Is Reality All It's Cracked Up To Be?

What is “reality”?
Fundamentally, reality is our experience. What we know and understand, what we have seen or felt. It is what our inner self tells us to be true, what we have heard to be the fact of the case and what we have confirmed with observation to be practical.

Reality is what we see, hear and feel. It is what science deals with, what we supposedly know for “certain”. It is the here-and-now, the practical, the everyday, the stuff of life.
Reality is also the basic “self-evident truths” that we think “everyone” understands to be true, such as the law of gravity.

But there is more than one reality. That which is “self-evident” to us is no such thing. To one person, the United States is the greatest country in the world, and to another it is the great Satan, causing disaster. Such value judgments are a part of reality, and both “self-evident” truths, while opposite, are equally a part of each persons reality. Both value judgments are practical for each person, and, if they each live in the U.S., the reality each lives in colors their whole world, all the time.

Why do we depend on reality?
Reality is what we depend on because it is all that we know that has worked. Reality is based on our experience and that experience tells us what can work and what can’t. If we just chose another reality, we are convinced that the other reality just wouldn’t be practical. If, for instance, we believed that we were the president of the United States, we might find it
difficult, nevertheless, to enter the White House. That reality simply wouldn’t be practical.

However, for the most part, alternate realities can work for us. Even if we think that one item is real, others can believe something different and they can live a happy, productive life in that alternative reality—perhaps even happier than the reality we choose.

But not only is reality practical for us, but we are also emotionally dependent on reality. To discover that our concept of reality isn’t true, or practical, will stress us to such a degree, that we often cannot deal with any other option. If someone looks at the blue sky and says, “What a lovely shade of red,” we would laughingly object at first. But if they insisted—no matter how calm they seemed—we would become angry at their refusal to accept the plain truth. And when we discover that we cannot actually prove to them that the sky is blue will only upset us more. Something so obvious should be understood without having to explain it, and it should be proven easily. But it isn’t. It turns out that we are emotionally attached to the fact that the sky is blue. And if anyone tells us otherwise is to not just jar our sense of reality, but it emotionally upsets us.

For this reason, reality isn’t actually something we choose. Reality is something we live with, and it takes a serious event in our lives to chose a different reality to live with. Reality, for the most part, is something handed to us by our parents, our peers, our friends, our television watching, our book reading, our

What is wrong with reality?
Reality is what we live with. It is all we know. How can it be wrong? Frankly, it is wrong because it is insufficient for most of us. The experience of most people is that our lives, our reality that we live with, isn’t enough. We are discontent—and the discontentment we feel isn’t just because we want more than what we really deserve. Rather, the life we have is just missing something. Some of us think we know what is missing. Others just feel discontent without really knowing why.

Sure, there may be a few who are completely content with their lives. They have everything they need and while they might fine tune their lives, they are pretty happy. These self contented folks are looking at all the rest of us—the majority of humanity— and telling us that we just need an attitude adjustment. They figure that the problem we have with reality is that we aren’t looking at it the right way. We just need a positive outlook, or some faith, or whatever. I guess they would look at a starving child and tell her to get a positive outlook, or a homeless drunk on the street and tell them that he just needs to get a life.

What do we really want/need?
Our discontent isn’t just mental. We have basic needs that every human must obtain or they will languish, go insane, do desperate acts and die. The real reason we are discontent with our lives—most of the time—is because our needs are not met. Perhaps we aren’t starving and we have a place to live, but that doesn’t mean that our lives are completely full of everything we need. Even the wealthiest person in the world could be the loneliness; even the most popular person in the world can be wracked with guilt. Every human, no matter who they are, no matter where they live, have six basic needs that must be satisfied:

1. Survival needs
This is the category we usually think of when we consider the “needs of the poor” or just “the needy”. This is the area of physical, bodily needs, without which we would die in short order. We all have need of nutrition, water, warmth, and sleep. We can’t live without it. Some things, however, aren’t considered in our list of needs that must be considered in an urban landscape, for instance, going to the bathroom. Have you ever been in an area of town where there the only restrooms are private ones in businesses, but you had to go… NOW? Also, health is a need. Not necessarily medicine. What we need to recognize is that there is a difference between the need we have and the particular means we use to meet that need. Medicine is one way of obtaining health. There are other ones that have greater or lesser effectiveness. Food is one way of obtaining nutrition, and depending on the kind of food you eat, it may be more or less effective for your nutritional needs. Warmth is necessary, but clothes—although the most socially acceptable method—is not the only method of obtaining warmth. Thus, the basic list is necessary, but there are a variety of methods of obtaining these needs. This is what we will find for the rest of the categories of needs as well. And no one will dispute that these are needs, either. Without nutrition, or water we suffer starvation and dehydration. Without warmth, there are various ailments we get from the cold. Without sleep, we go insane. Without health, we become ineffective and eventually die before our time. Without a place to go to the bathroom… well it gets messy. And the ultimate survival need is life itself. If our bodies do not have life, then we lack the very basic need to our existence.

2. Security
We all need to feel safe. If we do not feel that we can safely leave our houses, then we spend much of our energy just attempting to do what we need to do on a daily basis. If we do not feel safe within our homes, then we find reasons to avoid being there. Security is, for the most part, in our heads. This is why the tough man will say to the fearful boy, “Get a grip! It’s all in your head!” But fear is based on the survival need of living, and the compulsion to avoid things that cause us to lose our survival needs. We will do what we need to do to keep our job because of fear of losing our housing or food. We will be nervous the first time we drive because there are two-ton fast-moving vehicles out there that could kill us and we are suddenly in charge of one. Yes, we can call it anxiety, and it is mostly in our head, but the fears are based on a real, survival-threatening situation.

So we create situation in which we can be safe. We avoid people and situations which have caused us anxiety in the past. We create securities, sometimes having little to do with real security, in which care we can feel safe. And sometimes we attack those who make us feel fear. The foundation of war is fear, not drive for power or glory. Without some sense of security, a feeling that we can do something about the scary world that surrounds us, then we live in tremendous anxiety, always vulnerable, unable to live. If we see someone walking by and see them as a threat, we might attack them, even if they did nothing wrong. So a sense of security is necessary, not only for ourselves, but for those around us.

3. Society
Aristotle has been misquoted, “Man is a social animal.” John Donne said, “No man is an island.” Apart from their anthropomorphisms, they are absolutely right. Sometimes people drive us crazy, but we are all driven to be with people. There are hermits—exceedingly rare—but even they connect with humanity on occasion, because they find that they cannot live without other humans. A single individual cannot perpetually live without other humans. Each individual is like a puzzle piece that makes no sense, has no meaning, without other humans. Unless humans get together there is no conversation, no truth, no children, no significance, no meaning to life. Human individuals were never meant to be alone. To be isolated is the road to bitterness, to depression, to insanity.

4. Honor
The term “honor” is often associated with machismo, the strange concept that receiving respect is more important than life. But as much as we might put down the actions of the Latin male, they have put their finger on a basic need of humanity. Even if we do not all demand respect, we all need it. If a wife gets no respect from her husband, she will seethe in bitterness or languish in depression. If a business deal is not lubricated with respect, it will never happen. If polite conversation is not had with strangers, then resentment and angry words may surface. On the surface, it may seem strange to call honor a basic human need. After all, we know people who seem to live without it. But the ones who truly gain no honor, have nothing in their lives that they can tell themselves that others respect or find praiseworthy, these are the self-haters, the shamed, the useless, the fearful and the desperate. If a person has everything in their lives going well, but they lack honor, they will set aside their well-being and their very lives to obtain it. More people have committed suicide because of the need of having others honor them than depression. Yes, these honorable deaths are heroic and praised, so we don’t call them suicide, but what they really mean is that the hero didn’t take enough precautions to protect themselves. For a hero, death is not as strong as the honor that lingers far longer than one’s life.

5. Inner peace
We all deal with stress. Stress is a huge part of life, and we have systems in our bodies whose major function is to deal with the stresses we deal with. There is a good stress that uses those systems to help us accomplish things. And there is bad stress that overwhelms these systems, and makes us unbearable to be around. To deal appropriately with stress is to have inner peace, to deal with all we have around us in the best way possible. We can deal with life because we have had time to consider the best course of action in a given situation and we have the energy to take that action. To not have this inner peace is to live in turmoil, confusion, self-doubt and rejection by others. To lack inner peace, ultimately, is insanity. It is to be driven to do things that harms oneself or others in order to obtain that peace.

6. Pleasure
If you look at the various lists of needs that psychiatrists have created over a half-century of study (for instance, google Abraham Maslow), pleasure or joy is the one area that is never listed. Yes, most of us agree, we all seek pleasure. We giggle at the fundamentalists who try to separate areas of pleasure out of their lives, only to be caught up in it as hypocrites. And looking for pleasure may take up a lot of our time. But it isn’t really a “need.” Most of us sound like an alcoholic saying we don’t really need the drink. We all are in need of some pleasure, some joy. The most basic form of pleasure in interest or curiosity. We gain this pleasure simply by walking down the street and seeing the people walk by. We obtain pleasure by looking at beauty in nature, in listening to a fine piece of music. Now imagine never having any pleasure at all. Never gaining any joy. Never having interest in anything. Being completely apathetic about everything. In psychiatry they call this chronic depression. Without pleasure or joy in anything, we become listless, merciless, and suicidal.

