Why Crush Jesus?

If God is who we say he is, and the world is really in the shape it's in - why are there not multitudes of people being drawn to Jesus?

Image by Steve Wampler via Flickr

That question assumes a lot of things and is really an oversimplification. I am afraid the rest of article is pretty much the same way. If you can live with that in order to learn "Why Crush Jesus?", then read on.

America is decaying. We are in some serious trouble. In fact, forget the threat of "terror"... with it's colored "threat-levels". We have a real state of emergency and it's not because some crazy terrorist might attack us.

We are a culture and a country that is attempting suicide - the most heartless death of all. We are destroying ourselves from the inside out. The really bad news is the fact that the "good news" is apparently not good enough to turn our suicide into just an attempt. Even though there are gospels and bibles and christian stuff everywhere, overall the country is still going through with it. We are attempting suicide and if something doesn't change... if something doesn't subvert and interrupt our attempt to kill ourselves, the bottom line is we will do it.

I could talk a lot about the evidence of our suicidal ways, about the corruption in America at the highest levels, the social injustice we encourage, the moral degradation we are selling to our youth, the gross hypocrisy our nation models to the world, and on and on.

Image by jakebouma via Flickr

However, the sentence you just read about the proliferation of christian stuff in a suicidal culture... this is what I want to deal with. See, as we move in this suicidal direction there has to be a reason that the message of hope and love and forgiveness doesn't seem to draw people.

If God is who we say he is, and our country is really in the shape I describe - why are there not multitudes of people being drawn to Jesus?

Mark 3:9 "So He told His disciples that a small boat should be kept ready for Him because of the multitude, lest they should crush Him." - NKJV

Look at this verse... are you kidding me? Read that again, "...lest they should CRUSH Jesus?" Holy Cow.. Jesus almost got crushed! Thank God it didn't happen... otherwise he wouldn't of made it to the cross. And I don't know about you, but being crushed by a stampede just isn't the way Jesus should go!

Read the verse one more time.... actually back up to verse 7 (seriously, go read it right now) and see it in context.

Why are the multitudes being drawn to Jesus? It tells us "when they heard how many things He was doing". What was he doing? Who was he doing it to? We see in verses 1-6 that Jesus was healing someone on the Sabbath in a

Image via Wikipedia

synagogue and a result of this was multitudes following after him. But it wasn't that Jesus healed one man on one Sabbath day and had one conflict with the conservative right-wing pharisees. It's that he became known for doing many such things. He was known for making a practical difference among the ordinary people and for subverting the self-appointed moral police.

This thing Jesus was doing... the person he was being and life he was living (and still is) struck such a chord with the "multitudes" that they almost crushed him... that's how much they were being drawn to him.

The truth is, I believe the reason that the multitudes in America aren't being drawn to Jesus is because they simply aren't being exposed to him. They don't see his life being lived in the majority of American Christianity. They don't hear of the "many things" he is doing to make a practical difference in the lives of ordinary people. What they do hear and see is that we have become more like the self-appointed moral police than the ones that give them problems.

And let's be clear, it's not that Jesus ISN'T doing the same type of stuff that drew the multitudes in Mark chapter 3. It's just that he isn't prominently doing it in mainstream American Christianity.

Matthew Armstrong

Re: update?

So much has happened in just 3 days. If the video isn't up then you can use this and read it to our youth and friends and family and strangers... and house plants if you like.

I got to be quick here because the internet keeps shutting off.

We got on the plane to India and was surprised to find that the people sitting next to us were put there by God. Sitting next to Derek was a producer for CBN (Christian Broadcasting Network)... we told her about RescueTheGirl and she said she wanted to try to get us on their program - and she was serious! AMAZING! We talked with her for hours (the flight was 14 hours, so we had plenty of time). Next to Nathan was a young woman named Amanda in her 20's that was returning to India to serve in an orfanage in India. Amanda was deeply encouraged to hear what we were doing and we got a great interview with her right in the airport once we arrived in Dehli. Talk about inspiring.... can't wait for you to see the interview.

Also on the plane, sitting just behind Tessa and Derek, was a young American guy in his 20's who was doing church planting in India... this was crazy because, not only was he doing church planting in India he was doing in in Patna, Bihar! That's where I am writing this email at the moment! We are in Bihar to help with a christian conference for local pastors. You see, Bihar is a state in India with very very few Christians... it's the poorest state in India and was once known as "the graveyard of missions". The fact that we met a church planter was one thing, but the fact that he would be in the exact same place where we were helping... well, that's just a little beyond coincidence I think.

Talk about mind-blowing! All of this amazing stuff is happening and we haven't even got off the plane!

Eventually, we did get off the plane though. And we were very thankful. After getting our money changed for rupees (indian currency) we shot a quick interview with Amanda and then got our taxi. As we headed to the apartment arranged for us, we began to realize that we "ain't in kansas anymore". The traffick was wild... people ignore the lines on the road and go anyway they want... we passed big trucks with dorky flashy lights on the front, people laying down in the median, cars honking ALL THE TIME... I mean literally a constant honk-fest that never ends! Honk honk HONK honk hOnK Beep BEEEP honk BEEP honk honk BEEP BEEP HHHOOONNNKKK BBEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP honk beep beep honk... EVERYWHERE! Then there are people sleeping on the side of the road all over the place - with goats and random animals! How do they sleep with all the honking? I don't know... but they do. Oh my... after we went through a toll both our taxi driver (who does not speak english and only nods at us every now and then) pulls over and tells us something like "Wu rakish na tasses.. cha"... then he grabs some papers and leaves us. We watch as he walks over to some crappy run-down shed type thing that looked like it was made with sticks and mud... I light is on and a guy is sitting in the window of this crappy shed thing. We were like... "are we being sold?". Yeah, for a moment it was kind of scary. Thankfully we weren't sold and we did finally make it to the apartment (after our driver got lost for about 30 min).

