“it’s not what you say, it’s how you say it.” – every mom and dad.

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i vehemently challenge that statement :]

words are symbols: symbols are the foundation of a language: language is the foundation of a culture: culture shapes our worldview: worldviews greatly influence and shape our future/choices.

what we say is just as important as how we say it. which has led me to think a little more carefully about the inclusion of some words/phrases in my vocabulary.

for example:

“the bible says.”

we can play the, “well it’s not what i meant” game until we’re blue in the face. but at the end of the night, we both just have blue sharpie all over our faces and it’s just going to mess up our pillow cases! the fact is: the bible doesn’t say anything: the bible doesn’t speak. there’s no special christianized ink sitting next to the testamints to be used in bibles which causes one to hear the voice of the invisible caps-lock GOD.

GOD speaks.

what we’re doing is becoming a church who is relying on what the bible says instead of what GOD says.

the difference is found in the valves (medical funny implied to subconsciously render within your mind the symbol-word-image: heart). people who know GOD and are found listening for his voice versus people who know what the bible says and are found quoting a book.

what a great reminder when we read that we are called to write the law “on our hearts.” it’s always been a heart issue connected to another heart: GOD’s heart.

when was the last time you wrote a paper and cited “the book” as a reference? never. because that is not APA- or MLA-friendly, folks. the author of the book gets the credit/criticism for what s/he committed to writing.

so it is with GOD. i’m not debasing our scriptures. they are holy. but not because of any ink or leather or translation. they’re holy because GOD chose and chooses to speak in and through those words and those stories even unto this day.

may we be a people known for knowing GOD and hearing his heart (which will often be revealed through his word(s)) instead of just a bunch of people who can quote a book – no matter how holy.

other phrases on this abbreviated hit list include,

“i don’t care.” as in, “what pizza joint do you want to order from? – i don’t care.”

because. words begin to bleed through different parts of our lives. just watch how many times a day you or your friends are using this phrase in any given day: it’s usually astounding! no wonder we can so easily become apathetic and lethargic: we don’t care.

oh, that we would be a people who care.

“i’m starving!”

this is old hat by now. but still, i catch myself saying it. and, honestly, we are clearly not starving: and other people around the world (or down the street) are, in fact, literally starving to death or are slaves of tyrannical systems that keep them on that inevitable path.

may we think twice about using this phrase in vanity: and forgive us, oh GOD, for invoking such a truth without acting upon it with mercy and justice.

Q/ what are some phrases/words that you have intentionally been removing/adding to your vocabulary?

new wine is here, new life is come. be
found, o wedding of cana, in me and
be found in us.

a new time is here, new life is come. be
found, o wine of yeshua, in me and
be found in us.

feel the grapes of favor beneath your
feet, may we not contain the life with-
in. may it flow into the gutters of her
street: she who is homeless and with-
need.

feel the grapes of wrath beneath your
feet, you who are hung over from self-
righteousness. may we sober up only to
see clearly the wine we so desperately-
need.

new wine is here, new life is come. be
found, o feet, stained with the evidence
of nights in the press,

a new time is here, new life is come. be
found, o body, numbered among the best
of those who transgress,

behold, drunkards are thirsty for life and
prostitutes long to be wined and dined and
the bride has been avoiding the vineyard and
we are altogether in need of being together again.

(c)  justin p. heap, 2010

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this is the fourth in the ‘kingdom confessions series’, where i, ii, and iii can be found there.

also, presently compiling and writing poems, essays, and other collections of words to be used in a self-published book – more for an historical account than anything else…but hey, you got to start somewhere!

anyways, here’s to drinking real wine and being found knee-deep in the winepress in the middle of the vineyard! cheers!

Q/ so what wine do you drink, anyway?

these have found a longstanding home in my journal, and are presently being rolled around inside my head and heart. i’ll disclose full links when possible, or when i care to, or at least when, in actuality, i do.