Secondary needs
These six are the basic needs that all humans have without exception. At this point, many of us would jump up and say, “But what about housing? That wasn’t mentioned. And what about employment? What about sex? What about power? And money?” It is true, for most people these things are necessary. So why didn’t they make the list? First, because these items aren’t necessary for every human, like the top six are. In our society, these items—like money and sex—loom so large that they seem absolutely necessary to everyone. However, there are many who live without these items. There are still entire cultures that do not need money and many individuals have made the choice to live without sex. So we know that these aren’t absolutely necessary as a basic human need.

Also, these items are actually systems of meeting the needs already mentioned. Sex is significant in our lives because it is a means to many ends. Sex provides pleasure, it helps us connect with and be intimate with another human and it perpetuates the survival of humanity at large, and so it is a popular means of obtaining at least three of the six basic needs. Money is not a need in and of itself, but it is a popular method of obtaining all of the basic needs. Employment isn’t absolutely necessary, but it has proven to be a successful means to obtaining money—but employment also is in itself a system of giving honor, self-satisfaction, social interaction and sometimes pleasure to those who work in that system. But there are other means of meeting needs than that.

So I call these systems of meeting needs “secondary needs”—not absolutely necessary, but they are the systems our society and culture created in order to meet the six basic needs we all have.

Contrary needs
So back to our discussion of reality. If these are the basic needs of humanity, and our societies have developed strategies that are typically successful to meet these needs, why are most of us so miserable? Why haven't we reached utopia, where everyone’s needs are met? Because, ultimately, for the majority of people, our lives and societies have been unsuccessful in reaching a proper balance of needs for all people.

Within each of us, a battle rages between one set of needs and another. At times, our needs work harmoniously together so that we find overall satisfaction. But often our needs are in conflict against one another. For some people, a drive for something that interests them—to avoid boredom—puts them in perilous situations. These are the adventurers, those who put themselves in danger—like halfway up a steep mountainside—to keep themselves enjoying life. Sure, their security may be compromised, and they are acting against their drive for inner peace, but at least they aren’t bored. Others are so desperate for honor that allow their own lives to be threatened—the heroes as mentioned above.

And we often put our inner peace in jeopardy in order to obtain other needs. Sometimes we can’t stand to be with people, we need to be alone to regroup, but guests come over and it isn’t polite (it is dishonorable) to ask them to leave, so you stay and talk (which meets a social need, but not your peace need). Or we may stay at a job in which we are daily dishonored because we need the money to pay for our housing and food (survival needs). We make choices like this almost every day—allowing one need to be crushed in order to meet another.

Our lives are also miserable because of conflict with others. It happens so often, in our minds, that to meet our need is to not allow another person’s need to be met. For many people, to obtain honor is to dishonor another person—if you give one person lower esteem, it raises your own. For others, it is easier to obtain nutrition or rest by taking it away from other people. For others, security is maintained by making sure that other people’s security is threatened. The easiest way to meet needs, for many, is to see what fulfills other people’s needs and take it away from them to obtain it for oneself.

Thus, our society remains in conflict, and the things that meets people’s needs are passed around, the ones with the greatest resources having while others with fewer resources lacking.

One other thing takes people away from meeting their needs—the insistence of others who think they know what other’s needs are and how to meet them. This is a weird twist on “do unto others as you would have them do to them.” Have you ever had a well-meaning relative force you into an uncomfortable situation—a blind date, an unpleasant job, going to some quack—all to meet some “need” they think you must have? Well, whole groups of society are doing the same thing to the poor, the mentally ill, the elderly, the disabled, the outcasts, the lonely, the hated, the criminals. And rather than meeting the needs of the needy, they end up perpetuating the problems because they never understood what makes these specialized groups of people tick.

Needs and the Basic Human Desire
But humanity has never given up on tweeking their particular society to see if it will become the utopia they imagine is just around the corner. Idealistically, each individual human wants to see all of their own needs met and be satisfied with their lives. Some make it, but most don’t. And large groups of humanity want to see the whole of humanity have their needs met. To have one’s needs met, completely is what is called in religions, “salvation.” And it is also the needs of a large group met, if not all humanity. This “salvation” is the goal of new nations, the goal of politics, the goal of philosophy, the goal of education, the goal of most non-profits, the goal of psychiatry, the goal of economics. The basic human desire is the meeting of human needs—our own first, then our society’s and, in some cases, the worlds’.

But this basic human desire has never been met. And it is not being met for most people. Just knowing what the needs are don’t meet them. And telling people to be content doesn’t make them so. Life has always been unsatisfactory. And there is little evidence to see that it ever will be, for most people. The basic human desire, “salvation”, is perpetually beyond our grasp, although we continually imagine it to be at our fingertips.

Ultimately, our reality—all of our experience, knowledge, all that we love and are comfortable with, what we believe and what we have—is inadequate. If you consider your life to be miserable or difficult, it doesn’t meet your needs. If the people you know and agree with and share everything with are miserable and no matter how much they tried and changed in order to improve their lives, they are still miserable and without any real hope, then your reality—the reality you both share—has failed them.

What other options do we have?
If our reality is inadequate—if it doesn’t meet our needs nor the needs of the people closest to us—what can we do? I mean, reality is all there is, right? How can we get beyond the miserable existence that is part of who we are, the foundation of our very being? Well, to a certain degree, we can’t. We’re stuck with what we’ve got. But humans throughout history in every society has tried to solve this problem, to figure out what to do with reality to fix it or to at least deal with what is here. There have been four basic solutions that humans have come up with to deal with the miserable reality we live in and with:

1. Accept reality
Many have said, “Reality is what it is. There’s nothing to be done about it. As miserable as it is, we need to be content with what we’ve got.” Some have said that we can find our needs being met and our lives having meaning within the meaningless reality. In a sense, this is a trick of the mind, an illusion of the consciousness to take on a single event or person or thing and pour all meaning and languishing needs into the one aspect of life. This aspect could be a relationship, or one’s work or an event of the past which fulfills one’s life and all the missed needs or desires are pushed aside to obtain a limited contentment, at least for oneself, The basic plan of this person is to accept reality, whatever it is, however you can. If you can’t find satisfaction for anyone else, at least you can find it for oneself.

2. Search for Utopia
Others have said, “There must be someplace where one’s needs can be met.” And they go to search it out. These will look for inner peace in yoga or other kinds of meditation. They may look into counseling or psychiatry. They might go to other lands and cultures to see if they have been more successful than the culture they grew up in. And not all of these searches are fruitless. Some people have found personal meaning and satisfaction through an inner search. And some have found another culture that they were more satisfied with and that met their needs better than the reality. However, this kind of search doesn’t help everyone, nor does it ever help humanity. For every person who changes worldviews or realities and finds satisfaction in doing so, there are a million who cannot, or who find their needs unmet in the very reality that someone else finds to be paradise.

3. Attempt to change reality
Some say, “We may not have our needs met now, but in the future it will be different.” While this was popularized by Star Trek, the idea is an ancient one, promoted by such famous names as Plato, Karl Marx and Martin Luther King, Jr. They all felt that somehow, somewhere, there would be an agent of change, which would transform their respective societies as an ideal. They were all highly critical of the reality they lived in, and yet they did not despair. They saw a seed of possibility that could create a completely just society that would meet everyone’s need. And soon after their time, they each saw a partial fulfillment of their ideal, but those fulfillments did not accomplish their dreams of justice. And this is the usual end of the hope for future justice. All idealistic politics, all transformational philosophies or religions—they all begin with a dream that is partly fulfilled, but ultimately leaving the future as just a little better than it was, but falling far short of meeting human needs.

4. Connect with an alternative reality
Finally, there are some who say, “Yes, this reality is miserable and nothing can fix it. We can try all we like, but in the end we need help from outside.” There are many—frankly, most people in the world—who have some evidence of an alternative reality outside of our current knowledge. Those who adhere to this—like almost every religion in the world— believe that we can’t fix our reality ourselves. There is someone, they say, outside out reality who has a more objective perspective on our issues and problems and can actually meet our needs better than we can ourselves.

Is this so? Can we really find another reality? Is there any real proof of it? And if there is, can they really help us, is there any real way to connect to them? The greatest authority of all time on an alternative universe, Jesus, says that there is. And, he says, he knows it, because he’s been there. And we can have our needs met, if we would just accompany Him to ask the alternative reality for help. To find if this is true or not, all we have to do is ask.

High Volume Meekness

Meekness isn’t exactly in demand today. Nobody wants it. Sure, people will buy books on love, on peace, on joy, on self-discipline—but how many people want Meekness for Dummies? Microsoft Humility? (Whoa, talk about a contradiction in terms!) McLowly? Meekness just doesn’t sell.

And why should it? Meekness doesn’t comfort us, it doesn’t make us more successful, it doesn’t help us make friends or influence people. Let’s face it—the meek in our society are rejects. They are the outcasts, the people who don’t really fit in. Let’s see, who are the professional meek in the U.S.?

