The Jews took up stones again to stone him. Jesus replied, ‘I have shown you many good works from the Father. For which of these are you going to stone me?’ The Jews answered, ‘It is not for a good work that we are going to stone you, but for blasphemy, because you, though only a human being, are making yourself God.’ Jesus answered, ‘Is it not written in your law, “I said, you are gods”? If those to whom the word of God came were called “gods”—and the scripture cannot be annulled—can you say that the one whom the Father has sanctified and sent into the world is blaspheming because I said, “I am God’s Son”? If I am not doing the works of my Father, then do not believe me. But if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works, so that you may know and understand that the Father is in me and I am in the Father.’Then they tried to arrest him again, but he escaped from their hands. He went away again across the Jordan to the place where John had been baptizing earlier, and he remained there. Many came to him, and they were saying, ‘John performed no sign, but everything that John said about this man was true.’ And many believed in him there. (John 10:31-42 NRSV)
How many of you have ever been charged with blasphemy?
OK we really don’t charge for blasphemy in the church, but how many of you have been held to a standard of what you have said or done is just out of line with what the church has taught?
You see the Jews wanted to kill Jesus not because He was good but because He was teaching them something that was against what they knew to be good and right. Even though what He was teaching them was in the scriptures!
How many of you go to a worship gathering where the pipe organ is used? Do you know that now if you try to have worship with some other means of musical accompaniment that it is considered blasphemy in some congregations? Did you also know that when the organ was introduced to worship settings it was the instrument of the devil and should not be used in worship?
Also how many of you go to a place of worship that has a woman pastor? This was blasphemy in many places until just recently and still to this day is not acceptable in some denominations…
We are really hung up on the “we have never done it that way” that we miss the forest for the trees.
We are suppose to be followers of Christ. Not followers of the way we have always done it. So listen to wheat He is calling you to do and do it!
aSacredRebel 