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leslie newbigin remarked, “the only hermeneutic of the gospel is a congregation of men and women who believe it and live by it.”

from rumi i have stolen this, “come, come, whoever you are. wanderer, worshiper, lover of leaving. it doesn’t matter. ours is not a caravan of despair. come, even if you have broken your vows a thousand times. come, yet again, come, come.”

these last words of a fictional character still haunt me to this day, “i am concerned only over one thing. i hope you will be wholehearted, not torn in two.” – abuyah to his son elisha in milton steinberg’s novel, as a driven leaf. also reminiscent of “you cannot serve two masters…”.

danny silk on parenting reminds me that, “the goal is not to control the child, but to control ourselves. to be self-controlled; to give them (the child) a model of a well-put together adult…and prepare them to live in the kingdom of GOD: in the presence of the LORD: and where the presence of the LORD is, there is freedom and liberty.”

in a dream, i had this thought, “faith without works is as running without movement.” i guess this is a dead giveaway that our local church has been walking through the letter of james lately. haha!

amazon is currently selling 143 Kindle books for every 100 hardcover volumes.

mumford and sons’ lyrics remind me who GOD is when they sing, “love will not betray, dismay or enslave you / it will set you free / to be more like the man / you were meant to be” – 1 john 4.16, i mean, what do we do with that, really?

i am not going to reinvent the prodigal wheel.

this is not a comprehensive or exhaustive look into the parable.
this is not a high-level, thematic overview of the parable.
this is not a “stealing of the thunder” from someone else.
this is not a major-point review.
this may not even be all that and a bag of chips.
actually, i am quite certain no bag of chips will be provided at this time.

this is just a few (and sometimes fircenjistory (first-century-jewish-history)) little tidbits i must have either stolen from some wiser people than i or which GOD decided to throw my way because, well, he wanted to, i guess.

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v12. the younger one said to his father, ‘father, give me my share of the estate.’ so he divided his property between them.

the oft-sung high note here is the audacity of the son to ask for his inheritance before the father’s death! which, continues to shock me even to this day. you didn’t receive an inheritance (still much like today) unless someone has died. so, yes, to echo so many sages before me, the younger son is, in essence, saying, “i wish you would just keel over and die!”

perhaps equally baffling though, is the fact that it was never the younger son’s place to seek the inheritance – it was the elder.

but the pinnacle of shock has to be the next line, which in greek, uncovers a most revealing characteristic of the father: dielen autois ton bion // he divided to them the life. which is in essence, keeling over and dying! see, not only does he give the younger son what would be due him, but he also gave the elder son his inheritance – which would have been a double portion! by all accounts, the father gives up his livelihood, his income, his life to his sons – right from the start of this story.

v13. he (the younger son) squandered his wealth in wild living.

i remember kent dobson once saying the younger son ‘threw his life away.’ in greek we read, kai ekei dieskorpisen tên ousian // and he scattered/thew/wasted the goods/substance/what one has.

dang-son. so the father gave his bion up, his life away – where the younger son wasted his ousian, his goods, his substance.

v20. So he got up and went to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.

obviously, one of the more commonly extracted verses – because it is DANG awesome. but i only add this here in order to set up a theme that we miss later on. just think: this is the father debasing himself in front of the town: this is the father pouring himself out before the son: this is mercy and grace. (“but i knew that” you say…)

v25 ff. Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on. ‘Your brother has come,’ he replied, ‘and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.’  The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him.

there is a wealth of hidden beauty in this section. because it reveals a monster of a truth that so often gets passed over.

the older son heard music and dancing because it’s not just a house party – it’s a town party! notice the father has killed the fattened calf – a calf would feed a grip of people, especially considering it was accompanied by other foods, sides, wines, etc. haha. so there’s a good ole fashioned town party on the land and in the house of this father.

then, the older brother gets angry. and refuses to go in. this is astonishing to 1st century ears. you would absolutely not have refused to show up at party your own father was throwing! it was dishonoring.

what’s more is: the father comes outside and ‘pleaded’ with him (!*) – or in greek, parekalei, he begs him. also astonishing to first century ears…and eyes.

