Brad and Debbie Ellgen

“What’s so different about following Jesus?” Sometime in the first century, around the year 30 a movement was started by a group of Jews who insisted that their rabbi, a man named Jesus, from the Galilee region in Israel had risen from the dead after being crucified by the Roman Empire. They claimed that after His resurrection they had seen him and that they had conversations with Him and had eaten meals with Him. And then they said that He had ascended into heaven and that someday He would return. Now the world at this time was ruled by the Roman Empire. This giant, military, global superpower, from England to India, the Roman Empire ruled the world. And one of the most popular gods of the Roman Empire was the god Mithra. Mithra’s followers believed that Mithra had been born of a virgin, that he was a mediator between God and humans, and that Mithra had ascended to heaven. Another popular religion at this time centered around the god Attis. The followers of Attis believed that Attis had been born of a virgin, and each spring they gathered to celebrate the resurrection from death of Attis. Which takes us back to the Roman Empire, which was ruled by a succession of emperors called the Caesars. The first one, Julius Caesar, when he died, a comet appeared in the sky, and people said: “Well, of course, that’s Julius Caesar, the son of god, ascending to the right hand of the god’s in heaven.” Soon after this, Julius Caesar’s adopted son, Caesar Augustus, came to power, and Caesar Augustus believed that he was the son of God sent by the god’s to earth to bring about a universal reign of peace and prosperity. The aptly named Pax Romana. One of Augustus’ popular propaganda slogans was: “There is no other name under heaven by which people can be saved than that of Caesar.” Caesar inaugurated a twelve day celebration of his birth called the advent of Caesar. Another popular phrase at the time, people would literally greet each other in the street by saying: “Caesar is Lord.” So, in the first century, to claim that your god had risen from the dead and ascended into heaven, well, it just wasn’t that unique. The claims of these first Christians weren’t really anything new. Everybody’s god had risen from the dead. What makes yours so special? Have you ever really thought about what makes your faith in Christ special? Now these first Christians believed that Jesus’ resurrection had implications for the entire universe. Their tradition had taught them that the world is broken and desperately in need of repair and that at some point in the future, God was going to put it all back together. Now, for them, this future restoration had nothing to do with leaving this world, it was all about the restoration, the renewing and the reclaiming of this world. The Hebrew for this is “Tikum Olam”, the restoration of the world. Have you ever thought through the implications of Jesus’ resurrection? The first disciples did and they saw in Jesus’ resurrection the beginning of this universe wide movement to put it all back together. Well, this, of course brought them into direct conflict with the Roman Empire, because remember, for the Caesar’s, it was all about Caesar’s belief that he was making a new and better world through his power, through his armies and through his wealth. The “Pax Romana” was peace and prosperity brought about by coercion, might and force. And so when Caesar wanted to send out a message to let everybody know of his latest military conquest or his latest accomplishments, he would send out a royal pronouncement telling the masses of his latest achievements. These pronouncements were called in the Greek language “euangelions”. A “euangelion” was like a “gospel” or a “good news”. In English “euangelion” spells evangelical. Now these first Christians believed very passionately that the world was not made better through military power and political coercion. This Gospel they were living had nothing to do with using political force to force people to live according to your laws. For them, this Gospel was about serving the world, especially those on the underside of the empire. For them it was about serving not ruling. And so they took this Empire propaganda term “gospel”, and they used it to describe this new world that Jesus and His followers were making right under the nose of the Empire. Because, their way, the way of Jesus, was totally opposed to the way of Rome. And so when we read accounts of how they lived we read that they shared their possessions, they fed the hungry and they carried each other’s burdens. Why did they do this? Selling what they had to care for others, carrying each others burdens and feeding the hungry? Why? Now, Caesar had a particular word that was used for a city or village or province that worshipped Caesar as the son of god, that acknowledged Caesar as Lord. So Caesar would conquer, with his armies, a new land, and then demand that all of the people would confess, “Caesar is Lord”. If people didn’t, well, then they were crucified, tortured and killed, as a way of showing everybody else what happens when you refuse to submit to the power of the Empire. But if a group of people did, if a city or a village of a region did acknowledge and worship Caesar as the son of God, Lord, if they did accept Caesar as their savior, then their area became a worshipping center of the Caesar. These worshipping centers were called in the Greek language, “ekklesia”. The word “ekklesia” translates in English, “church”. And so these first Christians took this Empire propaganda term, “ekklesia”, and they used it to describe their gatherings. The one’s where they confessed “Jesus is Lord”. Well, obviously, the way they were living and the things they believed brought them into conflict and raised all sorts of questions for those around them. Who do you believe? Caesar, who thinks that a new world, a better world, is made through his brute military and political power, by forcing people to do what he says? Or Jesus, who invites you to make a new and better world through loving acts of compassion and generosity? Caesar, who killed Jesus on an execution stake, or, God, who raised Jesus from the dead? Whose way do you think is better? Who do you think is Lord? Jesus or Caesar? Whose kingdom do you find more compelling? For them, the Gospel was an invitation to a whole new way of life. And they lived this way because they had this profoundly mystical understanding of what they were doing with their lives. They called themselves “the body of Christ”. And they believed that in their communities, in these loving, compassionate, generous, peace-loving communities, they believed that Jesus was present in a way that went beyond words. So they would invite people to join them, to eat with them, to celebrate with them, to suffer with them, and they would ask them, after they had seen the hungry fed, the lonely loved, and the poor honored, the would ask people, “Well, do you think Jesus is here?” Or, more specifically, “Who do you think is Lord?” “Who’s making a better world, Caesar or Jesus?” They believed that a church was a living, breathing display of a whole new world that God was bringing about, right here, right now. Because some people, some people are fierce with reality, aren’t they? They don’t have to spout off about how they are right and everybody else is wrong, because there is something going on inside of them so powerful, so tangible, you can’t help but ask them questions. You are dying to know why they are the way they are. It’s because when you are around people like this, you have this sense that you have in some way been with Jesus, and that is church. This group of people who by their compassion, their generosity, the grace that they extend to others, you find yourself believing when you are around them, that God hasn’t given up on the world. That’s the Gospel. That’s it. The Gospel is the good news that God hasn’t given up on the world, that the tomb is empty and that a giant resurrection rescue is underway and that you and I can be a part of it. And so, yes, there is a deeply personal dimension to this. Jesus is saving me. He’s saving me from my sins, from my mistakes, from my pride, from my indifference to the suffering of the world around me, from my cynicism and despair. The brokenness I see in the world around me is true of my own soul. Romans 3:23 – “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” And so He’s rescuing me, moment by moment, day by day, because God wants to put it all back together. You, me, the whole world! And so He starts deep inside each of us with our awareness that we need help, that we need saving, that we need rescuing. And then He begins to show us, step by step, what it looks like to put flesh and blood on this Gospel. Because we all fall short, and that’s the beautiful part. Broken, flawed, vulnerable people like you and me are invited to be the hands and feet of a Jesus who loves us exactly as we are and yet He loves us way too much to let us stay that way. I believe. I believe because I see. I see the resurrection all around me. If people only had your life and they were asked the question: “Has Jesus risen from the dead?” How would they answer? Has He? If others watched how you spend your time …how you spend your money …what you love …who you love …do you think they would see that Jesus has risen from the dead? May you be a “yes” to the question, “Has Jesus risen from the dead?” And may you come to see, may you come to understand, that you are the good news. You are the Gospel.