4 Teachings Of Jesus That His Followers (Almost) Never Take Seriously

It’s no secret that those of us who claim to follow Jesus Christ consistently fall short of living up to the way of life of our Rabbi. Being a disciple of Jesus is a lifelong journey towards conforming ourselves to the image and way of life that Jesus taught. However, so often, followers of Jesus chose to blatantly ignore some of the clearest instruction of our Rabbi and obscure it with vague theology so that we can get off the hook. Other times, followers of Jesus are taught something explicitly contradictory to the plain words of Jesus and then spend their lives obeying the instruction they received instead of the commands of Jesus.

However we end up at the place of disobedience, all of us who claim to be followers of Jesus struggle to obey the commands of our Lord. One of the most transformative periods in my faith was when I took time to re-read the Gospels of the New Testament and get reacquainted with Jesus’ himself, in his own words. As I studied the words of Jesus, I discovered that so much of what he asks of us as his disciples is incredibly clear and yet so much of it was new to me. I had never heard it in church or Sunday school or actually heard someone teach the exact opposite of the words of Christ. It was during that season of my life where I took inventory of how I lived and what I believed and aligned to the person and teachings of Christ that my faith was radically transformed for the better.

Below I have compiled a short list of 4 clear teachings of Jesus that most of us who exist within Evangelicalism have either never heard, refuse to acknowledge, or believe the exact opposite of. It’s my hope that by rereading these teachings of Christ, you will be inspired, like I have been, to return to the Gospels and begin to reshape your faith and life around the way and teachings of our Master, Jesus. Get ready and buckle up, because most of what Jesus says is pretty bold and potent. It’ll shake up your faith!

1. Jesus, not the Bible, is God’s living and active Word that brings life.

“You don’t have His word living in you, because you don’t believe the One He sent. You study the Scriptures because you think you have eternal life in them, yet they testify about Me. And you are not willing to come to Me so that you may have life.”- John 5:39-40 HCSB

The Christian life is one that is fundamentally rooted in the reality that Jesus Christ is living and active. He interacts with us on a day to day basis and desires that we cultivate an intimate relationship with him. The more we commune with the Spirit of Christ, the more life and truth we are exposed to and are able to comprehend. However, for many Evangelicals, we rely more on the Bible than we do on the living and active Spirit of God within us. We fear that following the Spirit could lead to confusion and subjectivity and so we root our faith in the Bible. The problem is that a faith that is rooted in the Scripture alone is not sustainable. It will dry up and wither on the vine. While the Bible is an important and authoritative guide for Christian faith and practice, it isn’t the foundation or center of our faith- Jesus is. And if we truly believe that he is alive, we should also have faith that communing with him will produce spiritual life within us. He is the living Word that we can ask anything to and expect, in faith, to receive and answer. Sometimes he will speak through Scripture. Other times he will speak through our friends and family. Other times he will find unique and special ways to reveal himself to us. But in order to maintain a vibrant and living faith, we must not make the Bible our substitute for communion with the living Word of God. Studying Scripture is valuable, but nowhere near as valuable as cultivating a day to day relationship with the God incarnate.

2. The only way to enter the Kingdom of Heaven is through DOING the will of God.

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.” Matthew 7:21 ESV

“An expert in the law stood up to test Him, saying, “Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”“What is written in the law?” He asked him. “How do you read it?”He answered: Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.“You’ve answered correctly,” He told him. “Do this and you will live.”- Luke 10: 25-28 HCSB