this is the second time, not the first and not the only time, when the father responds by casting off constraint and visibly debasing himself in front of others (remember, at least the servants were present for this little episode), and responding with mercy and grace! is this not amazing!? we usually only focus on the younger son’s return – but it’s always been about the mercy and grace of the father anyway – as demonstrated by this episode.

v29-30. But he answered his father, ‘Look! All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!’.

oh boy. here comes the mopey little whine, right? well. yes and no. yes, he’s totally whining, going on calling himself a “slave” – lower than the servants…and how he never even got a “little goat”. i mean, come on dude, you got your DOUBLE PORTION of the inheritance! everything is yours. give me a break! and i love how he says, “i have never disobeyed your orders.” uh, except for this very time when i am refusing to go in to your own party…lol.

but, to be fair, he has made a judgment about his father. and he has been living his entire days based on this judgment: he believes his father to be a fair and strong father. you know, sort of black and white, this is the deal kind of guy. and all the sudden, his younger brother returns home and every rule appears to be thrown out in the interest of “he’s alive.”

the scene unfolding before us is speaking for the father, “but son, i have always been compassionate and merciful.”

and how about the prostitute bit? the text never drops any such word until this point. no one ever said anything about prostitutes. “wild living” doesn’t necessarily imply sexually immoral. the idea is riotous living, dissolutely – careless living. and i am not saying it didn’t include such nights with prostitutes: but the older son throws it out there without even having a conversation with his brother! some scholars suggest this is meant to reveal the degree of coldness within this older brother’s heart (much like his younger counterpart).

v31-32. ‘My son,’ the father said, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’

in case we’ve not got the gist by now: this is a parable. perhaps a little of it would have been ‘based on a true story’ considering all the details…but that is not the point. the point is: it’s a parable: and this parable, like other parables: is about something else.

the older son would represent israel. the jewish people, GOD’s beloved.

the younger son would represent the gentiles. those ‘earnestly pressing in to the kingdom, and taking it with force…’ the yous and mes.

and the father, well, he’s always been compassionate and merciful. he gives us his very life.

this could just as easily be entitled, ‘the angry son’ as ‘the prodigal son’. but neither would be fully correct. the previous two parables (lost sheep, lost coin) are about something be simply lost, and simply found and the resulting celebrations. i think that theme fits equally well here. simply lost, simply found, simply celebratory!

Q/ are we simply celebratory over being simply found by the incredibly compassionate and merciful GOD of gods?

2 But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”
3 Then Jesus told them this parable:4 “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it?5 And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders 6 and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’

7 I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.

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you know you’re reading GOD’s words when the same passage you’ve already read a dozen times before reveals a glaring obvious truth. glaring, i do declare!

how many of you have read this parable from luke 15? at least two of you, right? okay good. and myself makes three.

did you ever notice what happens to the ninety-nine sheep!?

be honest.

they get left in the “open country” – which is a really fancy way of saying, the wilderness! and by left, i mean, after the shepherd finds the ONE, he goes…HOME!

the wilderness/eramos/open country carries the meanings of solitary, lonely, desolate, uninhabited. and wouldn’t you know it, leaving sheep in the wilderness untended is a sheep-herding no-no from day 1. rattlesnakes, wolves, and just the fact that sheep are dumb, is enough for any shepherd to know better.

(and besides, let’s be honest: if you actually have a hundred sheep – count them, one-puffy-white-lamb-loving hundred! – do you really need to find one!?)

but back to my point. may we all come to see that the 99 is really just an elaborate hoax of sorts.

i mean. think about it. yeshua clearly says “I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.” . and tell me, have you ever known anyone without the need for repentance?

no. they don’t exist. and neither do the 99 sheep. it’s a hoax. it’s a tell-all mirror. if you think you are righteous, then you are gravely mistaken. likewise, if you think you’ve been left behind, then you are, in fact, lost. and friends, if you’re lost, then you’re just like the one single sheep. we all are! we’re all lost. only when we deceive ourselves do we think we are righteous on our own: only when we deceive ourselves do we think we exist as the 99. the 99 don’t exist.