• Homeless
• Elderly in nursing homes
• Those living in low income housing
• Poor immigrants
• Mentally ill
• Those who work for minimum wage
• Panhandlers
• Those on Disability or Food Stamps
• Non-English speakers

Not exactly whom you want to be like? Perhaps not the friends and neighbors? Nor your usual upstanding church members? Of course not. These are not the building blocks of society, the ones who can make things change for the better, the righteous, the acceptable. Again, the meek are the rejects. Not just the unimportant, but the unwanted, the unacceptable.

And how do the middle-class church members—the Uptight Upright—treat these folks, the meek and lowly? Sometimes they treat them with pity, feeling sorry for their plight, perhaps seeing how they can help them. That’s typically the best response. If only the best response were the only response. Often the meek are treated as a “problem” that needs to be solved, the solution of which has avoided the minds of all the mighty. The meek usually are ignored by most—best not seen, not dealt with. The apathetic aren’t interested in judging the lowly, but they aren’t interested in doing anything else with them either. But there are many that do wish to judge the lowly.

These judges use the logic of Job’s friends—These meek are in the positions they are in for a reason. Perhaps in these post-modern times we do not want to use the argument of God only offering material blessings to the righteous, but we would use other arguments. “They made terrible errors in their lives, and so they ended up where they are.” “They will have to work hard like we did and then they can get out of that situation.” “This is the land of opportunity—anyone who works hard enough can get ahead.” “They just need to apply themselves.” “Lazy.” “Addicts.” “Trying to take advantage of good people.” These labels are used on the meek, even if they are not known. And if you think you are immune to this, how many times have you ignored a panhandler whom you have never seen before because, you assume, they would use the money you might give them for their addiction? This is judging by stereotype. Would we assume such things of our neighbor who lives on the same suburban street as us?

If we looked at these meek with God’s eyes, we would see that these meek are not the insignificant and hopeless as we might first have imagined. Just the opposite. We need to remember that God does not choose the powerful, the rich, the ones who already have everything in place. God chooses the needy, the insignificant, those for whom everything is falling apart. This means, biblically, when we look at our world around us, we need to see it with new eyes. Next time you see a panhandler, instead of seeing him or her with pity or disgust, think, “This is one of the ones whom God chooses.” Next time you see an elderly woman, living alone, respond, “I wonder if God will give her a son.” Next time you meet a mentally ill person, consider, “I wonder what God is going to do in this person’s life—it must be magnificent!” Next time you hear about the starving in Africa or Asia, instead of being overwhelmed with a mix of compassion and guilt, pray that God would do a work of power there.

Poverty and illness are not dead-end streets—they are opportunities for God to act.

God's Standard for Leadership

Every single leader will be judged according to this standard.
• “Did you use your wealth for frivolous living or for the needy?”

• “Did you give more leniency to the wealthy and popular than you did for the poor?”

• “In your warfare, did you harm the innocent poor because they were expendable?”

• “In your church, did you treat the homeless and mentally ill and poor as second-class citizens? Were they excluded because you considered money to be the means of entrance to fellowship? Were people unable to fellowship in restaurants and movies with you because they couldn’t afford it? Were the poor not welcome because they weren’t the same as the rest of you?”

• “In your schools, did you give fewer opportunities to have knowledge to the poor than to the wealthy of society?”

• “In your employment, do you give the poor equal opportunities for employment, even if they haven’t showered, don’t have experience or can’t work a full time job? Are they given short term employment by the wealthy who need clean up or help in their homes?”

• “In your charity distribution, did you give the poor good, nutritious food, good clothing to help them in the weather, or did you give them the items that weren’t good enough for those who could afford it?”

• “In your stores, was the cheapest food the garbage that no one could live off of, or the staples that everyone needs to live?”

• “In cheap housing, is that offered to the poorest of the poor, or only to those who could afford the medium-range prices?”

• “In the value system of your society, are the poor assumed to be immoral, simply because they were poor? Are the poor questioned and doubted when no one else would be? Is there theology that teaches that the poor are less spiritual? Is the poor of one’s family shunted aside and rejected? Does no one want to see them, simply because everyone feels so guilty just looking at them?”

'In your family, did you treat those under you with as much respect as you demanded for yourself? Did you meet their needs, as well as you could, both emotional and physical?'

If the poor are treated badly, then it is God himself that will judge. He alone defends them and will support them. And God will question each one of us according to how we treated those poorer than us. Let us pray we have a good answer. (Exodus 23:23; Matt 25:31-46; Proverbs 19:17)

Now I Know...

A Victim of Oppression

Biblical Commands to the Oppressed

Who are the oppressed?
Those who lack the basic needs of life, including food, shelter, warmth, and security, as well as those who are attacked, verbally or physically for being who they are. The oppressed could be those who are put in their situation through birth, fate or by choice.

a. Don’t worry about your needs, for God will provide for all your needs.
Do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Do not worry then, saying, 'What will we eat?' or 'What will we drink?' or 'What will we wear for clothing?' For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. Matthew 6:25, 31-34

b. Do not envy those who are privileged, for they have a sad fate which awaits them.
But as for me, my feet came close to stumbling, My steps had almost slipped. For I was envious of the arrogant As I saw the prosperity of the wicked…. When I pondered to understand this, It was troublesome in my sight Until I came into the sanctuary of God; Then I perceived their end. Surely You set them in slippery places; You cast them down to destruction. Psalm 73:2-3, 16-18

c. Do not be angry at the privileged, but trust in the Lord for justice.
Do not fret because of evildoers, Be not envious toward wrongdoers.
For they will wither quickly like the grass And fade like the green herb.
Trust in the LORD and do good; Dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness.
He will bring forth your righteousness as the light And your judgment as the noonday.
Rest in the LORD and wait patiently for Him; Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, Because of the man who carries out wicked schemes.
Cease from anger and forsake wrath; Do not fret; it leads only to evildoing.
For evildoers will be cut off, But those who wait for the LORD, they will inherit the land.
Psalm 37:2-3,6-9

d. Do not rebel against the privileged, but take what punishment they give you.
But I say to you, do not resist an evil person; but whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also. If anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, let him have your coat also. Whoever forces you to go one mile, go with him two. Give to him who asks of you, and do not turn away from him who wants to borrow from you. Matthew 5:39-42

e. Treat those over you with respect and you will gain God’s honor
Servants, be submissive to your masters with all respect, not only to those who are good and gentle, but also to those who are unreasonable. For this finds favor, if for the sake of conscience toward God a person bears up under sorrows when suffering unjustly. I Peter 2:18-19

f. Pray for justice.
Now He was telling them a parable to show that at all times they ought to pray and not to lose heart, saying, "In a certain city there was a judge who did not fear God and did not respect man. There was a widow in that city, and she kept coming to him, saying, 'Give me legal protection from my opponent.' For a while he was unwilling; but afterward he said to himself, 'Even though I do not fear God nor respect man, yet because this widow bothers me, I will give her legal protection, otherwise by continually coming she will wear me out.'" Luke 18:1-5

g. Seek human justice, privately and then in community.
If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every word may be confirmed by the evidence of two or three witnesses. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. Matthew 18:15-17

h. If you can’t get human justice, then seek God, for He is the final appeal.
You shall not afflict any widow or orphan. If you do afflict them, and they cry out to me, I will surely hear their cry; and my wrath will burn, and I will kill you with the sword, and your wives shall become widows and your children fatherless. If you lend money to any of my people with you who is poor, you shall not be to him as a creditor, and you shall not exact interest from him. If ever you take your neighbor's garment in pledge, you shall restore it to him before the sun goes down; for that is his only covering, it is his mantle for his body; in what else shall he sleep? And if he cries to me, I will hear, for I am compassionate. Exodus 22:22-27

i. Trust that God will give you justice in His time.
Trust in the LORD and do good; Dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness.
He will bring forth your righteousness as the light And your judgment as the noonday. Psalm 37: 3-4
And will not God vindicate his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them? I tell you, he will vindicate them speedily. Luke 18:7-8

j. Rejoice in your lowly state, for you are God’s chosen people.
Blessed are you poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. Blessed are you that hunger now, for you shall be satisfied. "Blessed are you that weep now, for you shall laugh. Blessed are you when men hate you, and when they exclude you and revile you, and cast out your name as evil, on account of the Son of man! Rejoice in that day, and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven; for so their fathers did to the prophets. Luke 6:20-23

k. If you have suffered in this life in God’s righteousness, then God will give you a second chance through resurrection.
And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us. Romans 5:3-5

God's Commands to the Privileged

Who are the privileged?
If you are reading this, probably you!

Those who have greater resources than anyone around them, whether through birth or fate or labor. Resources could include opportunities in wealth, education, prestige, relationship, and esteem through race, sex, social class, or any other level of status as determined by society. We should remember that we are all privileged in some way, so these commands apply to all of us in some areas of our lives. If we live in the United States, even if we are among the poorest who live here, we are most likely privileged above the majority of the rest of the world.

If you have two coats and another has none, you are privileged.
If you are able to be politically active and another is not, you are privileged.
If you have supportive relationships and another does not, you are privileged.
If you have a job and another does not, you are privileged.
If you have excess time or money and another does not, you are privileged.
If you have peace when you go to sleep at night and another does not, you are privileged.
If you have clean drinking water and another does not, you are privileged.
If you never have to worry about racial injustice and another does, you are privileged.
If you belong to the majority religion of your culture or nation, you are privileged.