“We are saved by faith alone, apart from works!” This is a very popular Protestant catch phrase. The doctrine of sola fide (faith alone) was developed by the Reformers in response to the Roman Catholic Churches corrupted teachings that emerged in the 16th Century teaching that one could gain favor with God and shave off years in Hell and Purgatory by giving money to the church or doing acts of penance. The intention of the doctrine of faith alone was very good- to correct the error that our salvation could be earned or that God’s grace could be manipulated. But like most doctrines that are formulated in response to another group’s doctrine, it often goes too far. One of the clearest teachings throughout all four Gospel accounts is that the way to enter the Kingdom of God is through living in obedience to the Law of Christ. Time and time again, Jesus makes very clear statements that condemn those who think that they will be saved because they believe the right things or do the right religious rituals. Jesus responds to people who believe they are religious and deserve heaven by saying that their outward religiosity is detestable to God and the only thing God desires is that they would exercise their faith by obeying the command of God- to do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly. (Micah 6:8) Jesus says if anyone claims to be right with God but doesn’t serve the poor, needy, oppressed, marginalized, sick, diseased, and sinful, then they do not have a relationship with God. No matter what they proclaim with their lips. No matter how religious they may appear. Jesus says those who don’t obey will have no part in his Kingdom. He makes very clear that the way to “inherit eternal life” is through loving God and loving our neighbor. Isn’t it astonishing, then, how many Christians today have been taught that salvation comes through right believing instead of right practice- a message that is fundamentally contrary to the words of Jesus. (And even more to his little brother James who says, “You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone.” James 2:24 ESV)

Many modern day Evangelical preachers spend a lot of time talking about the kinds of people that God is opposed to and who he condemns. They spend time talking about how to transition from a position of condemnation before God to a position of Grace through believing the right things about Jesus. They often talk about those who disagree or live contrary to their understanding of what is “righteous” as those who are under condemnation from God. But what’s funny is that as one examines the teachings and life of Jesus, we find him not only befriending, loving, and affirming some of his societies most despised and vile people, but chastising the religious leaders who condemned them for their sin. Whether it is Jesus’ conversation with Rabbi Niccodemus in John 3 where Christ explains that it is his mission to redeem the world and not to condemn it or the instance where a woman is caught in the act of adultery and is taken outside to be stoned by the religious officials (as the law required) and Jesus steps in to stop the condemnation and proclaim freedom and forgiveness to the broken woman, it is clear that Jesus is not in the condemning business. Instead, it seems Christ is in the business of restoring humanity to the most broken and wicked of people. It seems that his passion is to see the weak, sick, and broken become strong, healthy, and whole in his Kingdom. It seems that he spends very little time (almost none) telling sinners why they’re wrong or speaking words of condemnation over them, but rather practically loving and extending grace to the most screwed up of individuals. Maybe we Evangelicals, who are known for our condemnation of entire people groups with whom we disagree, could learn something from Jesus on this point.

4. You’re supposed to sacrifice yourself and speak words of blessings for those you disagree with the most.

It seems like every week there is a new major controversy taking place within the Church. Most of the time, the situation revolves around one group of Christians disagreeing with another and then taking to the internet to write slanderous posts about the other. If it’s not infighting, then it is Christians engaging in culture wars, working to defeat those whom we disagree with politically and socially by painting them as soul-less monsters. But that response is absolutely contrary to the way of Jesus. Jesus calls his followers to love the people they disagree with most and to speak blessings over them when all we really want to do is curse them out. No matter what the situation is or what kind of enemy we have, Christians are called to bless the people who hurt us the most. This includes in theological battles, political disagreements, national wars, and personal conflicts. Christians are called to a radical position of nonviolence and forgiveness, grace, and even blessing of our enemies. There is no way around it. And when Christians chose to ignore these clear teachings, our hypocrisy is glaringly obvious to the watching world. Want some proof? Take a couple minutes to watch this clip of the famous Agnostic Comedian, Bill Maher, talk about Christian’s refusal to obey the teaching of Jesus. (Contains explicit language)

That video may be hard to stomach but Bill Maher is 100% correct. “If you ignore every single thing Jesus commanded you to do, you’re not a Christian.”

