I can only think of two times that Jesus said that; only once in those words. In neither instance was He preaching, and He did a lot of preaching.

One time was after he had healed the physically-disabled man by the pool of Bethesda (John 5). It’s peculiar because he tells the man – some time after the healing, finding him in the temple grounds – to “Stop sinning or something worse may happen to you.” Yet this is the same Jesus who, five chapters later in John 9, will tell his closest friends that the blind man He is about to heal is not blind because of his own sin or his parents’. It makes me wonder if the misconception behind their question to Him was widespread … if people of that time and place believed that infirmities were always a punishment from God. And it makes me wonder if Jesus might actually be (*GASP*) kidding with the fellow in chapter 5, who joyously goes around telling everyone who healed him – even if it lands him in trouble with the officials in Jerusalem.

Because if that assumption about sin and physical punishment from God is rampant, everyone who has passed him by or cast a glance at him may well have thought, “He’s a sinner. He might be unclean. I don’t want to touch him and help him into the pool and be unclean myself. Poor devil. Better him than me.”

So perhaps Jesus is making a bit of a jest off of the assumption – showing the man that He sees people differently; that God sees people differently. “See, you are well again!” (*wink*) “Stop sinning or something worse may happen to you!”

It isn’t that the man has sinned, causing his paralysis. It’s that everyone sins, and that something far worse may happen to them than some physical infirmity like paralysis or blindness … something like a life apart from God.

The other time I can think of Jesus telling someone to “leave your life of sin” is that somewhat-disputed passage between those two, in John 8: the woman taken in adultery. This woman, too, was dragged into the temple grounds before Jesus, and after embarrassing her exiting accusers with His no-exceptions teaching about sin, He tells her that He doesn’t condemn her, either.

I don’t think He’s kidding about her need to leave her life of sin; she, after all, was caught in the act. But it’s not like He’s leaving her with nothing but a “no-no” for direction. His very next teaching is “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

Some people need to be told to stop sinning, and told seriously.

But everyone? Every week? People in church, people who always go to church, people who frequently go to church, people who even occasionally go to church? People who believe?

Do they need to be told week after week, sermon after sermon, to “stop sinning” … without any other direction for their life?

People need to hear about Jesus. People who have heard about Jesus need to hear more. We all need to know about the Example and Pattern, the Lord and Master, the Prince of Heaven, the Son of God, the Way, the Truth and the Life. We need to know that there’s more to faith in Him than just not sinning; that there’s hope and forgiveness through grace and sacrifice and resurrection. We need to know that there’s more to life than just trying hard, which always leads to failure; that there’s a Holy Spirit given to those who believe to comfort and strengthen them and seal them for salvation, making a down payment in their lives right now for the promise of better, wider, fuller, more joyous eternal life in the kingdom to come.

Yes, Jesus preaches “Repent” just like John the Baptist and a whole slew of prior prophets preached.

But He hardly ever does so without adding “… for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

A sermon that just says “stop sinning” is not a gospel sermon; it is half-a-gospel sermon at best. And while half-a-sermon is better than none, half-a-sermon is still not the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.

So, help me, God.

Help me through Your Spirit – through any means You wisely see fit – help to me remember to tell the Story, tell all the Story, tell of penitence and turning and starting over before Your justice and Your righteousness … and also of renewal and inspiration and resurrection through Your mercy and Your love.

And through Jesus’ name ….

Amen.

I’ve decided to come as close as I can to one of my original Blogger templates at my blog’s new home, here at WordPress.

Maybe it will stimulate the kind of originality and spontaneity that used to be found on my blog!

Maybe it will engender a cosmic audience of interstellar blog fans from beyond the known reaches of so-called intelligent existence!

Maybe it will just give me something to do when I’m bored – and you, too!

We’ll just have to dig the planks out of our eyes and see.

“I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me will come one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not fit to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.” ~ John the Baptizer, Matthew 3:11 … “I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.” ~ Mark 1:8 … “John answered them all, “I baptize you with water. But one more powerful than I will come, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.” ~ Luke 3:16

“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,” ~ Jesus, Matthew 28:19

“Whenever you are arrested and brought to trial, do not worry beforehand about what to say. Just say whatever is given you at the time, for it is not you speaking, but the Holy Spirit.” ~ Jesus, Mark 13:11 … “for the Holy Spirit will teach you at that time what you should say.” ~ Luke 12:12 … “But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.” ~ Jesus, John 14:26

