A Biblical appraisal of the Mosaïek Conversations held at the Mosaïek Church in Fairlands, Johannesburg in Sept. 2010
Mosaïek Conversations: Session 4 “Following Jesus into Galilee then and now” – by Trevor Hudson
Before I venture to evaluate Trevor Hudson’s very humble and moving talk in the light of Scripture I need to remind my readers that the biblical concept of following Jesus of Nazareth is not so much about “where to here on earth” but “how to here on terra firma according to God’s will.” Is it so important to make this distinction? Yes! because it inevitably defines and clarifies the person you are following – the real Jesus of the Bible or a counterfeit Jesus. To illustrate I would like to quote Stephan Joubert who said:
It’s not so much our beliefs, but our integrity in terms of following Jesus in the smallest details of our lives through service, sacrifice, humility and generosity that will provide intelligible answers to the right questions here in our day.
Joubert firmly states that he believes Jesus is the only Way, Truth and Life (John 14:6) and yet when we consider what he says in the above quotation it is rather difficult to believe that he really means what he says he believes. Allow me to insert in brackets what he believes to illustrate to you the dangerous paradox in his above statement.
Don’t get me wrong — I believe John 14:6 with my whole heart: Jesus is the way, the truth and the life. He is the only One! But I also know that people who don’t believe this will probably never be convinced if I keep on providing them with unintelligible answers to even stranger questions. Their question to me/us would probably be something like: “Show me the money! Show me in your own life what it menas (sic) to follow Jesus, then we could probably have a conversation!” It’s not so much our beliefs [such as our belief that Jesus is the only Way, Truth and Life], but our integrity in terms of following Jesus in the smallest details of our lives through service, sacrifice, humility and generosity that will provide intelligible answers to the right questions here in our day.
This reminds me of what Theo Geyser, the brother of Johan Geyser of the Mosaïek Church in Fairlands Johannesburg, said in his God dishonoring series of programs on SABC2 “What Does God Think of Us.” He said:
What if the approach need (sic) to be like Jesus, to be more interested in the person than in the method or the expression of their faith?
If people can never be convinced by the biblical doctrine and the Holy Spirit that Jesus is the only Way, Truth and Life what makes Stephan Joubert think that his puny efforts through service, sacrifice, humility and generosity can accomplish such a great supernatural feat? The audacious contemplation of such an impossibility does not come from a heart molded in humility but in downright arrogance, conceitedness and pride. Sorry Jesus, your teaching that you are the only Way, Truth and Life may be infallibly true but there is something more congenial and seeker-friendly that might just do the trick to convince hard-hearted people of your uniqueness as the only Way, Truth and Life and that is our service, sacrifice, humility and generosity.”
The rabble who witnessed Jesus Christ’s crucifixion also wanted Him to SHOW them that He was the Son of God by shouting: “He saved others; himself he cannot save. If he be the King of Israel, let him now come down from the cross, and we will believe him [Matthew 27:42]. Show us that you are the Son of the Living God by coming down from the cross and we could probably have a conversation.” Suffice to say at this stage, is that to follow the real Jesus of the Bible does not necessarily immunize you against persecution, tribulation and poverty. The church at Smyrna did not suffer poverty (“penia,” the normal Greek word used for poverty) but extreme poverty (“ptōcheian”). Imagine the residents of Smyrna coming to the local church and asking them: ““Show us the money! Show us in your own life what it means to follow Jesus, then we could probably have a conversation!” Their chronic poverty would have disqualified them immediately as followers of Jesus, that’s if following Him was measured by the amount of money one has and one’s generous giving. Stephan Joubert would probably have told them to sell their church, give the money to the poor and follow Jesus as he had done at a conference held at the Moreleta Park DRC where George Barna appeared as guest speaker earlier this year. Judas Iscariot said something very similar when he hypocritically took a stance in favor of the poor: “Why was not this ointment sold for three hundred pence, and given to the poor? [John 12:5]
According to Joubert, life’s most profound questions such as “what are we doing here and where are we going?” are not answered intelligibly by the truth that Jesus is the only Way, Truth and Life but by our own good works and efforts in “following Him in the smallest details of our lives through service, sacrifice, humility and generosity.” God Himself says that His Word (doctrines, including the doctrine that Jesus is the only Way, Truth and Life) “is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” (It reveals and brings to light the real character and intentions of everyone whose life’s questions are supposedly never answered by God’s Word) [Hebrews 4:12]. “No, no, no, no, you’ve got it all wrong, dear God,” Stephan Joubert would say. “It is not your Word (the doctrine that Jesus is the only Way, Truth and Life)) that provides all the answers to post-modern man’s questions. It is our pious following of Jesus into the severest storms and our humble service, compassion and generosity that opens their eyes to the Truth.