So, now that we know who we are, what is our responsibility given to us from God?

a. Do not boast about your privilege.
“Thus says the LORD, "Let not a wise man boast of his wisdom, and let not the mighty man boast of his might, let not a rich man boast of his riches; but let him who boasts boast of this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the LORD who exercises lovingkindness, justice and righteousness on earth; for I delight in these things," declares the LORD.” Jeremiah 9:23-24

b. Do not use your privilege for primarily your own benefit.
But woe to you who are rich, for you are receiving your comfort in full. Woe to you who are well-fed now, for you shall be hungry. Woe to you who laugh now, for you shall mourn and weep. Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for their fathers used to treat the false prophets in the same way. Luke 6:24-26
"The land of a rich man was very productive. And he began reasoning to himself, saying, 'What shall I do, since I have no place to store my crops?' Then he said, 'This is what I will do: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, "Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years to come; take your ease, eat, drink and be merry."' But God said to him, 'You fool! This very night your soul is required of you; and now who will own what you have prepared?' So is the man who stores up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God." Luke 12:16-21

c. Use what privilege and resources you have to benefit the oppressed.
We know love by this, that He laid down His life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. But whoever has the world's goods, and sees his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him? Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth. I John 3:16-18

d. Surrender your material resources to benefit those who are needy.
Sell your possessions and give to charity; make yourselves money belts which do not wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near nor moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Luke 12:33-34

e. Set aside some of your privilege, so that God might raise you up.
When you are invited by someone to a wedding feast, do not take the place of honor, for someone more distinguished than you may have been invited by him, and he who invited you both will come and say to you, 'Give your place to this man,' and then in disgrace you proceed to occupy the last place. But when you are invited, go and recline at the last place, so that when the one who has invited you comes, he may say to you, 'Friend, move up higher'; then you will have honor in the sight of all who are at the table with you. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted." Luke 14:8-11

f. Use your privilege to make friends with the oppressed, God’s chosen, so that they might welcome you into God’s dwelling.
And I say to you, make friends for yourselves by means of the wealth of unrighteousness, so that when it fails, they will receive you into the eternal dwellings. Luke 16:9

g. Welcome the oppressed into the benefits of your privilege.
And He also went on to say to the one who had invited Him, "When you give a luncheon or a dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors, otherwise they may also invite you in return and that will be your repayment. But when you give a reception, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed, since they do not have the means to repay you; for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous." Luke 14:12-14

h. Use your privilege to create a context of justice for the needy and oppressed.
Vindicate the weak and fatherless; Do justice to the afflicted and destitute. Rescue the weak and needy; Deliver them out of the hand of the wicked. Psalm 82:3-4

i. Pay your workers their full wages on time.
Behold, the pay of the laborers who mowed your fields, and which has been withheld by you, cries out against you; and the outcry of those who did the harvesting has reached the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth. James 5:4

j. Do not cause those who are under your authority to be angry, but be at peace with all in as much as you are able.
Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger. Ephesians 6:4

k. Cheat no one, nor work for a company that cheats anyone of their wages. If you do cheat anyone of their meager resources, pay them back four times as much.
Do not defraud. Mark 10:19
Zaccheus stopped and said to the Lord, "Behold, Lord, half of my possessions I will give to the poor, and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will give back four times as much." And Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to this house, because he, too, is a son of Abraham. Luke 19:8-9

l. Repent of your sins—especially your misuse of your privilege— with tears.
Come now, you rich, weep and howl for your miseries which are coming upon you. Your riches have rotted and your garments have become moth-eaten. Your gold and your silver have rusted; and their rust will be a witness against you and will consume your flesh like fire. It is in the last days that you have stored up your treasure! James 5:1-3

m. Welcome the opportunity to be oppressed yourself, for then you will be of God’s people.
Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. Matthew 5:11-12

n. Don’t worry if you become needy through obedience to God’s commands, for God will provide for all your needs if you seek His righteousness first.
Do not worry about your life, as to what you will eat; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing…. And which of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life's span? If then you cannot do even a very little thing, why do you worry about other matters? But seek His kingdom, and these things will be added to you. Luke 12:22-23, 25-26, 31

o. If you have taken advantage of all of your privilege for your own benefit, then God will give you a second life in order to punish you.
And a poor man named Lazarus was laid at his gate, covered with sores, and longing to be fed with the crumbs which were falling from the rich man's table; besides, even the dogs were coming and licking his sores. Now the poor man died and was carried away by the angels to Abraham's bosom; and the rich man also died and was buried. In Hades he lifted up his eyes, being in torment, and saw Abraham far away and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried out and said, 'Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus so that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool off my tongue, for I am in agony in this flame.' But Abraham said, 'Child, remember that during your life you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus bad things; but now he is being comforted here, and you are in agony.’ Luke 16:20-25

How To Be Saved, Though American Middle Class

Are you rich?
You may be thinking, “I wish I was, then I could pay off my bills.” But when the Bible talks about people who are rich, it isn’t talking about how much money you have, or how much income you have. Rather, it speaks of the lifestyle you have and the amount of possessions you have. You might have debts and barely squeak by each month with your income, but if you have plenty to entertain yourself with and more than enough food, clothing and warmth, then you would be counted as rich in the Bible. Let me ask the question in a different way: Are you in the American middle class or better? If you say, “Sure, we’re middle class,” then, according to the standards of the Bible, you are rich.

If that is the case, then I just want to be honest with you. You’re in trouble. At least, you are in trouble spiritually. Probably. I’m sure that you are living pretty comfortably, but as far as your place before Jesus, you are in trouble. “Hey, wait! I’m confident in my place in Christ. I’m doing well spiritually.” You probably attend church regularly and read the Bible. Perhaps you even lead a Bible study or pray on a regular basis. All of that is great. But, according to Jesus, you are still in trouble. Jesus’ statements are very clear: “How hard it will be for those who are wealthy to enter the kingdom of God!” (Mark 10:23).

Just how hard? Jesus says well nigh impossible. Below are the stories of three rich men in Scripture and what Jesus says about their eternal destiny.

The Wealthy Entrepreneur (Luke 12:16-21)
A farmer did quite well one year and he was determining what to do with his surplus. “I know!” he said, “I will take my profit and put it into savings. I will build bigger barns, so that I can store more grain and goods for the future and then I will be able to take it easy and spend the rest of my life in pleasure.” However, God spoke to the man and said, “You idiot! You are dead tonight! And now what will be done with your ‘surplus’? Who will enjoy it now?” Jesus’ point in the parable is that the one who does not use his extra possessions, wealth or income in the manner told by God, then they will have nothing at the end of their lives.

The Man with many possessions (Mark 10:17-27)
Jesus was walking along and a man ran up to him, asking him, “Teacher, what should I do to gain eternal life?” Jesus answered, “You know the commandments in the Law—don’t commit adultery, don’t steal, don’t defraud, honor your father and mother.” The man said, “I’ve done all these things. Is that it?” Jesus looked at him and felt a love for him and so he said, “Yes—one last thing. Sell everything you have and give the proceeds to the poor. Then you will have riches in heaven. Then come and follow me.” The man walked away sadly because he had many possessions.

This man was rich not because he had a huge income or because he had an enormous amount of money in the bank. Rather, he had a lot of possessions. That is a lot like most of us, I would say. This man was hoping for eternal life while keeping what he had, but Jesus said that the only way he could gain a future life was to give up the life he had. If he surrendered his possessions and gave it all to those who had nothing, then he would be able to follow Jesus unencumbered. However, when a person has so much to give away, the task seems daunting—even impossible. But even the rich person can be saved with God’s help.

The Man in Comfort (Luke 16:19-31)
There was a man living in wealth and comfort. Every day he had sumptuous meals, and he dressed well and comfortably. He had everything going for him. Outside his door was a poor man named Lazarus who would have loved to eat just a bite of what the rich man was eating, and had such inadequate clothes that there were sores on his skin. The rich man, however, paid him no mind. Both of them were pious, and considered Abraham to be their father. But when they both died, Lazarus was taken to Abraham, while the rich man was taken to agony in dark flames. When the rich man complained to Abraham about this treatment, Abraham replied, “Son, remember that while you were alive you received your comforts and feasts. Lazarus, on the other hand, received only pain and sorrow. Now the roles are justly reversed—you are in agony and Lazarus is being comforted.”

Jesus said that the same would be true of a disciple of his. Those of his disciples who are poor would receive the kingdom of God. On the other hand, those of his disciples who are rich, who took comfort in this life, who lived in pleasure and ran around concerned about the affairs of this world—they would not receive God’s comfort in the end. (Luke 6:20-26; Mark 4:18-19)

Other places of the New Testament make it clear that the place of the rich, who live in luxury and pleasure, is eternal torment:

James says, “Come now, you rich, weep and howl for your miseries which are coming upon you. Your riches have rotted and your garments have become moth-eaten. It is in the last days that you have stored up your treasure! You have lived luxuriously on the earth and led a life of pleasure; you have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter.” James 5:1-5.

The book of Revelation condemns the church who is rich and commands them to repent or they will be punished. Revelation 3:14-22.

The teaching of Jesus and the apostles are clear: The rich person who does not repent will not be with Jesus on the last day, but will be punished and sent to eternal fire. There’s no way to get around it. It really is impossible to be rich and to enter the kingdom. Jesus wasn’t just joking—he was deadly serious. He wasn’t just talking about the one who is greedy in spirit, like a miser—he was speaking about anyone who had what was extra. Jesus wasn’t just talking to disciples who lived long ago and far away—he is speaking today and he is speaking to us.