and another thing. this parable (and the next) is not about repentance. haha! is that not ridiculous? and grace-laden? and completely baffling because doesn’t jesus say the key “r” word right there at the end of the parable!?

yep. he does. but we’re so dense most of the time (like sheep?) that we miss it.

i mean, seriously, read that joker. did the one, lost, scared, dumb-founded little lamb actually do anything in the story? nope. not a single thing. s/he gets lost. and s/he gets found.

it’s not about repentance. it’s about GOD. it’s the same scandalous story of grace: GOD comes to us. and what’s more, he’s willing to leave behind (or…to not consider equality with GOD…) everything else in order to seek out and rescue us (for bar nasha came to seek and save the lost.)

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POST-SCRIPT ;]

this is an intimate and exploded view of my thought/heart processes:

i saw– reminiscent of isaiah’s ‘vision’ in chapter six and the source of divinity therein. also, i think of yeshua looking upon the crowds and being moved to gut-level compassion…

wounded healers and generous thieves — characteristic of a community who is moving deeper into community and therefore becoming communitas; also embracing the hope that those yet to be reborn are being drawn to and met by the community, thus becoming a gathering of some who worship GOD and some who doubt (mt 28.17).

serving and loving their neighbors well; — we’re serving all with humility and equality (jn 13) and we will be known by our love (jn 13.35) – tangibly so because our faith is a verb (!*) therefore, our good works (eph 2.10) will be fleshed out as we serve and love.

where we are literally becoming GOD’s will being done on earth– maybe this language sounds a bit odd to most readers, but think of it like so: we often pray, “may your will be done on earth as it is in heaven,” and rightly so, but we understand that to begin with us – therefore, i see a community who is literally becoming GOD’s WILL in action – being done – fleshed out. this is also known as, being the body.

as we are forgiving completely, this is the first summation of three parables as used by yeshua to describe what the kingdom of heaven is like – as found in matthew 13 – the wheat and the weeds. we are to aphete/forgive/allow/let. and the word ‘completely’ is actually a reference to the mt 18.21 passage about forgiving “seven times seventy”, but the idea is not a numerical formula: rather, it is symbolic of a whole and complete forgiveness.

living vulnerably, also from mt. 13, the parable of the mustard seed which completely upends the ways of the kingdoms of this world: where the field is the world, and the seed, which is the agent of transformation, dies into the field! what’s more, is that the purpose is to bear fruit in such a way where all benefit; where all find a home in the kingdom, because of our vulnerability.

and seeking to ruin every one and every thing for anyone other than YHWH.– the idea behind the third parable in that mt 13 triplet, the yeast hidden/concealed in the dough: it was understood that even the tiniest amount of yeast/leaven would absolutely ruin an entire batch of dough – and yet, here we find yeshua making it a primary descriptor for what the kingdom of heaven is like! we are to be about corrupting the corruption: being ministers of reconciliation: ruining every THING and every ONE (institutions and forests and peoples and hearts ad infinitum) for anyone other than YHWH: where everything either finds it’s purpose or finds it’s home in being reconciled to/used by the one true and only living god.

behold, even the very skyline of !@#$%^&* is becoming new! — i think this rides on the heels, obviously, of the previous thought, but with a heightened reminder that, just like the walls of a canyon are made and remade by the wind and water cutting back and forth, so it will be within a city where the kingdom of heaven is advancing: even the very geological landscape, the landmarks, the street signs, the bookstores, the coffee shops, the parks – everything will change: everything must change under the weight of such glory. and i see that happening!

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by following hard after and falling madly in love with yeshua.– suffice it to say, this isn’t an all-inclusive, paid trip to some remote island, complete with daily spa and massages, and an island-wide david crowder*band concert every single night and live tapings of wipeout every morning with the afternoons free to just chill. you know, this is not the end-all statement about HOW-TO. but i think it is the one vital element in how to become.

obviously, it presupposes that we believe yeshua to be who he says he is: the son of GOD. the son of man (bar nasha). the messiah. the christ. the annointed one. the king of kings of kings.

furthermore, it finds it’s base in this truth: that yeshua did only what he saw the father doing.

