Thought on Matthew 23:23

 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and ^[a]cumin, and have neglected the weightier provisions of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness; but these are the things you should have done without neglecting the others.²⁴ You blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel! Matt 23:23-24 (NASB)

We were watching a videos on YouTube the other night ( video here) and it was talking about how we as Christians tend to get caught up in little things instead of worrying about the big issues that Jesus focuses on. This was something that struck us, early in the video the guy talks about how people in Christan circles will get all upset about these hot button issues such as cursing but don't worry about the issues Jesus spent the most time on such as caring for poor. 

The verses in Matthew are not saying we shouldn't worry about the little things but that we should also worry about the major issues. I am not writing this to condemn anyone because I am just as guilty but we need to be examining how we view people, how we interact with people and maybe change what we are doing. 

One of the issues I hear some Christians talking about is music and how we (that is Christians) should only listen to music that is "Christian" but our feeling (that is Rae & I) is that God can use all kinds of different things to speak to our hearts and uplift us. This does not mean that everything that comes out on CD is beneficial for us to partake in, but what we to have to do is look at from the perspective of does it contradict our Bible in anyway if it does then we have to throw it out, if it does not the next question is does it speak to us because if it speaks and doesn't contradict our Bible then God can use it. 

I feel that by limiting how we interact with God we are putting him in a box, God does not belong in a box. In the same way I am a terrible Baptist because I feel that the translation of the Bible is not a big issue, I hear so many people who get all caught up on only using King James cause "it's the only one that is right," my thought is any Bible that we read that is in English had to be translated from the original Hebrew and Greek and thus can have translation problems, and today (assuming you get a mainstream translation) there are enough quality control parameters in place that we can feel confident that what we are reading is accurate. 

My other problem is that personally I can't do my Bible reading or study time out of a King James (I know I keep picking on that one but its just because that's what I have to use anytime I do anything in church here), I cant read that ye old English and understand it without rereading it many times because my mind doesn't think in those language patterns and so I would simply get frustrated and quit reading if that's what I had to use all the time. I feel that I'm at least of average intelligence, but I just cant get anything out of studying the KJV.  

My next question: is it fair to say to someone who cant understand that old English that they must read it or that is the only "true Bible"? I say no. I am sure some of you are aware where me and Rae meet (it was Camp David of the Ozarks, its a Bible camp for at risk kids) the point is those kids many of them even at 14 have a hard time reading simple books (think Bernstein Bears) and there is no way that they would be able to read or listen to scripture in that old language and get anything out of it, so the kids have NIrV (there are some problems with this translation as well), that translation is written more on their level so they were able to read it and get something out of it, and for many of them this was the first Bible they had held, it was the first time they had a Bible of their own and they were so excited. 

My question is, is it better for someone to have a Bible and being reading it even if it isn't the "right or most holy translation," then to have that KJV and not being reading it. I am not, I repeat not trying to cause trouble or to change what everyone believes, but I would just like it if people, before they condemn how someone approaches God, to stop and think "is this an important enough reason to get into the argument or is it important enough to attack the other person and cut them down?"

 I feel that God reaches us were we are, and thus the delivery method is not important. I'm not trying to rock the boat just for the sake of rocking the boat, here in the Philippines I have taken over doing the sermon/lesson on Wednesday and I use the KJV from the pulpit because that is what is expected by the pater of the church, as well as that is what the people are used to, but for me doing my prep for the lessons I still use my NASB because I understand what the scriptures are saying, God speaks to me through that translation, but maybe not to everyone.

If we read through our gospels and look at how Jesus healed people who were blind he did it differently each time, the major reason I believe he did this because he didn't want us to put God in a box or think there was only one way to do things. There is only one way to be saved and have eternal life and there is one true God but other then that many other things are up to what works for you. God is big enough to use anything. The main idea of the video, and I feel it is correct, is that we get so caught up in looking good to our church friends and removing the behaviors that "good Christians" don't do that we forget about what is most important. We forget about taking care of the people in need, we forget about the family down the street that cant afford food, we forget about the person who is sick in the hospital; because we are so worried about bringing enough people into the church building. 

What we really need to be worried about is the people who are there, once again I know I'm not good at this, but when you come to church on Sunday and you ask people how they are, do you really care?  What if the person was to say this is been a bad week I've lost my job and the rent is due and I don't have the money. How would you respond? Now I know most of the time the conversation doesn't go like that but the question about how you are doing is returned with a simple "Good" or "I'm fine". 