This will mean that hundreds of thousands of those who live comfortable lives in American churches today will end up in hell. There will be whole congregations of people who heard from their pastors that a person can live in pleasure and full contentment on earth and still gain salvation on the last day. I am here to tell you that it is a lie. I don’t want to condemn you or anyone else. However, God’s word is clear. Those who live for their entertainment, those who build up possessions for their own pleasure, those who store away for their future comfort—all of these people are condemned to die by Jesus. On the final day, perhaps you who are reading this tract will go before Jesus and he will say, “Go from me, I never knew you.” You will reply to him, “But, Lord, I received you as a child and believed in you my whole life.” And he will reply to you, “Why do you call me ‘Lord’ but you have never done what I told you to? If you really believed you would have acted for the sake of the poor.”

There is a solution. We can be saved. We can gain peace with God. We can gain the salvation of Jesus. But I’ll be honest with you—the path to salvation is hard for us. We will require God’s grace and Spirit and perhaps even a miracle from him to be able to accomplish this salvation. The path Jesus requires of us is to live a lifestyle of helping the poor.

Jesus said to all of his disciples, “Sell your possessions and give to the poor and make yourselves an unfailing treasure in heaven, for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Luke 12:33-34)

He also said, “Make friends for yourselves by using the wealth of unrighteousness, so that when it is gone, those friends of yours will welcome you into eternal dwellings.” (Luke 16:9)

On the final day, Jesus will welcome those who enter God’s kingdom by saying, “I was hungry and you gave me something to eat. I was naked and you clothed me. I was a stranger and you gave me hospitality. I was in prison and you came to me.” Then the righteous will answer him, “When did we do these things?” And Jesus will reply, “When you did it to one of my poor disciples, then you did it to me.” (Matthew 25:34-40).

In the earliest days of the church, the apostles took in quite a bit of money from the disciples, but didn’t use it for a building program, but instead provided for the poor among them. (Acts 4:34-35)

Paul also firmly supported this way of salvation for the rich: “Timothy, teach those who have wealth not to focus on gaining more wealth, but to be generous and to share their wealth with the needy so that they will have security for eternity and gain true life.” (I Timothy 6:17-19)

Practically, how does one do this? How can we live a lifestyle of serving the poor? Scripturally, there are three models to do this:

The Disciples’ Model—
Renouncing wealth and the gaining of wealth (Mark 1:16-20; Mark 10:28-30)
Peter and James and John were fisherman with their own businesses. They made a living and were content. Then Jesus came along and said, “Come and follow me.” At that point they knew what they needed to do. They dropped what they were doing, quit their work, left their families and followed Jesus to go where he went. While they may have looked back on occasion (John 21:3), they knew that the way to follow Jesus was the way of renouncing what one had and the lifestyle of comfort and pleasure. Instead, they were to dedicate all of their time and energy in giving the gospel to whoever needed it. Peter referred to this, later in the ministry, and Jesus replied, “Everyone who has renounced their family, land and occupation for my sake and for the gospel’s will gain ten times as much in this life through my disciples—along with suffering through persecutions— and in the age to come, eternal life.”

Even so, we can live in this manner. We can renounce all that we have—sell all that we have, give to those who are in greater need than us and then not collect any more. Jesus said, “Do not store up treasures on earth, but store up treasures in heaven.” And he makes it clear that storing up treasures in heaven means continuing to give what you have to those in need (Luke 12:33-34). This seems like the hardest thing to do, but in some ways it is the simplest. Once you have renounced your wealth, you need not worry about it again.

The Zaccheus Model—
Continually giving to the poor from one’s income (Luke 19:1-10)
Zaccheus was a wealthy tax collector and he was hated by the Jews of his community. He was rich, he was powerful and he was clearly in sin, after all, he was the chief of all tax collectors in the region! When Jesus honored him by being willing to stay in his house, all of the righteous of the community complained. Zaccheus then summarized his manner of maintaining righteousness—he would continually give half of his income to the poor and if he cheated anyone, he would repay them four times as much. Jesus declared Zaccheus righteous and a true inheritor of the kingdom of God, even though he was a tax collector, because he was doing what was righteous.

Even so, we can live in this manner. If we receive a continuous income, then we can be generous of that income and give to the poor. Not just give to those who are already wealthy, but give to those in real need. And like Zaccheus, we must not think that a simple ten percent of our giving is enough—not if we can still live in luxury on even fifteen percent of what is left. Instead, let us give generously and continuously. We keep what we know we need to live on and then give away the rest. Also, whatever clothes or food that we receive but do not need, let us give it away to the poor.

The Philemon Model—
Providing hospitality for the poor from all of one’s resources (Philemon 1:1-22)
Philemon was wealthy—very wealthy. He had a large household to run and slaves to run it. But he was a strong believer and determined that what he had would be made available to the poor of the kingdom of God. He was known to show love to all those who followed Christ. He invited the church of his community to meet in his house, and whenever a church worker was passing through, he invited them into his house to stay there as long as they needed. Paul had used his house before and was planning to use it again.

Even so, we can live in this manner. Whatever we have: a house, a car, a spare room, extra clothes, extra food, room in our church, room in our garage, extra time—let us use all these things for the sake of the poor, especially the needy in our church. Let us consider what we have and think how it can be used for the poor.

These models seem difficult—and so they are. Jesus himself said that the way of salvation is difficult. But it is the way of salvation. There is no way out. If we want eternal life, we need to live a life of love, of justice and of mercy. We need to surrender our lives for the sake of God. And God asks us to surrender our possessions to the poor. Let us do so with joy, not with hesitation or complaining. For to do this is to gain more out of life now, and to gain life with Christ eternally.

Anawim: The Cross In Community

Jesus did not just come to teach and die for his own personal gain—just so he could be risen and lifted up to political heights. He came to establish a kingdom. He did not want to establish a kingdom made up of one person alone, but of a community that lives in and for God. He suffered for others, to create a place where God’s people can live in peace and security. But the big question for the Jews of the first century, as well as the Christians in every century since, is: What characterizes the people of God?

Jesus uses a number of terms for his people who participate his kingdom: “Little ones” (Luke 17:2), “little flock” (Luke 12:32), “my brothers” (Matthew 28:10) and more. Most of the titles he gives are diminutives, indicating the humble state of those who follow him. Some of the most curious titles he gives for his people, however, are those found in the Beatitudes—“The poor”, “The poor in spirit”, “the meek”. Again, these indicate the humility of those who follow Jesus, but they seem more extreme than those found in other places.

There is a single Hebrew source for these three titles (“poor”, “poor in spirit”, “meek”): the word anawim. It is used extensively in the Hebrew Scriptures, all of which the word would usually be translated “the poor”. In all of the contexts that the word is found, though, the poor that are indicated are the oppressed poor who cry out to Yahweh for deliverance out of their situation.

An excellent example of this is the passage Jesus quotes in the Beatitudes, and that might be the source of the theological concept of the Beatitudes—Psalm 37. Jesus quotes verse 11, “the anawim shall inherit the earth.” In this Psalm, it is described that though the righteous suffer and are oppressed under the hands of the wicked, yet the anawim should not take vengeance against the wicked, or do evil in any way to get themselves out of the situation. Rather, they are to trust in God, and God will arrange reality around the justice of their situation. The wicked will perish at God’s hand and the anawim will be raised up—granted land, provision and leadership.

This theological context goes hand-in-hand with the background behind the Beatitudes. Jesus is describing a people who are oppressed and suffer under hardship and persecution due to obeying the message he is teaching. Because of these circumstances, his people are poor, mourning and desiring justice. But they remain righteous in these circumstances, being merciful, completely devoted to God and creating peace in the situation. Because of this, God rewards these “poor” and exalts them, granting them all they need and even the rule of the world.

This “story” constitutes the foundation of Jesus’ answer to one of the great debates in the first century Jewish world. As many scholars have recently proclaimed, there was not one monolithic “Judaism” of the first century, but in fact many constructs on how to follow Moses’ approach to God. The differences between the various groups rest basically on one question: “What kind of people does God accept?” All the various debates about forgiveness, circumcision, Sabbath-keeping, separated or integrated communities and other arguments all rest on this one question.

Jesus’ answer to this question, as found in the Beatitudes and other gospel teachings, is summarized thus: The people of God is the anawim. They are the people so devoted to Him and so merciful to others that they are persecuted for it. God will see their suffering and cause them to be delivered from it.

More specifically, the community of Jesus is described as follows:

Pure in Heart: The Anawim is a devoted community
The basis of the community of God is to “love the Lord your God with all of your heart, with all of your mind, with all of your heart and with all of your soul.” (Mark 12) This is a complete devotion, the opposite of which is idolatry. But idolatry is not just concerned with traditional images of worship, but also untraditional ones, such as money, one’s family and possessions (Luke 12, 14, 16). Jesus warns that none of these things should stand before one’s devotion to God, if one wishes to be of the people of God. Also one’s obedience should be to God first, above the traditions of humans. (Mark 7). And traditional acts of devotion to God should be done for the purpose of devotion, not for one’s personal gain on earth (Matthew 6:1-)

Merciful: The Anawim is an ethical community
The community of God not only is devoted to God but is devoted to doing the actions of God. The primary action of God is mercy, or love. In other words, the Anawim are deeply involved in doing acts that benefit others. The benevolent acts of the Anawim are not exclusive, either, picking and choosing carefully those who deserve care or not. Rather, the Anawim do good to even those who do evil to them—no one is excluded. They give to the needy, they tell the truth to those who are ignorant, they heal the sick, they release the oppressed—all without charge or necessarily gaining anything back.