“If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” ~ Jesus, Luke 11:13

Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” ~ Acts 2:38

“After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.” ~ Luke, Acts 4:31

“We are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him.” ~ Acts 5:32

“Then the church throughout Judea, Galilee and Samaria enjoyed a time of peace. It was strengthened; and encouraged by the Holy Spirit, it grew in numbers, living in the fear of the Lord.” ~ Luke, Acts 9:31

“And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.” ~ Luke, Acts 13:52

“God, who knows the heart, showed that he accepted them by giving the Holy Spirit to them, just as he did to us.” ~ Peter, Acts 15:8

“I only know that in every city the Holy Spirit warns me that prison and hardships are facing me.” ~ Paul, Acts 20:23

“And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.” ~ Paul, Romans 5:5

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” ~ Paul, Romans 15:13

“Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own;” ~ Paul, 1 Corinthians 6:19

‘Therefore I tell you that no one who is speaking by the Spirit of God says, “Jesus be cursed,” and no one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit.’ ~ Paul, 1 Corinthians 12:3

“And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit,” ~ Paul, Ephesians 1:13

“You became imitators of us and of the Lord; in spite of severe suffering, you welcomed the message with the joy given by the Holy Spirit.” ~ Paul, 1 Thessalonians 1:6

“Guard the good deposit that was entrusted to you—guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit who lives in us.” ~ Paul, 2 Timothy 1:14

“… he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit,” ~ Titus 3:5

“God also testified to it by signs, wonders and various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will.” ~ Hebrews 2:4

“For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.” ~ 2 Peter 1:21

How God’s Holy Spirit relates to us is important.

Just curious.

If you never heard of it, this is where it’s found these days:

http://www.austingrad.edu/christianaffirmation/affirmation.html

(Its original domain name was evidently allowed to expire.)

A Christian Affirmation is coming up on its fifth anniversary. It was originally published as a paid advertisement in the May, 2005 Christian Chronicle, which thereafter instituted a policy to review the content of advertising before accepting it … even full-page advertising.

It was seen by many as an attempt to draw a line in the sand, a line of fellowship among Churches of Christ, by those who saw the introduction of worship services featuring instrumentally-accompanied vocal music in worship in some sister congregations as a threat to the distinctiveness of Churches of Christ, a product of the Restoration Movement.

Soon after its publication in this journal, the Affirmation was also posted at an appropriately-named Web site. There, it was possible to send in comments and, eventually, to add one’s name to the list of signatures on the document. This feature was abused in a very un-Christian way by immature detractors – and since identities of signers could not be easily verified, the feature was removed – but the dialogue had begun.

One thing nearly everyone could agree upon: the issue of a cappella-only / instrumentally-accompanied music in worship had been promoted by the Affirmation to the same level of importance as immersive baptism and the Lord’s Supper on the first day of the week.

Discussion continued in church bulletins and blogs and discussion boards on the ‘net. The discussion was often heated; sometimes cordial, sometimes acidic; but in the end, its effect was like that visited upon the hapless Ralph Mellish in the Monty Python sketch: suddenly, nothing happened.

Is that a good thing or a bad thing?

I’m sure it depends on whom you ask. The body of Christ was not further subdivided and vivisected as a result, and I see that as a good thing. People talked about what really was essential in the life and worship of believers, and I see that as a good thing.

However, no councils were proposed to prayerfully discuss the matter and ask for the direction of the Holy Spirit together. No lectureships nor publications volunteered to air scholarly or even self-published works representing all points of view. No consensus was reached. No unity was restored.

In short, suddenly nothing happened.

And I see that as a bad thing.

The unresolved issue of a cappella-only / instrumentally-accompanied worship remains – not the unspoken elephant – but the great, gaping seismic fault line between two camps of God’s people under the banner of the same tribe and the aegis of congregational autonomy and the comfort of pretending that everything has gone back to the way it was and should be.

And – just as is happening in politics, social association, and virtually every other aspect of life in the American nation – the chasm keeps growing wider as it becomes more and more effortless to associate only with those who share one’s fondest preferences.

We have become segregated – not so much racially as philosophically – in spite of the fact that we proudly proclaim that we wear the designer label “Christian” (without the “Dior”), referring to a Christ who associated with the meek, poor and lowly as well as the wealthy, privileged and powerful.

It is almost beyond question that Jesus worshiped with the likely-a cappella cantor’s songs of the small synagogues in Nazareth and Capernaum … as well as with the instrumentally-embellished psalms of temple worship in Jerusalem.

He is a both/and Savior.

We are an either/or church.

There is nothing about that worth affirming.

Acts 3:1 –

“One day Peter and John were going up to the temple at the time of prayer—at three in the afternoon.”