even more so, we know that he did those very things by living dependently upon the spirit.

there’s a lot in between that this statement carries…but let’s just skip to the end with this epic bombshell: in him (yeshua) we live and move and have our being (acts 17.28). and in him (yeshua, the christ) all the fullness of the deity lives in bodily form (colossians 2.9)! and dare we remember, that will do even greater things that he!?

need i say more?

as part of a second-round interview process with a local church i was asked to provide a few things: my philosophy of (vocational) ministry, a few mp3′s of conversations/talks, and my vision statement.

i have just revisited my philosophy of vocational ministry – in the form of moonshine, nonetheless! i can burn some mp3′s no problem. but a formal sort of vision “statement” would be new ground to break. not that i haven’t had a “vision” per se. but i have never formulated said vision into a living, breathing, statement of sorts.

and so began a prayer-induced, somewhat critical look into this thing called, ‘a vision statement.’

long story short. i did what any justin heap would do:  i waded in to the deep etymology of vision. of course, it resulted in things like chazown (hebrew), horasis (greek), google goggles (not really, but still, a VERY cool google labs mobile development app) and a general search of where/how this word is used throughout the scriptures.

next was to hit up some of my web-connected local churches i follow and review their vision statements.

and then i just listened…it’s a lot like standing at an overpass on I-40E: a lot of motion, sounds and colors all fighting for your attention: but one thing remains constant: the road beneath. and if one were to look a bit more intensely, one might find what has been there all along: a grey canvas with cracks, grooves, and (dis)coloration: a canvas existing beneath the chaos in perfect quietness, receiving the traffic with a grace all it’s own.

my experience was kind of like that. and what follows is that canvas of constant, with it’s cracks, no doubt – but it’s at least something honest and concrete to begin with – and hopefully – to live with: something that can withstand the traffic of life, so to speak.

first what i came to understand/see: a vision, as understood against the story of scripture, is a specific dream or hope for a specific people, tribe, land, etc. it’s not a goal. it’s not a motto. it’s not even actually a statement, per se. it’s a divine picture.

then what i noticed: a lot of local churches confuse vision with mission. or vision with doctrine. or vision with a slogan. or all of the above. again, it’s not so much a picture for their community and city as much as it is a goal to be achieved or a bullet point to check off – very little conveyance of a dream or a hope or a picture at all – and in some cases, not even really about their community.

but then i saw/heard: a vision “statement” if there is to be one, should exist as an organic response to this question: TELL ME, WHAT DO YOU SEE for this people/community?

selah.

(i wonder if too many people looking to take up the joyous burden of vocational ministry don’t consider this question with the respect it’s due: is it possible that GOD has not given you a vision for/of this people and this community at this time in history? you shouldn’t have to force that vision. it’s a divine picture, which implies that it didn’t come from you! haha.)

so i prayed and ate that question. with a certain amount of tip-toeing into the question, because i recognized that GOD may not have a divine picture to give me for this certain local church. but i was willing to ask the question. (i think we must be willing to ask that question, and even continue asking that question throughout our journey as leaders in the local church.)

but i did see a divine picture, born, yes, out of my research and life experiences, but also given life by the city in which i live, the gospel which i preach, the parables of yeshua specifically, and the last few days of prayer…so, after a few drafts of putting it into words, this is the word-picture, the:

i saw wounded healers and generous thieves serving and loving their neighbors well; where we are literally becoming GOD’s will being done on earth as we are forgiving completely, living vulnerably, and seeking to ruin every one and every thing for anyone other than YHWH. behold, even the very skyline of !@#$%^&* is becoming new!

and finally, i heard a follow up question: in a succinct and incredibly distilled phrase, how does that picture/vision become a reality? and again, these words took shape:

by following hard after and falling madly in love with yeshua.

[parapolitik] album cover | photography + design

Preview Front & Back

Preview Album Jacket

major props and thanks to c.s. for letting me be a part of this whole deal.

if you’d like to see a selective representation of some other design work, please check out this link over hurr.

Q/ what have you been inspired to create/do recently?

