Don’t Tame the Lion of Judah

I often like to compare the ministry of Jesus to how we do ministry today. I think the body of Christ is a long way from the heart of Christ in these matters. Today’s churches pursue people based on their income, influence, or abilities. Jesus was a source of frustration to most of these types of people. When he came across a rich young ruler, who would be the target of every seeker church today, Jesus told him to sell everything he had and give it to the poor and follow Him. Jesus didn’t cater to him or tell the young ruler to give to His ministry. Jesus didn’t have to advertise. His miracles spoke loud enough. He challenged people to follow Him and if they refused, He moved on. In fact, most rejected Him and the group that was closest to Jesus were not the ones that most people would build a church around today. When crowds showed up, He didn’t try to build a mega church. He wasn’t into the latest technology. He chose to walk most places, He didn’t have a building, and He ate with the poor and sinful. We read of His treasurer and how they fought over His clothes, yet the only offering He ever took was from a little boy’s lunchbox. The twelve that He chose to delegate to were mostly dysfunctional, and I never read of a worship team or sound system. When people attend church now, they are far more caught up with the beauty and location of the building, the size of the congregation, the strength of the technical presentation, or the prestige of the people in the crowd. Sadly, most do not care to know what the church’s doctrinal beliefs are, or whether the presence of God shows up. Then we wonder why our society is so messed up. It’s because we are bent on taming the Lion of Judah?