Trevor Hudson had a wonderful opportunity to portray Jesus in his most glorious office as the Saviour of the world. Indeed, had he stuck to the biblical text and introduced the city of Galilee and its wicked inhabitants truthfully (respected historians and Bible scholars agree that Galilee was one of the most wickedest and sinful cities in the time of Jesus), he would have glorified the Light that entered into a place where the people dwelt in utter darkness (sin and ignorance of the Truth) [Matthew 4:15-16]. No wonder it was depicted as a place where darkness prevailed and where people lived in the shadow of death. Like a true modern-day emergent follower of Jesus Christ, Trevor Hudson completely ignores the central message of Jesus’ mission to Galilee and uncermoniously abandons the “abstract” teachings of Jesus in favor of a more humble and compassionate approach to the problems in Galilee.
The very first thing Trevor Hudson brings to our attention is not that Galilee’s inhabitants, rich and poor, needed to hear the Gospel of salvation so that they may be saved but the painful contrast between the sacandalous oppolence of Herod and his family as opposed to the raw needs of the people. “That was Galilee?” Really? If that was the total sum of Galilee then Jesus’s great light shone into the darkness merely to illuminate and temporally alleviate the painful contrast between the rich and the poor. Moreover, Trevor Hudson says exactly what Stephan Joubert said so opulently and lavishly beautiful about Jesus (the only Way, Truth and Life) not being the final answer to today’s complex questions; NO! the answers to their problems lie in our “following [of] Jesus in the smallest details of our lives through service, sacrifice, humility and generosity.” The overwhelming human need, divisions and animostity between the Jews and the Gentiles could not, in Trevor Hudson’s estimate, be resolved by any abstract truth but through personal involvement in the alleviation of the raw human needs of the people in Galilee. Who are they following – Jesus, Mother Teresa or Alice Bailey? It can’t be Jesus of the Bible because He lauded the raw needs (poverty) of the Church at Smyrna in the Book of Revelation and the painful contrast between the opulence of the rich and the famous and the extremely poor church in Smyrna.
I know your works and tribulation and poverty (but you are rich), and I know the blasphemy of those saying themselves to be Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan. Do not at all fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the Devil will cast some of you into prison, so that you may be tried. And you will have tribulation ten days. Be faithful to death, and I will give you the crown of life. [Revelation 2:9-10]
Of the seven churches to whom John had to write only two, Smyrna (the extremely poverty stricken church) and Philadelphia were not rebuked. Doesn’t that say something to Stephan Joubert and Trevor Hudson, or are they so stubbornly blinded by their own macho service, sacrifice, humility and generosity that they cannot see the blessings of being poor and suffering tribulation? Listen up chappies, this is not and has never been about narrowing the gap between the rich and the poor and the alleviation of the modern-day Galileans’ suffering and their overwhelming need. Its about remaining faithful to Jesus Christ unto death and He will give you the glorious crown of life when you meet Him face to face one day. Stephan Joubert and Trevor Hudson seems to agree wholeheartedly with Alice Bailey who under the guidance of the demon, Djwhal Khul, said the following:
“It is time that the church woke up to its true mission, which is to materialize the kingdom of God on earth, today, here and now . . . People are no longer interested in a possible heavenly state or a probable hell. They need to learn that the kingdom is here, and must express itself on earth . . . The way into that kingdom is the way that Christ trod. It involves the sacrifice of the personal self for the good of the world, and the service of humanity . . .“1 (Emphasis added).
