Imagine you are a member of an ancient tribe.  The earth is chock-full of gods, but the one who lives in your area is the one who affects your life.  You have carefully groomed this deity with gifts and flattery (a.k.a., “worship”), so that he will think positively of you and grant you occasional favors.  If you have been really diligent in your flattery, you can have some reasonable expectation that your god will save you from your enemies (who, coincidentally, have the same arrangement with their gods).

As far as you can tell, the nearby tribe of Jews seems to have a similar relationship with their “Yahweh.”  Just like you, they work hard at stroking their god’s ego, and they feed him lots of whatever food he likes (Yahweh seems partial to blood and meat), and they expect him to send them a “Messiah” to crush their enemies.  Good for them.

But one of the Jewish splinter groups believes that Yahweh has already sent their Messiah, this Jesus.  Okay, whatever.  But here’s the weird part:  They are saying that their messiah is your savior, that their Yahweh has crushed your enemies.  That Jesus is not only the Messiah of the Jews, but is also the Savior of the whole world and all the people in it.  Huh?

Here’s their logic:  They say Yahweh is not just their local deity, but the Creator of everything, the God of gods (including yours).  They say Yahweh’s kindness to them is a gift, not dependent on the quality of their sacrifices and worship.  Taking the weirdness even further, they say Yahweh has been kind to them for the express purpose of extending his unconditional kindness to all people, including you.  They call this “the mystery of the ages” (Ephesians 3.6).  It’s a mystery alright…

But if they’re right, if this Jesus is what they say he is, it means the world does not work the way you think it does.  This is worth thinking about more…

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Merry Christmas from The Shack Bible Project!

(3) Shout-outs to:

• Priscilla & Quil, co-conspirators with me and Jesus, (4) who risked their lives for me.  I thank Papa for you and for all of my Immigrant friends in the Jesus-community, (5) including the group in your house.
• Nate, who was the very first Jesus-follower in Turkey.
• (6) Mary, who has worked so hard for the cause there in Rome.
• (7) My cousins Andy and June, who spent time behind bars with me. They are two of the most talented missionaries we have; they were following Jesus long before I was.
• (8) Good ol’ Pliatus. Papa is especially fond of him, and so am I.
• (9) Urban, co-conspirator with me and Jesus
• Good ol’ Stack.
• (10) Apollos, of whom Papa is especially fond.
• Aristo and the whole fam.
• (11) My cousin Rod.
• Narc and the fam.
• (12) My co-conspirators, Fannie and Fossie.
• Good ol’ Percy, workhorse for Jesus
• (13) Rufus, hand-picked by Papa to be a carrier of blessing to the world.
• And of course, Rufus’ mom.  My mom too.  Love ya, Ma!
• Sync, Flea, Mese, Pat, Mas, and that whole crowd.
• Phil, Julie, Nerus and his sister, Oleh, and all them.

(16) Everyone, just please give everybody else hugs for me. And for all the Jesus-communities everywhere.  We’re all thinking about you and cheering you on.

1. We will gracefully accept that you’re no longer treating us like your favorite purse chihuahua.
2. We will stop treating you like our owner.

Happy holidays,

- The Church

1. That I survive my time in Israel, among the many here who hate our message.
2. That my work with our friends in Jerusalem will be worthwhile and sufficient for their needs.

(32) And all this so that I can finally come spend some quality face-time with you guys. (33) Papa is at peace. May we all be with her there!

(9) The Matrix functions on the lie that problems are caused by rule-breaking.  Sarayu will prove that problems come from beliefs that do not fit with Reality.

(10) The Matrix functions on the lie that righteousness is something achieved by a few heroic individuals who can climb the religious ladder all the way up to heaven, and to hell with all the losers who can’t quite manage it.  Sarayu will show that I, the Son of Man, have ascended to Papa’s right hand, and that I’ve brought the entire world with me.  On behalf of all, in my own body I have forged human righteousness — right relations between Papa, humanity, and the rest of creation.

(11) The Matrix functions on the lie that the world will be saved by killing all the ‘bad people.’  Sarayu will show that the world will be saved only by destroying the dark power that works evil in the lives of all people.

“Sodom…serve[s] as an example of those who suffer the punishment of eternal fire” (Jude 1.7).

“However, I will restore the fortunes of Sodom and her daughters” (Ezekiel 16.53).

Eternal punishment followed by restoration.

1. Desiring good for all people
2. Enjoying everyday life
3. Living relaxed, ready to receive whatever the future brings
4. Feeling happy even while we wait for what we want
5. Treating all God’s creatures like beloved family members
6. Giving and receiving with open hands, because our stuff doesn’t own us
7. Doing what we say we’ll do
8. (23) Taking care not to hurt those we are capable of hurting
9. Behaving according to well-though-out choices, rather than according to the moment-by-moment fluctuations of brain chemistry

[The above is a commentary on Galatians 5.22-25]

1. Having sex without real intimacy, vulnerability and commitment
2. Disregarding the boundaries that keep you (and others) safe
3. (20) Arranging your life around things that aren’t worth arranging your life around
4. Trying to control things that aren’t yours to control
5. Letting hard feelings fester under the surface of your relationships, instead of dealing with conflicts head-on
6. Attacking and excluding people who have hurt you
7. (21) Valuing things more than people
8. Using pharmaceuticals and parties to avoid dealing with reality

Like I’ve told you many times, these things are poison because they are all ways to avoid receiving what we have been promised!  The Triune Life has been given to us, and these poisonous behaviors are all ways of running away from the gift!  To avoid dealing with reality is to imprison yourself inside your own toxic myths.

[The above is a commentary on Galatians 5.19-21]