The point of this post is to encourage those of us who claim to be followers of Jesus to reexamine how we are living our lives and practicing our faith. It is so easy to get so caught up in the flow that we fail to recognize just how far away from shore we have been carried. The words of Jesus are pretty darn clear, but oftentimes in our zealousness for our faith, we often get pulled away from the basics and eventually end up living in a way that we believe is honoring to God, but is actually contradictory to everything he has taught us.

In this post, I have offered just four examples. There and hundreds of teachings contained in the 4 Gospels of the New Testament, teachings that, if we obeyed, would absolutely flip our lives and world upside-down for the glory of God and the good of all people. What the Church as a whole and Evangelicals in particular desperately need in this age is a return to the plain teachings of Jesus. We need to be willing to set aside out theological debates and meanderings for a season and focus on simply reading, conforming, and obeying the will of Christ, both as revealed in Scripture and as we are led by his Spirit. The world is desperately longing to encounter Jesus through us and for far too long we have been giving them a cheap knock off that we have exported under his name. But it’s clear to everyone that what is passing for Christianity today is almost totally divorced from the teachings of Jesus Christ.

My prayer is that we would all turn our faces towards our risen Savior and seek to selflessly follow his commands. I am convinced that the Jesus’ way is the only way that will heal our broken world. I am convinced that the whole earth is groaning as it waits for men and women to take of their crosses and follow in the way of redemption. I am convinced that when those of us who call ourselves “Christian” re-orient ourselves in Jesus, the power of God will flow through us in an unprecedented and miraculous way that will bring salvation to the ends of the earth. Oh how I long for that day.

‎“Those who aren’t following Jesus aren’t his followers. It’s that simple. Followers follow, and those who don’t follow aren’t followers. To follow Jesus means to follow Jesus into a society where justice rules, where love shapes everything. To follow Jesus means to take up his dream and work for it.”
― Scot McKnight

If you reject the concept of individual revelation then you reject Paul and reject the spiritual gifts. For how can an individual have a calling to a task without the individual revelation and gifting by the Holy Spirit? As to the authority beyond the bible, you are confused. The bible is the text and testament of the Word. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The bible needs no other authority as it comes from God.

The Nevi’im and Ketuvim were added because they contained the continuing revelations of God to the sinners as to how God will would make up for man’s failings and falling away. They lay the foundations for how Jesus would come and would make the ultimate sacrifice .... and fulfill the Torah.

Following that pattern, the Gospels, like the Torah, show the mercy of God by sending his Son. Can one live their life according to the Torah, yes. Can one live their life according to the Gospels, yes. However, just as the other books of the Tanakh help individuals to take comfort and strength from examples both good and bad, the Acts and Epistles help man relate to the message of God. They provide examples to guide the foundling and floundering Christian.

The Bible clearly lays out the authority of Christ as head of the Church. Not pope, pastor or priest or other worldly authority. The Bible does NOT lay out a structure for the Church. There are only gifts of the Holy Spirit that are to be used to fulfill the mission of the church. Those roles are:
Apostle
Prophet
Evangelist
Pastor
Teacher

To that Apostles added the roles of Deacon and Bishop. To the Deacon was given the role of the distribution of charity. To the Bishop was given the role of steward of the local Christians. The Bishop is not given the role of interceding on behalf of others. The Bishop is not given the role of inserting themselves between the flock and Christ. There are no rulers nor kings nor princes nor masters of Christians. There is no authority of one Bishop over another Bishop or Popes over Bishops. All first century churches were local churches serving and worshiping in their local communities.

What is clearly stated in the bible is that we as individuals are all responsible for our own walk. That we must approach our own salvation with fear and trembling because if we get it wrong, the price is terrible. On the day of judgement, no person will stand before God on our behalf ... unless, and only if we have a personal relationship with Jesus.

There is one head of the church: Jesus.

Who doesn't agree is not a Christian.

You cannot have continuing revelation and no Church hierarchy.