“The kingdom and the service!…
“We must grasp this; we must realize that we shall find release only in the service of the kingdom. We have been held too long by the dogmas of the past, and there is today a natural revolt against the idea of individual salvation through the blood sacrifice of Christ.… It is essential that today we face the problem of the relation of Christ to the modern world, and dare to see the truth, without any theological bias . . .It is quite possible that Christ is far more inclusive than we have been led to believe… We have preached a God of love and have spread a doctrine of hate. We have taught that Christ died to save the world and have endeavored to show that only believers could be saved . . . But Christ founded a kingdom on earth, wherein all God’s children would have equal opportunity of expressing themselves as sons of the Father. This, many Christians find impossible to accept . . . “Individual salvation is surely selfish in its interest and its origin. We must serve in order to be saved, and only can we serve intelligently if we believe in the divinity of all men and also in Christ’s outstanding service to the race. The kingdom is a kingdom of servers, for every saved soul must without compromise join the ranks of those who ceaselessly serve their fellow men.“2
What Bailey says so enticingly and derogatorily outright about Christ being the only Saviour, i.e. “We have been held too long by the dogmas of the past, and there is today a natural revolt against the idea of individual salvation through the blood sacrifice of Christ . . .” Stephan Joubert says with tongue in cheek. As a matter of fact, Joubert is slightly more subtle and far more dangerous in his approach to Christ’s doctrine that He is the only Way and Truth and Life. He says it with his mouth but conveniently sets it aside in his heart in favour of the notion that service, sacrifice, humility and generosity provides the answers to this life’s complex questions (Matthew 15:8, 9). Really? Not even Christ’s unselfish service to the multitudes in his day solved life’s complex questions in the Roman Empire. As I’ve already proven from Revelation 2 and verses 9 and 10, not even God’s people were immune to poverty and often suffered the consequences of having far too little. Moreover, Jesus never commanded his disciples to enter their own Galilees to encounter the raw needs of every poverty stricken person because THAT is supposedly the place where Jesus Christ meets us, “when we open our lives to real encounters with real people in real suffering, Christ comes to us, meets us, shapes, disturbs us, forms us [and] maybe even transforms us.” God’s meeting place with sinners is the cross of Jesus Christ – only come to the cross. The erroneous teaching that Christ meets us when we encounter the raw needs of other people stems from the lie that Jesus is in everyone and everyone is in Jesus. To substantiate their misconception they refer you to Jesus’ words in Matthew 25:40 “Truly I say to you, Inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brothers, you have done it to Me.” [Matthew 25:40]. This is nothing else but heretic Campola-lism Here’s what Tony Campola says:
One of the most startling discoveries of my life was the realization that the Jesus that I love, the Jesus who died for me on Calvary, that Jesus, is waiting, mystically and wonderfully, in every person I meet. I find Jesus everywhere.3 . . .
I do not mean that others represent Jesus for us. I mean that Jesus actually is present in each other person.” . . . and That a new humanity will be brought forth from this Christ consciousness in each person.4
. . . .what can I say to an Islamic brother who has fed the hungry, and clothed the naked? You say, “But he hasn’t a personal relationship with Christ.” I would argue with that. And I would say from a Christian perspective, in as much as you did it to the least of these you did it unto Christ. You did have a personal relationship with Christ, you just didn’t know it.5 (Emphasis added) [And this gentleman, a heretic in the true sense of the word, was invited by the Moreleta Park DRC to be their guest speaker at the Missions Fest in February 2010. It shows how far the Moreleta Park DRC has wandered down the apostasy path].