Why is it that we are so afraid to share our struggles and problems with our fellow brother and sisters? Is it because we don't believe they will care, or will help? Have we become so conditioned to not help the people in need who are right in front of us that we feel everyone else is the same way so why bother asking for help, for none will be given? I feel we are called to help our fellow believers and those not yet in a church community, I feel that we are called to leave the church building and go to people were they are, I feel that God doesn't care where a person is, God calls us to reach out to people no matter their situation. 

Our churches were never meant to be museum to show off the perfect little righteous people, our churches were and are supposed to be a hospital for the sick, a place of comfort and guidance for the lost. I worry that we as Christians care so much about our outside appearance that we don't do what Jesus teaches. We are supposed to be in Christ's image, we are supposed to be showing Christ to the world. Jesus condemned the Pharisees for caring about the outward appearance and said they were whitewashing tombs. This imagery is powerful, think about it: why would you spend the time and money it would take to clean up and decorate a tomb when nobody is going to see it? Jesus was saying here that somethings are important and other things aren't, why are you worried about the things that aren't important? So much of the time we as Christians get all caught up on things that in and of themselves are not bad but they take away from our true mission to do Gods will. We simply put to many distractions in front of us.

Ive been doing some thinking and reflecting, meeting in church on Sunday and Wednesday is great, we are called to fellowship, and it can be a great time for getting built back up to go and face the world, but I think that at least some of the time maybe we should leave the building on Sunday and go knock on doors of our neighbors and see if there is something they need. It could be a person needs a meal or ride to the store, or it could be a person is going through some kind of personal strife  and maybe simply need someone to talk to or a shoulder to cry on. 

Maybe I'm reading my Bible wrong and if that's the case I would want someone to explain to me where I made my mistake, but I don't ever remember God or Jesus telling us that we are to get together on Sunday and Wednesday, song 4 songs take and offering, make announcements and sit and listen to sermons, then have an alter call. The way I read about Jesus' ministry, because he is the one we are to emulate, he even talks about how the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head, so we are supposed to be in the world reaching people where they are and we are supposed to be so focused that we don't care if we are sleeping on the side of the road. To me being a Christian doesn't mean looking neat and perfect and only coming to God in our Sunday best, what it means is that we will be in the world reaching out to people, it means that we will be messy, it means people will be mad at us, it means people will make snide remarks but we are supposed to be Christ like, if you read through your Bible you will come across many times that Jesus was belittled, but did he stop his ministry because of it. (In case you don't know that's a big no.)

I fear that so many churches are missing the point, that so many churches are caught up on 'we need to build a new building' or 'do another program.' I feel this is the wrong approach because building more church buildings and doing programs makes people come to us, and the people who most need to see who God aren't going to come to us, we need to go to them. To me this means that if people are in bars or strip clubs or on the corner selling drugs that is were we are called to go, but we as Christians won't (these are generalizations) because those places aren't holy or we are worried that we might be seen or who will see us. 

Jesus for example in his time was hanging out with people who were the dregs of society, he was with the prostitutes and tax collectors. I feel that if Jesus were in our day and age he would be going to that man buying drugs on the street, he would be talking with that girl who is stripping, he would be in the bars talking to the man about how alcohol wont take the pain away, about how He is the only one who can take the pain away. If we look at Jesus' ministry he would go to the people in need, and then more often then not, he would care for the physical needs of the people, and he would use that so that he could then save their soul. We need to be reaching down into the dirt and filth of this word and pulling people up from it and toward God, because if we as the hands and feet of God don't, then who will? 

Joshua 24:15 ...as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD. (KJV) 

How many of us have said that verse or made the commitment to serve the Lord but have failed to care for the people on the street, have failed to care for the widow and orphan? If we don't care for the people Jesus commanded us to, then how can we serve him? Maybe its being in another country, maybe its working in ministry in a semi-professional capacity, but I have seen so many people hurting since we have been here and doesn't seem like anything is being done about it, but then thinking back to home, how many times have I walked past someone who was hurting and didn't realize, or worse didn't care because I was so caught up in my own little world; I was so worried about getting home and enjoying my time off of work. As I wright this I know it has the potential to hurt people, but I also know God is putting it on mine and Rae's heart that so many of the churches we know of are failing at doing what God has called us to do and if we as Christians don't fix it then it wont ever change. 

I know, especially after writing this, that the verse at the top of the page ^"You blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel! Matt 23", is speaking right to me, because I have laid this out to challenge people to become more unified and to make strides to become more like Christ but I am accountable to this as well so that means I will have to get better at doing what Christ commands and demands too.