That is the absolute story of the entire Bible. You cannot read it any other way. Why accept Moses? If you accept Moses, why accept Aaron and Hur? Why accept Joshua or the judges? Every revelation of God and restoration of his Gospel starting most clearly with Moses comes with a delegated authority from God and a hierarchy, formally placed by God or those with the proper authority to do so. You cannot find an exception. If you act in God's name without authority, you'll see that the penalty is severe: see Uzziah's entrance into the Holy of Holies, etc.

There's really very little hierarchy in the New Testament (between the churches; within we see bishops, pastors, and teachers mentioned), certainly compared to the Catholic church (and most protestant denominations) — this is to say that the early churches were meant to be largely self governing and, incidentally, why Jesus's messages to the Churches in Revelation were addressed to particular churches.

Only partly true as your link to Titus clearly demonstrates, read it for yourself. Paul shows authority, command, and direction over the Church. That's delegated authority coming from God. Why listen to Paul otherwise, because he's popular and a good speaker? That's not God's criteria - see David's selection for the specifics.

Who can appoint a Bishop and what is the methodology? That is how specifically is a bishop, pastor, evangelist called and set apart unto that calling?

What is the laying on of hands and when do you anoint with oil? See Exodus 28:41 and Exodus 30:30 and James 5:14. What are the specific circumstances calling for an anointing? How about casting out devils/demons and anointing for the sick? See Mark 5:16. What is the method there?

This isn't to say there is no [inter-church-group] hierarchy and that there was no deference of younger churches to the elder — the council at Jerusalem [Acts 15] proves that false — but even that council acknowledged the Holy Spirit as guiding them.

Please reread Acts 15. Who appointed Paul and Barnabas? Peter acts as head of the Church and that's clear from James' reference.

If not, then I think you have to convince me.

Jesus Christ is the God of the Old Testament and it testifies of him. Interestingly the title Jehovah, means "I will be that which I will be" meaning no man will define me. The NT does the same, only now it makes distinctions and clarifications, yet it's the same Church from the beginning.

I need not convince you. Convince yourself. It's all there in the Bible. There is an absolute need for proper authority in the Church to act in the name of God. That's not splitting hairs, it's the message. There's nothing arbitrary or random in God's Church.

I am not denying individual, personal revelation and I never did. How do you judge a spiritual gift? By what authority?

See here for how the Ketuvim came to be: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ketuvim

The people added to them and they weren’t canonized until well after Jesus’ ascension and the deaths of the last Apostles.

How is one set apart to the calling of an Apostle or Prophet, an Evangelist, a Pastor or a Teacher? Who has the authority to do that? Which of the above are able to cast out devils/demons? Which can anoint the sick? How is that done?

You are responsible for your own “walk” with God. In the end, we are all saved individually or not, but there isn’t chaos in the Church, but order.

There is an absolute need for proper authority in the Church to act in the name of God.

The role of Priest?
Oddly enough every Christian has that role.

(1 Pet 2:9)
But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s own people, in order that you may proclaim the mighty acts of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.
(Rev 5:9-10)
They sing a new song: “You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slaughtered and by your blood you ransomed for God saints from every tribe and language and people and nation; you have made them to be a kingdom and priests serving our God, and they will reign on earth.”
(Heb 4:14-16)
Since, then, we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast to our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who in every respect has been tested as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

Who appointed Judas' replacement? How? What about Paul?

Where are today's Apostles?

Did the "people in the assembly" vote to "appoint" Paul? If yes, then what constitutes a majority: 51%, 2/3s, unanimity?

Would it be possible to throw the caucus into disarray by letting more or less people assemble?

Peter was simply one of the speakers as were Paul and Barnabas but it was James who made the ultimate decision and statement.

I suppose in a church of one member this could work, but we already know there are four members at least in this church. Why did they listen to James? Is he the smartest, the best debater, did he have the best Powerpoint presentation or what?

These are aBiblical arguments. At every step, God's Church is one of order, not chaos or anarchoChristianity.

Is he an elder across any denomination or only in that particular one?