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i have been living most of my days vicariously through matthew the last couple of months. my fear is that i will only become familiar with the words while never drawing nearer the word.

but as yeshua has continued to gently remind us: everyone will know us by our love: just as a tree/vine is known by it’s fruit.

when we follow/akoloutheo yeshua, we attach ourselves to him; it shares it’s meaning with a most political concept: that of choosing a side, or a party. and in world where yeshua is the king of kings of kings, once we choose that side, we can be sure we will face either embrace or persecution.

when we love the way he loved, we will inevitable look undeniably foolish to some, and unbelievably free to others. when we serve GOD and not mammon/money/wealth, we will look financially ridiculous to some, and compassionately generous to others. when we align our life with the manifesto of the kingdom of heaven, we will surely be persecuted by some, and embraced by others.

this whole thing is a mirror! isn’t it interesting: when we love as yeshua loves, we will gain enemies who will persecute us, who we will pray for. it’s like a rare foolproof formula/cycle to never leave us without people to pray for, haha! it’s a mirror revealing our fruit revealing our enemies revealing our love revealing our fruit!

Q/ are we following/attaching-ourselves-to yeshua rather than drawing near to the words? and do we even have enemies to pray for?

a parable from peter rollins seems most fitting, it’s called, ‘no conviction’:
In a world where following Christ is decreed to be a subversive and illegal activity you have been accused of being a believer, arrested and dragged before a court.

You have been under clandestine surveillance for some time now and so the prosecution has been able to build up quite a case against you. They begin the trial by offering the judge dozens of photographs which show you attending church meetings, speaking at religious events, and participating in various prayer and worship services. After this they present a selection of items that have been confiscated from your home: religious books that you own, worship CDs and other Christian artefacts. Then they step up the pace by displaying many of the poems, pieces of prose, and journal entries that you had lovingly written concerning your faith. Finally, in closing, the prosecution offers your Bible to the judge. This is a well-worn book with scribbles, notes, drawings, and underlings throughout, evidence, if it were needed, that you had read and re-read this sacred text many times.

Throughout the case you have been sitting silently in fear and trembling. You know deep in your heart that with the large body of evidence that has been amassed by the prosecution you face the possibility of a long imprisonment or even execution. At various times throughout the proceedings you have lost all confidence and have been on the verge of standing up and denying Christ. But while this thought has plagued your mind throughout the trial, you resist the temptation and remain focused.

Once the prosecution has finished presenting their case the judge proceeds to ask if you have anything to add, but you remain silent and resolute, terrified that if you open your mouth, even for a moment, you might deny the charges made against you. Like Christ, you remain silent before your accusers. In response you are led outside to wait as the judge ponders your case.

The hours pass slowly as you sit under guard in the foyer waiting to be summoned back. Eventually a young man in uniform appears and leads you into the courtroom so that you may hear the verdict and receive word of your punishment. Once seated in the dock the judge, a harsh and unyielding man, enters the room, stands before you, looks deep into your eyes and begins to speak,

“Of the charges that have been brought forward I find the accused not guilty.”

“Not guilty?” your heart freezes. Then, in a split second, the fear and terror that had moments before threatened to strip your resolve are swallowed up by confusion and rage.

Despite the surroundings, you stand defiantly before the judge and demand that he give an account concerning why you are innocent of the charges in light of the evidence.

“What evidence?” he replies in shock.

“What about the poems and prose that I wrote?” you reply.

“They simply show that you think of yourself as a poet, nothing more.”

“But what about the services I spoke at, the times I wept in church and the long, sleepless nights of prayer?”

“Evidence that you are a good speaker and actor, nothing more.” replied the judge, “It is obvious that you deluded those around you, and perhaps at times you even deluded yourself, but this foolishness is not enough to convict you in a court of law.”

“But this is madness!” you shout. “It would seem that no evidence would convince you!”

“Not so,” replies the judge as if informing you of a great, long forgotten secret.