Tony Campola, Stephan Joubert, Trevor Hudson, Johan Geyser et al have an intimate marital relationship with their wives but they just don’t know it? Really? What a terrible insult this must be to their wives and if so, how much more must it be an insult to almighty God and his Son, Jesus Christ, when some people allegedly have a relationship with Him but they just don’t know it yet? Not only is it an insult but a blatant denial of God’s prerogative for salvation. Listen to his words in John 17: 3
And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent. [John 17:3]
Well, if you read Matthew 25:40 with blinkers over your eyes you won’t notice that Jesus was referring to his brothers and not every Tom, Dick and Harry who shuns his cross as mere foolishness (1 Corinthians 1:18). Who are his brothers and sisters? Well, He Himself once said:
But he answered and said unto him that told him, Who is my mother? and who are my brethren? And he stretched forth his hand toward his disciples, and said, Behold my mother and my brethren! For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother. [Matthew 12:48-50]
How do you know you are one of his brethren? Whoever embraces and clings to Christ’s cross as God’s only and ultimate power to save and sanctify repentant sinners is doing the will of the Father. And that is precisely why Jesus said: “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me?” Denying oneself is to do what Peter did when he denied his Lord, only in this instance it means to say to yourself “I don’t know you and your base selfish desires. In fact, I never want to know you.” Taking up your cross does not mean, as some Christians believe, to suffer any ill consequences due to any ill or unpleasant circumstances. You often hear Christians say: “I am desperately ill but I am prepared to bear this cross” or “My own family hate me because I believe in Jesus but I accept it as a cross I must bear.” That’s not taking up your cross. The cross was an instrument of death and when Jesus said to take up your cross He meant that you and I should die to our own egos (desires and self-will) so that we may live for God. Living a life of service, sacrifice, humility and generosity may win you the accolades of your fellowmen and the world but it is not the way to follow Jesus. There is only one way to follow Him (Matthew 16:24; Romans 6:1-4, 11).
There are many professing Christians who claim to follow Him but in fact are following another Jesus, simply because they have changed the concept of “following Jesus” into an altruistic endeavour of their own design. In their estimation the more you reach out in sacrificial love, compassion and service to the poor, the downtrodden, the marginalized and everyone who suffers, the better you are following Him. Hence the Emergent Church’s besotted infatuation with Mother Teresa who cared for the sick and dying in Calcutta, India but never presented them with the saving Gospel of Jesus Christ. Stephan Joubert’s altruism has inspired him to follow Jesus even into the heart of every storm (I call this macho spiritual jargon).
Everything is different nowadays. Above is below. Below is upside down. Nothing is safe, fixed or predictable any more. It feels like life is out of control. . . . Well, here’s an important newsflash: Today’s world is all over the show. It is chaotic. The solution is not to try and get everything and everyone artificially back under control. There’s a better way: Follow Jesus into the heart of every storm. He thrives in storms, as I learn in John 6 and Matthew 14 (Read here).
It is evident that the emergent fraternity’s notion of following Jesus of Nazareth has everything to do with following Him into certain situations and circumstances (like raging storms) and nothing with His own definition of it. If this had been the way Jesus Christ intended his disciples to follow Him He would have been no different from Buddha who said “Whoever serves the sick and suffering, serves me.” After his so-called enlightenment the Buddha and his followers went from place to place spreading his Dharma (teachings) which revolved mainly around their altruistic work amongst the suffering and the destitute. Wherever they went they helped poor beggars, slave girls and the underdogs. He allegedly never became angry, not even at his opponents, but always encouraged people to have compassion for each other. In fact, compassion was the virtue that proved the genuineness of his followers’ discipleship.