At that point there really weren't denominations, but there were churches… I would assume that, so long as the restrictions/qualifications are met, any method of appointment from drawing lots to vote by the body, to direct appointment by [e.g.] a Bishop.

Which elder is eldest? Is it by age or some other criteria?

(Matthew 20:25-26)
But Jesus called them to him and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones are tyrants over them. It will not be so among you; but whoever wishes to be great among you must be your servant,

>> “How do you appoint an elder? Is he an elder across any denomination or only in that particular one?” <<

.
There are no denominations in Yeshua’s assembly.

You are either a part of it or you are not.

Yeshua’s assembly is not a human corporation with human leaders, it is whenever and wherever two or more gather in his name.

It owns no buildings, has no Earthly wealth or symbols, nor “great men” to lead it.

Spiritual gifts are given by the Holy Spirit and authority flows from the gifting. If that person uses their gifts in a way that is ungodly (as shown through the bible - fruits of the flesh vs fruits of the spirit), then the decerning christian will know the source of the gift. It is not necessary to have some human “authority” to make some determination.

The establishment of the Jewish canon is still of some debate with some supporting the date of the fixing to be after Jesus’s ascension and others many years prior to his birth (Hasmonean dynasty). It can be reasonably argued that the Torah was canonized and available to Ezra (444 BC). Rabbinic tradition asserts that the Prophets (Nevi’im) was canonized at the conquest of Alexander the Great (332 BC). It is the Writings (Kesuvim) that has the most uncertain end date for canonization. While virtually all the Writings were regarded as canonical by the time of the destruction of the Temple in 70 C.E., arguments continued regarding the status of Proverbs, Song of Songs, Ecclesiastes, and Esther, and these disputes are attested in rabbinic literature. However, we do know that the youngest book in the Hebrew Bible is the book of Malachi, written about 400 BC. The Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha not being accepted as canon by Josephus.

The authority rests with the Holy Spirit as to who is called and who is gifted.

Order only comes when Christians follow God’s will, not some man made tradition or authority.

Right, so that’s it, then. Good night?

http://biblehub.com/matthew/28-18.htm
Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.

1. The Greek is perfectly clear. Who gave Jesus his authority?

http://biblehub.com/matthew/28-19.htm
Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,

2. Who can baptize and what is the methodology?

http://biblehub.com/matthew/28-20.htm
and teach them to obey every command which I have given you. And remember, I am with you always, day by day, until the Close of the Age.”

3. Which commands/ordinances are they to obey?

And this is just Matthew.

Are you arguing that every Christian is the proper authority of the Church?

I'm saying that whatever is not prohibited is permitted, insofar as church organization goes.
As stated earlier, the qualifications for [most] positions of leadership are really pretty open.

Which then appoint bishops and evangelists? You need authority and without it you cannot have a Church of Jesus Christ.

Jesus is the head of the church, He is the authority.
As for everyone else in His church, to have authority is to serve:

(Matthew 20:20-28) -- Also Mark 10:35-45 and Luke 22:24-30.
Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee came to him with her sons, and kneeling before him, she asked a favor of him. And he said to her, “What do you want?” She said to him, “Declare that these two sons of mine will sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your kingdom.” But Jesus answered, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink?” They said to him, “We are able.” He said to them, “You will indeed drink my cup, but to sit at my right hand and at my left, this is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father.” When the ten heard it, they were angry with the two brothers. But Jesus called them to him and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones are tyrants over them. It will not be so among you; but whoever wishes to be great among you must be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you must be your slave; 28 just as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many.”
(1 Peter 5:1-3)
Tending the Flock of God
Now as an elder myself and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as one who shares in the glory to be revealed, I exhort the elders among you to tend the flock of God that is in your charge, exercising the oversight, not under compulsion but willingly, as God would have you do it—not for sordid gain but eagerly. 3 Do not lord it over those in your charge, but be examples to the flock.

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