“The court is indifferent toward your Bible reading and church attendance; it has no concern for worship with words and a pen. Continue to develop your theology, and use it to paint pictures of love. We have no interest in such armchair artists who spend their time creating images of a better world. We exist only for those who would lay down that brush, and their life, in a Christ-like endeavor to create it. So, until you live as Christ and his followers, until you challenge this system and become a thorn in our side, until you die to yourself and offer your body to the flames, until then my friend, you are no enemy of ours.”

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so the phone rang. and one of the first things out of the bag was: we have about 30 minutes. now, i am not blaming the pastor of said local church – but i am hereby declaring my reason for just unloading a monstrosity of verbiage on the poor guy. anyone who knows me knows that i am a word addict; who are we kidding, nearly every barista at sbux knows this about me! but the fact remains, i came with a fury and, truth be told, i am not even sure i remember much of what i said.

i feel like i just tried to pour every ounce of my passions, story, life, and knowledge through the droid and across state lines in less than thirty minutes: the result was, at one point, a bit of vernacular confusion: maybe i misunderstood a question, or maybe i read in to the question something that wasn’t there…i don’t know. but i have since read through their entire membership packet, reread some portions of scripture in relation to the question, spoken, albeit briefly, with trisha (too briefly in fact. she is a deep well of knowledge, and a fantastic thermometer in discerning truth), and have been meditating on it pretty much since i hung up the phone.

the question was simply, “WHAT IS THE GOSPEL?”

now, now. don’t go getting all in a huffy criticizing me for not understanding the question. i have been a follower of yeshua – not always the closest follower, but always back there somewhere – for pert’ near a dozen years now. so i KNOW what the gospel is…but my overreactive little brain got the better of me, which isn’t entirely bad, and i processed his question as, “WHAT IS THE GOOD NEWS OF JESUS?” i heard one thing, but it came through a filter – as everything does. and i am not ashamed to say that, apparently, after so many years, i am beginning to have a somewhat eastern/jewish filter*. i heard one thing, but i reformed the question and responded to: “WHAT IS THE GOOD NEWS OF THE KINGDOM OF YESHUA?” let’s break this down:

WHAT IS THE GOSPEL?
for starters, gospel is the english equivalent of “good news” or euangelion in greek. eu = good + angelion = message. it’s how we arrive at evangelize, evangelist, and evangelism. and let’s be clear, all of these terms were redeemed and recreated by the mouth of yeshua – they are not christian terms. for example, we read from a roman account in 6 B.C.,

“Augustus has been sent to us as Savior. . . the birthday of the god Augustus has been for the whole world the beginning of the gospel.”

wow! it’s vitally important to understand that there were evangelists before paul: there was a gospel before yeshua: the feet of other messengers were bringing a a different gospel to peoples and nations proclaiming the way of rome: specifically a message of victory and peace through war, strength, and domination – complete with all of the roman hierarchies, ways, and systems of that kingdom.

so. that’s how i made the jump to, “GOOD NEWS.” and then of course, i just presumed he meant the good news of yeshua. which leads to the next deal,

WHAT IS THE GOOD NEWS OF YESHUA?
this is sort of a tricky question because, 1) the grammar can sneak up and bite ya! and B) because it invokes an enormously rich sense of wonder/history in the very name, yeshua/jesus.

are we asking what the good news about yeshua is? or are we asking what was the good news yeshua proclaimed?

and this is a critical difference.

most local churches and individuals find their default in the former: they understand the gospel of jesus to be, at least finding it’s beginning place in, his virgin birth, his sinless life, his atoning death, his very real burial, and his miraculous resurrection. and this, you need to believe in order to be saved. that is the gospel. that is the good news of jesus. i do not disagree with any of this, and in fact, proclaim it and live by it, in essence, with every breath i take: for i no longer live, but christ lives in me!

but understand this very real difference. that is not the good news yeshua proclaimed. it’s not even why he says he came. don’t stone me yet. hold on tight, this will be short and sweet**.

mark records at 1.14,15:

. . . yeshua came to the galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of GOD/heaven, and saying, ‘the time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of GOD is at hand. repent, and believe in the gospel.’