Kingdom of God: The Anawim is a political community
The community of God is the nation of God. This nation is a political entity, under authority and using authority. They have a king, the Messiah, the human representative of God on earth, who is appointed to sit at the right hand of the Father, ruling the heavens and earth (Matthew 28:18). The community of God acts like a political entity, a group with authority. They command powers on earth (Matthew 10:8); they pronounce whether one is acceptable or unacceptable before God (John 20:23); they make judgements as a court and punish those who refuse to repent (Matthew 18:15-17); they offer welfare to the needy (Luke 12:33; Acts 4:32-35); they have their own official messengers, delivering pronouncements from their king (Luke 9:1-2; Matthew 28:19-20); they have a police that provides security, if needed (Matthew 26:53; Acts 12:1-12).

The Earth: The Anawim is an ambitious community
Suprisingly enough, the Anawim has ambitions. They are in competition with the other nations of the world, vying for power. The ambition of the people of God is to rule the earth, under his Messiah, Jesus. Nevertheless, they are an alternative community, not having come unto their own yet. But soon, they are confident, the king will recognize them and raise them to the political authority they desire. But they know that the only way to obtain their rightful position, they must remain lowly and await their king’s justice. (Mark 10:42-45; Luke 18:7-8)

Hunger for Justice shall be satisfied: The Anawim is a dependant community
The Anawim recognizes that they will not gain justice in the world on their own. They desire to see wrongs righted and justice rule. But the justice they seek will not be gained by them manipulating positions and obtaining more and more power. The power they need is already available—it rests in God alone (Luke 18:7). The power of God is the “secret weapon” of the Anawim. Although they are outcast, although they are needy, although it looks like they have nothing to help them politically, in fact, they have the greatest political tool—the promise of the king of the universe that he will establish them to rule, if only they will be humble and cry to him. Thus, the Anawim continues to cry out to God, relying on him alone, and waiting for him to create justice.

Persecuted: The Anawim is a suffering community
The community of God is not like the communities around them. Others find them to be “judgmental” because they hold to a strict standard. But they can judge no person, they only do what they must to obtain God’s kingdom. Nevertheless, they are hated and rejected. Sometimes they are arrested and put on trial. And sometimes they are beaten and killed for their difference. But all of this is a part of God’s plan, and they trust in Him to gain greatness on the other side of the persecution.

The Poor: The Anawim is a community made up of the poor and outcast
The community of God is not made up of the great and powerful. Those have made their choices to obtain power by their own effort and the powers of this age and world. They do so for their own glory or their own ideals to be realized in this age. The Anawim are those who have given up the path of the world to take on the way of the cross. The way of the cross does not seek greatness straightforwardly, but via the way of humility, of downward mobility, of dishonor before honor. The way of the cross does not focus on one’s own effort or money or popularity, but depends on the power of God. The way of the cross does not uphold one’s own ideals, but the will of God.

Thus, all who follow the way of the cross, are the Anawim—the poor, those rejected by the powerful of the world. They are the ones who obtain blessings of God and the powerful take advantage of them to obtain such blessings. The anawim shrug their shoulders and say, “The Lord gives, the Lord takes away. Blessed be the name of the Lord.” Then they await God’s justice. The anawim give to those in greater need than they and depend on God to provide them with greater blessings than they can give away. The anawim are rejected and hated for all the wrong reasons, even the reasons that are technically correct. The anawim are idiots for taking the long route, for not getting what they can now, while they can. Certainly, this is how it looks to those without faith—but to the anawim, suffering and rejection is all part of the plan to obtain joy unceasing.

The Lowly Are Raised

“Jesus endured the cross, disregarding the shame for the joy set before him.” (Hebrews 12:2)

But what joy is there is taking up a cross, being mocked and beaten, and then suffocating to death? What joy is there in being rejected by one’s rulers and condemned to die by a Roman governor? What joy can there be in suffering, in being executed as an innocent? The good part of the cross is not what Jesus had to endure, but the great parts that come later.
Jesus said, “Whoever lowers himself will be raised.” (Luke 14:11). This was true of Jesus, who lowered himself to a death on a cross, and then gained resurrection and so much more. It is also true of us! If we lower ourselves to the faithfulness that Jesus himself displayed, then we receive the same benefits that Jesus himself received. “The promise by the faith of Jesus Christ will be given to those who are faithful.” (Galatians 3:22)

But what promise, what benefits? What are the wages the worker of the cross receives? There are seven major benefits:

1. Being accepted by God
The people of God are in exile. They are thrown out of God’s kingdom because of their rebellion against Him. While this was not true of Jesus—Jesus was always accepted by God and he had no sins to be forgiven—yet he still had to prove his obedience. Because of his obedience under trial, he was able to demonstrate his faithfulness to God, thus allowing him to be welcome in God’s court in heaven. (Hebrews 5:8-9). Even so, if we display the faithfulness that Jesus showed, then we too are able to be forgiven of our rebellion, enter God’s court, make requests of him and to listen to Him (Acts 26:18; John 15:7).

2. Overcoming powers
When Jesus accepted the way of the cross, he was dead to himself and his own desires—his desires no longer had control over him (Mark 14:36, 38). After he died at the hand of the rulers of God’s people, neither they, nor the Romans had control over him. Because one who had died can no longer be controlled by anyone (Romans 7:1-2). Even so, if we accept the cross, our desires no longer have control over us (I Peter 4:1-2). If we die in Jesus, all the powers of heaven and earth that try to control us no longer have control, because we are under Jesus’ authority alone. No other authority determines our destiny—even if they punish us, we are under Jesus and gain Jesus’ reward (Romans 8:35-39).

3. Resurrection
On the third day after Jesus was executed, he was raised from the dead by the power of God (Luke 24:6-7). Jesus knew that this would happen, for it was promised that the one who lowered himself for God’s purposes would be raised (I Samuel 2:7-8). And if this promise is true for Jesus, it is true for everyone who has faith like Jesus (Romans 8:17). Anyone who is in Jesus will be raised from the dead (I Thessalonians 4:16-17).

4. Political Rule
Jesus not only was risen from the dead for his faithfulness, but he also was lifted up to heaven, above every power in heaven and earth, to sit beside the Father and to act as the greatest power over heaven under the Father (Acts 5:31;Hebrews 1:1-3). Even so, everyone who endures hardship and suffering for God will gain some measure of political power in God’s kingdom (Psalm 37:11; Matthew 5:5,9; 16:24-28). And those who lower themselves the most will gain the greatest amount of authority in the kingdom (Mark 10:43-44).

5. Release of the Spirit
Once Jesus was resurrected, he was able to display his power as the Authority of God by releasing the Spirit of God to all who displayed the faith of Jesus (Ephesians 4:8; Acts 2:33). The Spirit is the power of God to do God’s word and to accomplish the promises of God on earth—even healings and resurrections (John 14:26; Mark 16:17-18). The one who has lived in the faith of cross also has the power of the Spirit in their lives (Acts 2:38).

6. Acceptance for others
Because Jesus died on the cross, he was able to create the kingdom of God and he provided a place for those who have his faith (Romans 5:6-11). He died not only for himself, but for the benefit of others (Mark 10:45). Even so, our faith of the cross is not only for ourselves, but also provides a way for others to live in Christ. Through what we endure in faithfulness, we provide opportunities for others to enter into the kingdom of God (Colossians 1:24; II Corinthians 5:18-21).

7. The Peace of God
God has promised his people a land to live where there is justice with no war; satisfaction with no theft; contentment with no greed; relationship with God with no sin (Ezekiel 36:24-38). But these promises are only for those who live the faith of Jesus—only those who have taken up the cross in their own lives will gain God’s promises (Matthew 5:3-12).


Life in God is ours—but only if we take up the cross!

Is God A Bigot?

At first glance, this seems like a silly question. After all, God is the most moral of all beings, then of course he would not be driven by bigotry, by racism, by prejudice of any kind. He would be, as Paul said, “No respecter of persons.” But this question is not as clearly answered as you might think. If you accept the Bible as the best representative of who God is, the communication of God to people, then God’s perspective is not very clear…

The Death Penalty for Canaanites
The most prejudiced, racist passages in the Bible have to do with God’s commands concerning the Canaanites. From the time of Noah, Canaan was cursed because of the actions of his father against Noah. Canaan’s children were much later targeted for destruction as a group by God for the Israelites. And the Israelites were not to leave even their children or cattle alive. This is clear racial and national prejudice against a people. (Genesis 9:22-27; Deuteronomy 7:1-3; Exodus 23:22-24; Deuteronomy 20:16-18; Joshua 6:16-21)

However, to look at these passages is not to see the whole story. First of all, God was not destroying a people, but a way of life that was in opposition to Him. He wanted the Israelites to destroy the Canaanites because those nations would seduce the Israelites to worship their gods and to participate in their evil sexual practices. Also, God rescinded all of the commands to destroy the Canaanites long before the time of King David. And from that time, God did not utter a command to destroy a whole race again. (Deuteronomy 20:17-18; Leviticus 18:24-25; Judges 2:1-3)

Preference to the Race of Israel
God also, it seems, is racially biased toward the children of Abraham, specifically in Jacob’s line, called the children of Israel. He seems particularly interested in keeping this line racially pure and pours out all of his blessings on this people alone. (Genesis 17:18-19; Genesis 24:3-4; Genesis 28:1-5, 13-15; Ezra 9:1-5.)