We shall see, as we continue, that there is a major difference between a humanitarian kind of compassion and a divinely inspired compassion that comes to fruition only when you follow Jesus Christ according to his will (Mark 8:34). A Humanitarian compassion relates only to the temporal alleviation of man’s suffering on earth whilst a godly compassion reaches out to fallen man with the Gospel of Jesus Christ so that he may be saved from the righteous wrath and judgment of God. Allow me to elaborate. Natural disasters such as tsunamis, earthquakes, tornadoes as well as crimes against humanity, including murder, rape and child abuse together with pandemic diseases such as AIDS and poverty are events and circumstances that easily awaken the compassion gene, if I may call it that, in people who really care about others. Even Hollywood actors and world-renown pop artists who openly and publically admit to their irreligious resolve become involved in some of the most compassionate humanitarian organizations. They are usually the ones who reach deep into their pockets and liberally give their money to alleviate the suffering of the victims. That’s great! We ought to do that! However, this is as far as it goes — their pockets.
How did Jesus react to disasters? One thing is certain, He never asked Judas who was the treasurer of their little band of twelve apostles (John 13:29), to give money to the victims. Indeed, He had no need of this, simply because He miraculously fed the hungry, healed the blind, the lame and the sick and resurrected the dead without any dependence on their financial resources. And yet He dared to say that his followers would do greater things. What is greater than the resurrection of the dead? There is but one thing and one thing alone, and that is to present lost sinners with the Gospel of God so that they may be saved for all eternity. Jesus was so deeply inflamed with his love for the lost that at times He seemed to be a little less compassionate than the Buddha. Consider the following event in the life of Jesus and ask yourself whether his response to disaster was the normal compassionate one you would expect of any compassionately inclined person. Incidentally, this incident relates to Galilee, the city into which his followers are encouraged to follow Him.
JUST AT that time there [arrived] some people who informed Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices. And He replied by saying to them, Do you think that these Galileans were greater sinners than all the other Galileans because they have suffered in this way? I tell you, No; but unless you repent (change your mind for the better and heartily amend your ways, with abhorrence of your past sins), you will all likewise perish and be lost eternally. Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them – do you think that they were more guilty offenders (debtors) than all the others who dwelt in Jerusalem? I tell you, No; but unless you repent (change your mind for the better and heartily amend your ways, with abhorrence of your past sins), you will all likewise perish and be lost eternally. (Luke 13:1-5)
I can only imagine what Trevor Hudson, and his fellow Christ followers would have said to Jesus if they’d been there on that historic day.
“Jesus, are you telling the people to ‘turn or burn?’ Could you not have shown a little more compassion by first offering your sincere condolences to the families who lost loved ones in the disasters instead of throwing them into the deep end of your doctrinal stance on salvation and bluntly telling them to repent lest they should be cast in hell and tormented for all eternity in its unquenchable flame? We would like to think that your harsh words ‘Unless you repent, you will likewise perish and be lost eternally’ is not what we think it is, – “turn or burn.” Is it what you meant when you said those terrible words? If that is what you meant, you need to repent and ask for forgiveness because you turned the beautiful word “repent” (“metanoia”) into something so horrible that no one can relate to you and follow you into Galilee.”
Let us now, at the behest of Trevor Hudson, begin to follow Jesus into Galilee where Pilate mixed the blood of many Galileans with their sacrifices and where Jesus spoke very frankly about the need for repentance and the destination of those who refuse to repent. Consequently it may be a good thing to start off with Trevor Hudson’s personal opinion about repentance and to compare it with Jesus Christ’s outlook on repentance.
“That’s not what Jesus said?” No! Jesus never said “turn or burn” on that particular occasion but there were many other moments in his ministry when He said similar things to warn unrepentant sinners of their impending doom in hell. Perhaps we should not only follow Jesus into Galilee but everywhere else he went to get the full picture of his doctrine of the Lake of Fire. Here now follow some of the things He said as a warning to those who are unrepentant.
