"Beware of Christians"

Over the weekend I watched a documentary on Netflix called "Beware of Christians".  Four college age guys took a 5 week tour of Europe talking to people about what they believed regarding their identity, materialism, sex/relationships, the church, wealth/poverty, media/entertainment and alcohol.  I admit I was intrigued at the documentary title, but also a bit leery of the conclusion these 20 something boys would come to.  I watched it with my teenage son and was encouraged and convicted by what I heard and learned.

The premise of their 5 week trip was more about a personal search to find out what God had to say about the above seven topics.  They had all been well churched, but were now struggling with what they truly believed about God. 

Their findings? 

They discovered that Jesus and His teachings need to be supreme... not the church, their parents, pastor or youth leaders.  We all know that to be true, but how often do we fall prey to Satan's lies to put the opinions of man above God.  My husband and I both did that for many years.  We grew up believing the lie that our faith was measured by the way we looked and the things we did or did not do.  For me it was never stated that way outright, but somewhere along the line I believed if I was good enough, then I was complete and acceptable to Christ.  When we discovered our faith wasn't based on religion, we were set free to live out our faith in Jesus Christ.

This is exactly what the religious leaders of Jesus day were doing.  They had become accustomed to certain religious practices and turned those practices into genuine faith.  When they began to watch Jesus heal the sick on the Sabbath and eat with publicans and sinners, their undies got in a bunch and they began to accuse Jesus of not following after the Jewish faith.

As I read about Jesus' ministry the other morning, I came away feeling that hanging out with Jesus was way more fun than hob nobing with the stuffy scribes and Pharisees.  This is a relatively new thought to me (at least within the last 3-4 years), life with Jesus is rewarding and enjoyable.  I've learned that God wants me to live in grace and freedom with Him.

This is a truth that MUST be shared with the youth of our day, I think they can easily fall into the same trap of believing the Christian life is full of do's and don'ts and that we must appear sullen and somber.  That is soooooo not true!  Jesus said...

"I came that they may have life and have it abundantly."  (John 10:10)

 

Sit down with your kids and ask them what they believe Jesus meant when he told the Pharisees that He came to give them an abundant life.  Do they know this as truth in their own life?  This verse rocked my world and I can imagine it turned the Pharisees world upside down too.  It is sad that they decided to hold onto their stuffy religion rather than experiencing abundant joy in Christ.

 

Here are some verses to get excited about...

 

“Go your way. Eat the fat and drink sweet wine and send portions to anyone who has nothing ready, for this day is holy to our Lord. And do not be grieved, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.”  (Nehemiah 8:10)

 

 "Go, eat your bread with joy, and drink your wine with a merry heart, for God has already approved what you do."  (Ecclesiastes 9:7)

 

"My soul will be satisfied as with fat and rich food, and my mouth will praise you with joyful lips, when I remember you upon my bed, and meditate on you in the watches of the night; for you have been my help, and in the shadow of your wings I will sing for joy."  (Psalms 63:5-7)

 

Note: The link to "Beware of Christians" is a trailer of the movie.  I did a quick google search and couldn't come up with the actual documentary outside of Netflix.