However, again, this is only looking at half the story. God was not preserving a race of people, but a way of life, as exemplified by the ten commandments. Anyone of any race is welcome to participate in the people of Israel, although they might have to wait some time, as long as they are willing to conform to the way of life that God instructed the people of Israel to live. In fact, people of every race married into Israel, including Egyptians, Africans, Arabs and even Canaanites. Israel was not supposed to be the most racially pure nation, but the most racially impure, accepting everyone who is willing to be devoted to God. In this way, Israel becomes a blessing and the salvation of all the nations, no matter what ancestry or race. (Genesis 12:1-3; Deuteronomy 23:3-8; Isaiah 66:18-21; Genesis 38:2; Ruth 4:10-22; Acts 2:7-11)

Preference to the nation of Israel
Well, then, if God isn’t racially biased, then perhaps he is nationally biased—a prejudice based on what nation one belongs to. After all, he reserves his greatest blessings on earth—prophets and the Holy Spirit—only for those who are in the nation of Israel. And He says that only those who are in the kingdom of God—the full realization of the nation of Israel—will gain the future blessings of resurrection, no sorrow and eternal life. Why should God pick one nation out of the whole earth for this blessing? (Matthew 15:24; Romans 9:4-5; Genesis 12:1-2; Psalm 132:13-18)
While it is true that God has chosen the one nation, Israel, to be the focus of his blessings, not everyone in Israel will receive these blessings. Those who cause others to stumble, who oppress others will be thrown out of God’s kingdom. And even so, God promises that everyone who comes to God through faith in Jesus and who lives like Jesus will be in the kingdom of God. Thus, God is more concerned about devotion to Him than He is about belonging to a nation. To be in Jesus is to be in the kingdom of God, which is the real Israel. (Matthew 8:10-12; Matthew 13:41-42; Romans 10:9-10)

Another thing that people are concerned about is the modern-day nation of Israel. Do they receive God’s blessings because they are his chosen nation? No. Just because a nation calls itself “Israel” doesn’t mean that they are the people of promise. The true Israel today are those who live Jesus. No one else qualifies, especially those who act in opposition to God’s law. (Romans 9:30-33)

Condemnation of the Jews
In the New Testament, however, there seems to be another issue of racial prejudice. Even as the Old Testament seems to be racially in favor of the Jews, the NT seems to be racially opposed to the Jews. There are many passages that condemn the Jews and even curse them! Isn’t that just a different kind of racial prejudice? (Acts 13:45-46; I Thessalonians 2:14-16)

There is a lot of confusion because of the word “Jew” and the idea of it as a racial term. However, since almost all the writers who used the term “Jew” in a negative sense were racially Jewish themselves, they weren’t condemning Jews as a race. They were using the term Judean, not Jew, to speak of those who thought that one’s citizenship in the nation of Judea is what will give one salvation. The NT teaches that it is one’s citizenship in the kingdom of God through Jesus that is significant, not in Judea. Thus, the Judeans persistently opposed the Christians and persecuted them. The NT writers condemned the Judeans who persecuted them because they were opposed to God’s plan. (Revelation 3:9; Acts 26:20-21; John 12:10-11)

Preference to Christians
Isn’t it unfair, however, that God seems to say that only those who believe in Jesus are going to be saved? What about all of those who have not even heard of Jesus? And it is certainly prejudiced to say that only one religion is right, when there are so many options, isn’t it? (Acts 4:12; John 14:6)

On the other hand, to believe in Jesus is not in any way culturally or racially or linguistically centered. All God wants is that the people who would receive his best blessings would believe in what He has done and to live the life he has chosen us to live. This is the only way for us to obtain the blessings of obedience, of inner peace and the Holy Spirit—if we trust in who He has revealed himself to be and not just our own imaginations. If we refuse God’s work for us, or refuse his blessings, then understandably we would have no connection to God. But this is not because God has rejected us, or any individual. It is because that individual rejected God. If someone has never heard of Jesus, God will deal mercifully with that person. But if someone knows of what Jesus did, and sees that it is God’s truth, but refused it, how can God give that person His full blessings? God will not force anyone to receive his gifts—they have to accept it willingly. And Jesus is the way to gain God’s blessings. (Hebrews 11:6; Romans 3:22-26; John 5:36-47)

God is not a bigot, but treats everyone equally, according to His own terms.

Israel and the People of God

What is Israel?
“Israel” was originally the God-given name for Jacob (Genesis 35:10). At the same time, it is the name given to the nation that Jacob was initiating through his faith in God and his children (Genesis 25:23; Exodus 19:6). Israel was consistently used as a name for a political entity that was established by the God of the earth, Yahweh (II Samuel 7:23). Thus, “Israel” is both a political entity, as well as a religious one—the nation established by God.

God’s promises are for Israel
The focus of God’s promises are for his people, whom he calls Israel (Psalm 105:10-11). Israel is the children of Abraham, the descendents of Jacob, who has Yahweh as their God (Exodus 3:15). God has taken these people and delivered them from the nations and established a government through Moses (Exodus 6:6). God also give them a land, called Palestine or Canaan (Psalm 135:10-12). Then he gave Jerusalem (also known as Zion) to be their capital, which was the center of his presence on earth (I Kings 8:1). Then God allowed many other ethnic groups to be a part of his people—and they were all called Israel (Deuteronomy 23:7-8). God has promised this people, Israel, to have a much larger land, to be prosperous, to have justice, to be secure from all the nations surrounding them and to eventually rule the whole world. God’s people, Israel, will receive this freedom, this salvation (Isaiah 14:1-4).

God’s promises are not for all of Israel
Throughout Israel’s history, portions of the population of the political entity, Israel, has been unfaithful to God (Jeremiah 3:1-11). God has not taken a blind eye to the false worship of his people, but has rejected anyone who is devoted to another god or those who are rebelliously disobedient to the true God (Jeremiah 5:23-29). God did not give the rebellious Israel his promises, but rather discipline and judgement. Ultimately, God says, those in Israel who are rebellious against him will receive none of the promises. Thus, not all who are a part of the political entity, Israel, are a part of the promised people of God, who is also called Israel (Isaiah 65:11-17).

The leadership of Israel is often rejected by God
Israel’s leadership is not always right before God, and in fact, often they have been so evil that God had them removed (I Samuel 15:26). The standard of God in his law is the basis for upholding or rejecting leadership. If a leader in Israel acts rebelliously against God, then he is punished (I Kings 16:7-13). If he repents, the punishment is limited to just discipline (I Kings 21:20-29). But if he continues in rebellion against God, then he is removed. If he oppresses others, serves other powers or leads his people in disobedience to God, then he is set aside as an unworthy ruler of God.

Modern Judaism is not the background of Christianity
People often confuse the people who are today called “Jews”—both the ethnic group and the religious group—with the biblical concept of “Israel” or ancient Judaism. Ancient Judaism is obedience of God through the law of Moses, and it is centered on the priesthood of the sons of Aaron and sacrifices. When the temple was destroyed in 70AD, not to be rebuilt yet in 2000 years, that Judaism was destroyed. No one was able to strictly obey the law of Moses, for so much of it had to do with a tabernacle or temple, which no longer existed. From this, two kinds of Judaism emerged to determine how God’s people were to live without a temple. One kind is called Rabbinic Judaism, which reinterpreted Mosaic law to be practiced without a temple, and specified certain kinds of interpretations of Moses that was beyond the biblical text. This is the basis of modern Judaism. Those who are called “Jews” today are the children of those who adopted the practices of Rabbinic Judaism—which only became ethnically focused through centuries of separation from other nations. The other form of post-temple Judaism is now called Christianity. The most popular form of Christianity that emerged is the Gentile form, but the original form was deeply connected with Ancient Judaism (Matthew 5:17-18). However, Rabbinic Judaism has little to do with the Judaism that Christianity emerged from.

Modern Israel is not the promised Israel
Ancient Judaism is based on the governmental contract that God made with Israel through Moses, called the Mosaic Covenant (Exodus 24:1-12). Christianity is based on the governmental contract that God made with the followers of Jesus called the New Covenant (Luke 22:15-20). Rabbinic Judaism is based on the teachings of Rabbis that followed the Pharisaic governmental assumptions. All three of these have two things in common: they are governmental systems (such as a constitution with a body of laws), and they are based on the faithfulness of every member of the society and government to God. Modern Israel, although it borrows the name of the ancient government, has only this in common with the ancient government—that it assumes that its citizens are mostly made up of children of Abraham. But Modern Israel is established by a modern, secular constitution. It is ruled by people who are not faithful to the living God. And its laws are created by man, not established by God. It allows the breaking of the ten commandments, while it punishes some who are trying to live right before God. If Modern Israel could be called “Israel” at all, it is not the Israel of the promise, and it must be set aside before God will once again rule over the land of promise.