What might happen if Christians everywhere took a few moments in the 3:00 hour to pray every day?

Acts 4:31, maybe?

“After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.”

In this instance, it seems, one thing just led to another ….

If I set my iPhone’s calendar alarm or my watch to remind me, and commit to doing this … would you join me?

Wherever you are?

Whatever time zone you’re in?

Whether you’re ready for what might happen or not?

Is there any New Testament scripture which explicitly says (or even implies) that the faith of believers that led to salvation is in anything other than – or in addition to – the facts that Jesus is Lord (Romans 10:9) and the Christ, the Son of God (John 20:31, 11:27; 1 John 5:1-5) … that He came from God and was going back to God (John 16:27-28); … that God raised Him from the dead (Romans 4:24; 1 Peter 1:21) … and that God will bring, with Jesus, those who have died in Him (1 Thessalonians 4:14)?

Is belief in any of those facts regarded by scripture as optional?

Isn’t a teaching which denies or refutes any of these tenets of belief called heretical?

It’s the question that the Sanhedrin, called to session by the Pharisees, asked of themselves in regard to Jesus’ ministry (John 11:47-48). I can sympathize with the question, though not with their motivation for asking it.

I see people – mostly younger people – engaged in the kind of ministry that I can clearly see in scripture. The kind of ministry which leads people closer to God through an acquaintance with Jesus, the Christ. The kind of ministry which actually, genuinely, really saves people.

And I look at my little blog and my paltry efforts at New Wineskins and my mostly evangelism-free duties at my church … and I ask the same question.

I’ve blogged for six years now. I’ve been working with the New Wineskins Web site just a little longer. I’ve worked full-time at my church for four-and-a-half.

I can’t point to baptisms, to responses for prayer, to glorious hallelujahs or even vague possibilities. I don’t know the names and stories of most of the people who visit here, or at New Wineskins, or even attend my church. I don’t know if what I think of as my ministry is actually a ministry at all.

Still …

I do know the name and the story of Jesus, and I can tell it.

I do know that there are people who are enslaved to the notion of scripture as solely law to be obeyed, and that law makes people slaves to sin (Romans 6).

I do know that knowing God is more important than knowing how to turn scripture into law by obeying the rules of command, example and necessary inference.

I do know that believers are one in Christ Jesus, who does not see race, gender or social class (Galatians 3:28); like God, He sees the heart (Matthew 9:4).

I do know that that the Holy Spirit was promised to those who ask, those who believe and are baptized … and He was given to empower disciples. I know that the gift of His presence is still real and active, because the time when perfection comes cannot have yet arrived: we still think and reason as children; we still see and prophesy and know in part; we still see but a poor reflection as in a mirror (1 Corinthians 13). And we still fail to love as we are loved.

I still fail to love as I am loved.

So I will continue to pursue this ministry, whether it garners results visible to me or not. Paul got to plant the seed, Apollos watered it, but it may well have been that only God saw the growth.

I will take this opportunity to express a gratitude felt more deeply than words can describe for those of you who visit and leave a little word of encouragement or disagreement or candor or wider perspective.

You have helped me grow these past six years.

A few days ago, a friend posted on Facebook that his wife had left him a note on the refrigerator that was something to the effect of:

“Tell Jesus to water the back yard.”

He evidently had the same chill run down his spine that I did when reading it, until he remembered that “Jesus” – probably pronounced “hey-seuss” – was the name of the gardener she had contracted with.

Most of our prayers are worded carefully enough that we realize we’re not telling God or His Son what to do … but I have to wonder sometimes if we could say that about some of the things we teach.

If we really backed up a few light-years and heard those teachings with divine ears, would they sound like we were telling God what to do … by telling others that our interpretation of His Word is exactly what it says and what it means?

And if so, does God find that insulting and infuriating? Amusing? Both? Neither?

Are there times when His Son still says, “Forgive them … for they don’t know what they’re doing”?

If He does … is it because we’re crucifying Him all over again?

An innocent Man, already tortured within moments of death, struggles to lift himself on feet nailed to a cross in order to take another breath. He has been doing it for hours. While afternoon darkness gathers, He will continue to do it for a few more.

It’s Good Friday.

What’s so good about that?

Nothing, if the Man were not the very Son of God.

Nothing, if the burdened cross was not succeeded by the empty tomb.

Nothing, if grace had not supplanted law.

It’s good because He is perfect.

It’s good because He lends us His righteousness.

It’s good because He commends His Spirit to God, who pours Him out on us.

It’s good because there is evening and morning, a third day.

And God sees that it is good.