For the past 4 months, our pastor, Brian (aka Brother Treadaway, Brother Brian, Pastor Treadaway, Rev. Pastor Brother Brian Treadaway :-)) has been challenging the men of encounter with the encounter 9. You’ve probably heard me mention it here or on twitter more than a couple times.
Each month we’re given GPS coordinates to an undisclosed location and a set time to meet there. The location varies from month to month. The first month we met at a boat dock and were carried out by john boats to an island in the middle of the lake. The next month we met next to a stock pond while Brian talked about growing spiritually and Scott grilled fish on a nearby fire — illustrating the progress from a baby drinking milk, to fixing our own meals and then fixing meals for others (physically and spiritually). Another month we did a “prayer/Q&A walk.” And this last month we met at a local cometary and talked about our legacy and identity and how Jesus called the disciples out of their known identity — their careers as fishermen or tax collectors, etc — and into a new identity with Christ — as fishers of men.
Along with the monthly meetings Brian sends out a weekly e-mail with some thoughts, verses and questions. We have a discussion group via Google Groups where men can come together online and discuss the ideas freely in their free time.
I thought I’d share some of my answers from one of the previous weeks (I actually just answered them today – I’m a slacker)….
btw – men if you want to get in on some of the discussion action, let me know – I can get you set up with the discussion group – encounter regular or not.
1. what’s the longest distance you’ve ever driven a vehicle in reverse?
maybe a block if that – typically just down my driveway to the street
2. why would Jesus say that His kingdom must come first and be such a complete reversal?
I think Jesus realized the people of His day were buying into the hoaxes of the Roman culture around them and some of the twisted ideas of the Jewish leaders. I’m sure He also realized people would buy into some of the same hoaxes from that point on. We talked about this at our community group this past week… (kind of cheating because I’m copying my notes here)
God had instructed the Hebrews: “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. You shall have no other gods before me.†Exodus 20:2&3
Yet the Roman Empire demanded allegiance to the crown of Caesar – they demanded placing Caesar above all as the only authority in people’s lives. Interesting to note that Caesar (and other leaders around the world in history) was also know as a “son of god” in his time. It was said he emitted the essence of the god(s). In these times, it was believed that if you wanted to see what a god looked like – you looked to that god’s king – or in the Roman case, Caesar.
So Jesus shows up and sees his friends, family members, neighbors confused about their identity and how they should fit into this Roman culture. Many of them are buying into the idea of making Caesar or other things in their lives gods. And because of the natural conflict many folks had their own ideas on how they should relate to Rome.
Zealots -who called for bold action or violence against Rome – in other words they sought violent revolution and looked to a violent Messiah to lead the revolution
the Pharisees – who would call for repentance and look for scapegoats – if we would repent and stop our complacent tolerance of the drunks, the prostitutes, the gluttons – if we would just faithfully observe every detail of the law – then God would send a liberator – if we all repent of our sin the liberator or Messiah will come and overthrow the Roman rulers
Herodians and Sadducees – the political realists who believed trying to beat the Romans militarily was suicide so they said, “if you can’t beat them, join them†they also sought to benefit from the ruling Romans
the Essenes – who rejected all these approaches and called instead for a withdrawal into the wilderness).
When we look at Jesus’ ministry I think He wants to tell everyone, “All these ways of thinking are wrong! There’s a better way.” From the beginning He sets out to turn the common way of thinking upside down.
In Matthew 5 Jesus repeats the phrase, “You have heard it said…†(or some variation of it) six times!
v. 21&22 “You have heard it said… but…”
v.27&28 “You have heard it said… but…”
v. 31&32 “It has been said… but…”
He wasn’t about accepting the status quo or doing things the way “we’ve always done it.” He was about showing people there was another — better — way.
3. what makes this such a challenge for men?
I think part of it is because we have to re-learn something we’ve always known. It’s like a golf swing. The first few times I played golf I developed a swing of my own that felt natural to me (at the time). But then I took a golf class in college and my instructor started showing me how my current form was horrible and how I should change. But this new swing still isn’t natural to me – but when I get it right I sure knock the ball a lot further. And yet even though I know it, and I’ve seen it work, I still have to fight my tendencies to go back to my old “natural” swing. I have to think through the process every swing and do my best to hit the ball the correct way – not my old “natural” way. If I can shed my old way of doing things then I can have a great game of golf but whenever my old “natural” ways of playing seep into my game – its not going to be pretty.
And to add to what hawkAT said, we have to give up control. Me driving in reverse is one thing – but me sitting in the passenger seat while someone else is driving in reverse is a whole lot harder to do.