The apartment we stayed in was very nice and very hot... thankfully our bed room had AC. I couldn't help but think about those people sleeping next to the street... this heat was ordinary to them? The next morning we went to a church meeting where I got to preach. What an honor... It was an english service so most people there could understand me. God moved and we saw the people respond to the living word as it went forth. Many came forth at the end of the message to recieve prayer about "waking up" to what God is doing and becoming the leaders we are called to be. It was humbling. Nathan and Derek did an incredible job with a couple songs during the wrship time.... everyone got into it and was jumping and spinning around!

After lunch we had to pack up a few things quickly and head to the train station. We traveled 13 hours on a train from Delhi to Bihar. The train experience was one-of-a-kind, as is almost every experience here. THankfully we had first class seats which gave the four of us our own little beds and private room with a lock on the the door. We got great footage by hanging off the side of the train (you know I was lovin' it). We arrived in Patna, Bihar to a scene that words can not describe.... only the video can give you an idea. As we were loading our stuff into the car outside the train station I look down as I feel a tug at my legs... it was a young man, maybe 18-22 yys of age, walking on all fours like some kind of animal. He was severly crippled... such that you didn't want to look. He would tug on your pant legs, clearly askign for money. I turned only to find a hindi woman holding a beautiful baby... she had pain in her eyes as she asked us for money.... motioning to her baby's mouth letting us know he needed to eat. This was heart-wrenching to see. We were gaining more attention and more people starting gathering around... we were all very uncomfortable.

As we drove to our apartment in Patna we saw stuff that can not be put into words... it is simply to hard to describe. FLOORED... I was completely floored. What made it especially unique was that the car we were riding in was playing "i can only imagine" by Mercy Me. A band from Greenville, TX where I am a youth pastor... two worlds so different, so strange was the experience. So much depravity and poverty mixed with cell phones and computer stores and random cows that wander everywhere untouched... we often see them on the side of the road eating grass and trash as they just roam where they may.

We arrived on our apartment and began to sweat. We had a day to just rest. We needed it. Our friend Abhishek who lives here took us out for dinner to a pizza place called "smokin' Joe's" texas restruant. Well, the pizza was good... but the only thing that was like texas there was the picture of a coyboy on the wall.

The next day we took part of the pastors conference that was here. Nathan got to speak and the spirit came down in power. We couldn't even tell what the people were saying as they were crying out with their hands lifted high - but you could feel the spirit so strong. On the streets here we have gotten some amazing footage. I interviewed this one guy on the streeet and drew a crowd of about 50 young hindi guys. Can't wait for you to see. One guy I talked to just wanted me to know "really like your country.. country we like very much.." "Obama very good" This one guy thought president Obama was the governor of Texas... funny.

Today we will be out on the streets witnessing and sharing and learning. We leave on a plane this evening for Dehli.

Touch base soon!

For Re:defined Youth... sing it with me now: "Jesus is a friend of mine... Jesus is my friend.... Jesus is a friend of mine.... I have a friend in Jesus.... Jesus is a friend of mine"

May God Wreck Our American Plastic Castles! And by the way.... God loves you more than you know.

Matthew Armstrong
RescueTheGirl.com

jesuspaper.blogspot.com





Matthew Armstrong

On Sun, Jul 12, 2009 at 9:40 AM, Leslie Armstrong <aspiring4life@gmail.com> wrote:

hey honey, haven't gotten anything from you yet? but I will let them know the little you told me!

Leslie Armstrong
daughter of Christ
wife of one awesome husband
mom of 3 fabulous children
thankful and grateful for life

Last moments in USA

Next video will be from india... so long usa!

Day 1 - driving to the airport

The videos will get better, I promise.

Raising up an ARMY!

....an army of radicals.

....an army of radical lovers.

....the preacher asked for it, and he got it. The youth tonight didn't experience youth camp. They experience a moment that could very well define their future and their world. The youth tonight were not given an alter call, they were given a chance to respond authentically to the God who dares love the rebellious bunch.

After explaning that God was raosing up an army, students were challeneged to stand alone in a filled auditorium and yell out who they were presently (addicted, angry, hopeless, lustful, etc.) and then say
"God, change me."

One at a time, from the shocked silence, students... teenagers... began rising withj hands held high... "god, I'm an addict, CHANGE ME" ... the cry was real, and as the voices rose from different directions, a symphony of sorts, of broken humanity desperate for real authentic life, desperate for change.

Probably a hunderd to two hundred students rose with yearnings for real change. The presence of God gently tugged as we then enter a true wrestling match with God... He yielded, and many students came out, like Jacob, with a different name.

2009 youth camp, and it's the first night.

Watch out for JESUStm

Countless people form their lives around the person Jesus… countless others form their lives around the JESUStm brand. What’s the difference? Well, the commercial JESUStm brand is really about you keeping up your good image. You get to feel better about yourself, and you get to make others think that you are better than you are. Don’t buy it! There’s no life or forgiveness in the JESUStm Brand.

The real Jesus of the New Testament is naturally opposed to the brand that uses his name. First of all, the JESUStm brand is fake. The real Jesus is the realest person to ever live! Also, Jesus isn’t interested in your “good” image. He’s interested in your ugly, selfish heart being transformed through the messy, radical love of God. Jesus says you don’t need to “feel better” about yourself… in fact, he says the selfish you must die in order to really live! And he knows what he’s talking about! The guy dies and rises again for a living! Most of us get confused sometimes and replace the real living Jesus with the JESUStm brand. The “good news” is that real Jesus REALLY forgives. Listen for him to speak to you today about the JESUStm brand in your life.

Rescue The Girl Update - 6.10.2009

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