The true Israel of promise
Today, the true Israel are found among those people who are faithful to God (Romans 4:13). Jesus demonstrated this faithfulness through his ministry and through his death on the cross (Hebrews 12:1-2). If anyone is to be faithful to God, they must follow the way of the ancient saints and Jesus—they must be ready to lay down their lives for remaining faithful to God (Hebrews 11:1-12:4). They must not hand themselves over for a political entity that will eventually be set aside for God’s kingdom (Acts 5:1-20). Rather, in every way, in all their lives, with all of their heart, soul, mind and strength, they must be faithful to God (Mark 12:28-34). Then, no matter what nationality they are, no matter what ethnicity, not matter what language they speak, they are a part of the true Israel (Revelation 5:9-10). God has not set aside Israel for the church—rather, he has expanded Israel to include people of every nation and kingdom who, through Jesus, have remained faithful to him (Romans 11:17).

The Israelis are still most important to God—and the true Israelis are those who are faithful to God through Jesus. Not those who just claim God as theirs, not those who just proclaim the name of Jesus, not those who just cry out to God for help, not those who just study God’s word, not those who just rely on Jesus’ death to save them. (Isaiah 1:15-20,29:13-14) Rather, those who have followed the true way of Abraham, the true way of Jesus, the true way of Israel—the way of enduring faithfulness, obedience and love of God no matter what suffering one must endure to get it (Romans 5:1-5). Those people alone will obtain the promised Israel of God.

Common Misconceptions About Heaven

Talk about life after death scares some people and makes most people uncomfortable. We don’t like dealing with the many different ideas that seem so contradictory, even if everyone talking about it is a Christian. Usually, someone’s idea of life after death is related to their idea of what a perfect existence is, or should be. We are all striving for some sort of utopia or perfect state that everyone can live in. In this essay, I can’t promise that there won’t be controversial statements, or things you disagree with. But it is on the internet so you can read it in the privacy of your own computer, and complain about me if you don’t like what I’m saying without me having to hear it!

There is a lot that is assumed about life after death in Scripture, and so not explicitly stated. Because of this, many people have made guesses about heaven, trying to figure out what it’s all about. But in doing this, they have misunderstood what our life after death is really about.

Heaven is a spiritual existence
Most people think that in heaven we will be living without our bodies. This makes sense in some people’s philosophy, since they think that our bodies is what’s wrong with us. The Bible makes it clear, however, that the hope of eternal life is a physical life, being restored to our bodies which are perfected. (I Corinthians 15:36-43; John 5:28-29) Our bodies now are sick and full of mental weaknesses and pains. In the final day, however, our bodies will be restored to us, but without sickness, without suffering, fully healthy, without death.

There is no perfection for us without being both a physical and spiritual being. This is how we were created—both dirt and spirit mixed into a wonderful composition of life. And our eternal life will be no different.

Heaven is where my friends go
Death is frightening and it is painful. It makes us separate from our friends and loved family much too soon. So we often say to ourselves, “We will see them again in heaven. This isn’t a permanent separation, but only temporary.” However, the Bible gives us little assurance or comfort in this. First of all, every person must be judged by God to determine whether they will live in Jesus or live in eternal darkness. And God is the one who judges, not us. If we were perfectly in tune with God’s will, like Jesus is, then we could have a good notion of who would be with God and who would not. But it is interesting that Paul, one of the greatest saints who ever lived, said that he could not judge even himself. (I Corinthians 4:3-4).

Even so, we typically do not have enough information about those we love or knowledge of God’s will to make a determination of someone’s eternal state. Everyone, Scripture says, will be resurrected. But some will be resurrected to reward, and others to condemnation. Who are we to judge, here and now, who will get one destiny and one the other? We can make guesses, but to simply say, “I know they will be with us” is a kind untruth we tell ourselves. We must instead hand all judgment to God, who is the Judge of heaven and earth.

“Heaven” is in heaven
The very name “heaven” for our life with God leads us to a misconception. The idea is that we will live with God in the clouds for all eternity is a common, even stereotyped, idea of the Christian eternal life. However, even the location of our eternal life is misplaced.

It is true that our first existence after death will be without our bodies, in heaven. We see some of these folks in Revelation 6. However, they are begging God for a change in the world. Why is this? Because their place is on the earth, transformed by God. Jesus’ second “coming” means him coming to earth, to establish the kingdom of God here. Eternal life isn’t something we are going to, it is something that is coming to us, to change the existence we currently live in.

Heaven is boring
Many people think that heaven must be boring. We see this in cartoons of heaven—sitting on clouds, with wings, playing harps. This might be some Greek fantasy of bliss, but not the Christian ideal. First of all, Jesus said that on the final day many who are not followers of Jesus would remain in the kingdom of God, if they have assisted persecuted believers on earth (Matthew 25:31-40). So this means that there will be a mix of believers and unbelievers on the earth. Secondly, the resurrected believers Jesus calls to himself will be given positions of authority to rule over the world. (Luke 22:29-30; Luke 19:15-19). This means that there will be no sitting around, bored our of our minds. Instead, the resurrection means that we will be assisting Jesus in establishing peace and justice throughout the world, not as a small part of a democratic society, but as an integral part of a benevolent monarchy. Transformation of the earth is not an instant miracle, it is, rather, an ongoing miracle which we will be a part of.

And what will we do in our time off? Well, think about our resurrected bodies for a moment. We will have bodies just like Jesus. And Jesus could transport himself, instantly, from one place to another distant place (Luke 24:31-36; Acts 8:39-40). And, remember, after the resurrection there is no death, we are immortal (I Corinthians 15:26). What are the implications of this? Well, this is speculative, but I’m looking forward to exploring Jupiter. Some others might want to explore the bottom of the ocean. At the very least, we can all get our travel fantasies in. Want to visit the ruins of Thailand?—poof!

Heaven is eternal worship of God
Some people look at certain scenes in the book of Revelation and see that heaven is filled with worship of God. This has led some to speculate that eternal life will be one long worship session. I can see some, especially worship leaders, thinking this would be wonderful, for they would be exercising their gifts all the time. However, for those of us who are less musically inclined or gifted at worship, this doesn’t sound so great.

A careful examination of the scenes of Revelation, we find the heavenly creatures not simply worshipping God, but that is simply the preamble of God establishing justice on earth. And when God does establish justice, he uses his messengers and servants to fulfill His will. This gives us a more well-rounded idea of what eternal life will be like. We will be assisting God to create justice on earth. Yes, there will be worship of God, even as there is now. But eternity is not simply about worshipping God. If God wanted creatures to simply worship Him, He could have created people to be simply worshipping creatures. Rather, God created humanity to be ruling creatures, people who would follow His will to establish His rule over all the earth (Psalm 8). Eternal life is about reigning with God, not simply about honoring God.

Heaven is eternal bliss
For most people, their idea of eternal life is perfection. There is little difference between many Christians’ idea of heaven and a Buddhist Nirvana. It is eternal happiness, with no pain or sorrow, in unity with God, and there is no difficulties or mistakes.

The Scriptural idea of heaven isn’t as blissful as all that. Yes, it says that in the end there will be no tears (Revelation 21:3-4). But this really means that there will be no death or grieving for death, and a government that creates perfect justice. This doesn’t mean that there will be no pain. If we step on a nail, I hope it causes us a little bit of pain so we don’t have a bunch of stuff sticking into us. Mistakes will be made, but hopefully they will be corrected. We will probably be just as apt to make errors in our speech then as now, but we will be more likely to apologize for our mistakes and more likely to be forgiven. There will still be work, still be challenges, still be goals—this is the implication of ruling and the need to rule. But it will be work that suits us, challenges we can meet and goals that will be fulfilled. This isn’t exactly bliss, but it will be a life worth living.

Heaven is after we die
One of the strangest statements Jesus makes is that the future is now here, with us (John 5:25; Matt. 10:7; Luke 17:21). Jesus told the poor disciples that the kingdom IS theirs, not will be. And Jesus was preaching about the immediacy of God’s future. Certainly we can see how this is true in Jesus’ day. Jesus was the king and the presence of the future, so wherever Jesus was, the kingdom existed. But Jesus also said that His Spirit would rest on his people when He left. So, instead of having on representation of the kingdom on earth, Jesus left a hundred. A hundred people who would establish Jesus’ mercy to others, establish pockets of His justice and do miracles as Jesus did (John 14:12-21).

Thus the kingdom of God, Jesus says, is like a mustard seed. It is small at the beginning, having only one or twelve representatives. But over time, that seed of the future will grow and expand. The whole earth will be covered by this future only when Jesus arrives, but the work of mercy and justice and peace must be established now.

The big difference is that if we attempt to create pockets of Jesus’ mercy and justice, we will be persecuted for it, even killed. We have a hard time getting the resources we need for it. We have to convince others to join us in establishing Jesus’ peace. In Jesus’ future, we will have all the resources we need. We will never be harmed for doing what is right. And we will not be overwhelmed by the task. But even so, we can have a taste of that future now. Now is the day of salvation, now is the time to work together to create pockets of heaven, so we will be ready for it when it comes.