into formational practices that aren’t moral ‘must dos’ but practices that heal, rejuvenate, and sustain us today. This is Christoformity. Christoformity is a process of being formed into the image of Christ in the way that Christ did formation.
The Kingdom of God has broken into this world with the King being enthroned. Now in Revelation 2-3, King Jesus delivers a message to specific churches, confronting them with the truth that Jesus is enthroned, paired with some words of warning and encouragement. Can Jesus’ community of people grasp what it means for Jesus to be enthroned ‘On Earth as it is in Heaven’?
When it comes to topics of Eschatology, there are various questions about heaven: Where? When? What will it be like? However, unfortunately, we can assume answers to these questions and miss the grander picture scripture paints of the ‘afterlife’ with God. So, maybe we have to get back to a topic foundation in scripture: HOME.
With a study in Luke, you will find that Luke – seemingly – recorded as many Jesus meals as possible. While I am sure Jesus loved his food, in each of these meals, Jesus longed for something more than a good steak. In this chaotic and confusing world, now is a good time to slow down and have a meal with Jesus.
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