And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched: Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched. And if thy foot offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter halt into life, than having two feet to be cast into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched: Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched. And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out: it is better for thee to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye, than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire: Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched. [Mark 9:43-48]
Anyone may try to do some gymnastic somersaults around Jesus’ words but they will never be able to blame you for putting words in his mouth when you assent to his above words like one of his true followers into Galilee. The precondition for anyone to escape God’s righteous judgment is to repent (TURN) or bear the consequences in an eternal burning and unquenchable flame (BURN). In spite of Jesus’ emphatic demand for repentance and his lucid clarification of the consequences for those who remain unrepentant, Trevor Hudson boldly declares that repentance simply means to “let ‘God’ be ‘God.’” Yes! of course the Kingdom of God is within everyone’s reach and it is indeed for everyone but is the requirement to enter into God’s Kingdom simply to “let ‘God’ be ‘God?’” Imagine Jesus saying: “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and ‘let God be God’”. [Mark 1:15]. Can you imagine what Peter would have had to say on the Day of Pentecost if Trevor Hudson’s kind of repentance to “let ‘God’ be ‘God’” was true?
Then Peter said unto them, “Let God be God, stop being so arrogant by thinking that you are in charge and stop playing God in your life and everyone else’s life as well. To repent you need to go on a journey from there to letting God be God. Does that make sense? Huh? Huh? Let Him be the God of compassion to you, in you, through you to others; let Him be the God of mercy to you, in you, through you to others; let Him be the God of justice to you, in you, through you to others and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.” [Acts 2:38]
Letting God be God is NOT , I repeat, is NOT the Gospel and neither is merely believing that God is here, huh? huh? In fact, the maxim “let God be God” is a man-made concoction with a purpose to promote the interfaith movement worldwide. In an article written by Max Ediger, the Coordinator of Interfaith Cooperation Forum (ICF supports regional religious partnerships in working together for the transformation of society), he quotes a young man, Kim Houn an attendee of the “School of Peace (SOP) in 2007, who said:
“I’m an oppressor! . . . As a Christian, I put God in a box and controlled the way God was supposed to relate to Muslims, Buddhists and Hindus. I didn’t want God to love them or to accept them unless they changed to be like me. [What does he mean? Does he mean to be like him in the sense of being saved? Paul once said: "Whether short or long, I would to God that not only you, but also all who are listening to me today, might become such as I am, except for these chains" (Acts 26:28-29). What he actutally means is that peoples of other faiths do not need to become redeemed Christians in order to follow Jesus. They can remain in their repsective faiths and still be ardent followers of Jesus]. When I go back to my home country, I am going to open the box and let God be God. And then I am going to follow God instead of trying to lead God.”
This is the kind of jargon you constantly hear among so-called Christ-followers who have fallen prey to the fallacious arguments the Emergent Church uses to silence those who cling to God’s doctrines,; they are quick to tell you ”You’re putting God in a box,” or “you’re controlling the way God is supposed to relate to people of other faiths” and “your’e trying to change people to be like you. Well, of course it is wrong to try and change someone into your own image. That’s not what a true follower of Jesus Christ should aspire to do. His primary concern should be to present the Gospel (Good News) to people of other faiths so that they may be saved for all eternity and ultimately be transformed into the image of God’s Son, Jesus Christ.
Like so many other vitally important doctrines in the Bible the word “metanoia” (repent) has been so grossly distorted by the emergent fraternity that it has taken on a completely different meaning from its original usage. As you’ve heard from our audio clip above Trevor Hudson says that “The one thing I think I’ve discovered is that repentance doesn’t happen once and never happens again. Repentance is the doorway into the journey [and] it’s the pathway of the journey.” Jesus never said that repentance is the doorway into the journey and the pathway of the journey. He categorically stated that HE HIMSELF IS THE DOOR that leads into God’s Kingdom (John 10:9). Hudson is putting words in Jesus’ mouth.
Stephan Joubert upholds the very same heretic view of the meaning of repentance. On page 8 of the brochure that was handed out at the Mosaic Congress held at the Mosaïek Church in Fairlands, Johannesburg from 4 to 5 September 2009, he quoted Thomas Moore from his book “Writing in the sand. Jesus and the Soul in the Gospels”
Metanoia is the process by which you enter the kingdom. [Ron Martoia says the very same thing: "Helping others identify and get in touch with the image of God in them is more of a process than a one-time transaction. And seeing the gospel through imago Dei calls for an apologetic that begins relationally, not just rationally"]. Jesus asks for a deep shift in worldview . . . One of the most difficult things to do is to change the way you imagine your place in life. Nothing is more challenging. On the other hand, once this takes place, nothing could be more vitalizing. Truly, it’s as if you are born a second time. Your eyes open to a different world . . . Metanoia comes at great cost. You are to give up an understanding of life that has been in place for a long time (Emphasis added).
If Metanoia had been a process to enter into the Kingdom of God then Jesus who is the only DOOR into the Kingdom would have been a processional door, meaning that you have to enter through Him bit by bit and step by step in a ritualistically altruistic kind of manner. Imagine entering your home in that way through the front door. Your wife would think you’re crazy and advise you to rather remain outside to spare you the agony of entering your home processionally. Jesus never, I repeat never, asked anyone for a deep shift in worldview. Why would He do that when He has already given us a biblical view of the world? Consider the following:
. . . the whole world lieth in wickedness. [1John 5:19]
Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God. [James 4:4]
Metanoia comes at great cost? Really? In the biblical narritive of metanoia the repentant sinner loses his/her lostness and gains eternal life though faith in Jesus Christ. What kind of great cost is involved in that for the repentant sinner?
Repentance (“metanoia”) is to have your mind changed through the unadulterated preaching of the Word of God, to the extent that you become wholeheartedly willing to turn away from your longstanding object of trust (e.g. yourself which is but idolatry). This must go hand in hand with an act of faith and a wholehearted commitance to the new object of faith. Thus, to believe the Good News means to put your faith (trust) in Jesus, the Messiah (Anointed Son of God), as the only doorway to God’s Kingdom. Repentance cannot be isolated from faith in God’s Gospel (Good News) which is not merely a mental understanding that God is here and that his Kingdom is available to every kindred, tongue and race. Neither is “repent” an invitation; it is a command. In fact, it is a double command – “And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel. [Mark 1:15] Repentance and faith are irreversably bound toegether in a single package (not temporally successive acts). Once you’ve entered through the Door (Jesus) by putting your trust in Him and nothing else to save you, you are born from above and have no need to be born from above again and again. Yes, all God’s children sin again and again but they don’t need to repent again and again; they need to confess their sins and ask for forgiveness (1 John 2:1) What is the Gospel (Good News)? Is it enough to know, understand and acknowledge that God’s Kingdom is at hand and that He is here?
The Good News is: Because man is utterly powerless to save himself by whatever means at his disposal, God the Father (who is Spirit) sent his only begotten Son to become a man, like you and I but without sin, so that He could pay the just penalty for our sins on a cursed cross; indeed, his Father passed judgment on our sins in his body on the cross (Isaiah 53:10). Furthermore, the Good News is that He came to seek and to save the lost (Luke 19:10). Who are the lost? Every single person who walks the earth is lost but there are very few who realize and acknowledge that they are lost. Jesus seeks them all but He only finds those who acknowledge and confess that they are lost (on their way to perdition in hell) and despreately need Him to be their Saviour.
In the next edition in this series of two parts we will be looking at the Emergent Chruch’s claim that they are followers of Jesus whilst their roll models are in fact corrupt haters of God and his Gospel.
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1 Alice Bailey, From Bethlehem to Calvary, Chapter Five – The Fourth Initiation, The Crucifixion
2 Ibid
3 Tony Campolo in an address at Prestatyn in the UK, 1988
4 Tony Campolo “A Reasonable Faith” 1983 page 192 and 65.
5 Tony Campolo EVANGELICALS AND INTERFAITH COOPERATION, An Interview by Shane Claiborne