matthew, after yeshua’s baptism and subsequent temptation in the wilderness records at 4.17:

from that time yeshua began to preach and to say, ‘repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.’

luke also records as yeshua is in a solitary place with people trying to keep him from leaving at 4:43:

but he (yeshua) said, ‘i must proclaim the good news of the kingdom of GOD to the other towns also, because that is why i was sent.’

so we see that yeshua’s good news (gospel) was in keeping with the vernacular of the day, it was about a kingdom: the kingdom of GOD/heaven. yeshua’s good news of the kingdom is then proclaimed, announced, and continued by a few different expressions: through parables/teaching, through miracles/healing, and through various fellowship experiences.

his message is that there is a new kingdom at hand: and what is this kingdom like!? it’s like…a pearl. dot, dot, dot. it’s like a woman who conceals yeast in dough. dot, dot, dot. it’s like, hey watch me as i am fully dressed in traditional jewish clothing proclaiming my cleanliness while i eat with matthew the tax collector and our friends who the religiously corrupt are proclaiming unclean. it’s like, healing the blind and raising the dead. it’s resurrection and redemption in every breath and at every turn and for every thing.

oh, and here’s the kicker: it comes not by way of the tyrannically oppressive powers, but through the meek: it’s like a mustard seed. it comes not by force and violence, but by service and love. it doesn’t even need to defend because it always protects. it doesn’t have to kill because it will die. and on and on and on.

the good news of the kingdom of heaven is what yeshua taught, shared, and lived. it was not actually about his birth, death, and resurrection: though this certainly became a prominent part of the teachings of the apostles and certainly needs to be proclaimed today. it’s what makes it possible for us to LIVE LIKE YESHUA: that is, to proclaim the same good news of the kingdom as yeshua, we have to be citizens of that kingdom! and there is only one way in to the kingdom and in to the family, through yeshua: and that, because we, too, have died with him, and are raised by that same power! he has made us righteous. messiah makes all things new!

okay. so maybe not so short. but still. pretty sweet, no?

needless to say, that’s how i arrived at, “WHAT IS THE GOOD NEWS OF THE KINGDOM OF YESHUA?”

exhale. breathe. so again, in the interest of clarity: there is nothing wrong with the phrase, THE GOSPEL OF YESHUA/JESUS/CHRIST, and i will still use that phrase, share that gospel…but it is not the same as THE GOOD NEWS OF THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN THAT YESHUA PROCLAIMED…for example.

and, to be honest, the way i read the old and new covenants, i think it’s fair to say, the gospel of christ is contained within the gospel of the kingdom of heaven and not the other way around. no matter what, it finds it’s purpose in CHRIST. for as john 1.1 declares, in the beginning was the logos, the word, and the logos was with GOD and the logos was GOD – where yeshua is that logos! and paul writes in colossians 1.17 that in him (yeshua/christ) all things hold together.

–

so. i don’t know if i will have a second interview with this pastor/local church – but i am incredibly thankful for the pursuit he pushed me toward this afternoon. i have no doubt we believe the same thing(s), but, at the time,  i had something else in mind, haha!

i welcome your thoughts, questions, and insight. what say you?

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*by beginning, i mean, i recognize there is a wealth of history and knowledge and resources and prayers that i have yet to even crack. but. i also know that my heart is slowly becoming aligned with GOD’s heart for israel and i have developed a humble appreciation and respect that warrants more study of the ancient eastern histories, people, and the jewish people as a whole.

**you’re not really expecting this to be short, are you?

There is no other option, comes the reply,
so it is when we judge with our eyes.
Filled with the measure we’ve sown
selling all to buy into the lie:

Love always trusts, never does it fail,
except this once, damn it to hell.

And this the tomb, our grave hebetude,
when we align our minds with false truth.

—
this poem finds it’s weight in an endless amount of conversations and experiences. some are my own conversations, some from others, some were forward moving, others were negatively charged and rooted in fear…but it really seeks to explore a question we usually choose to avoid: what becomes of us when we align our minds with false truth and live in a place and a time where sin abounds? what becomes of a people when they choose to believe the “exceptions” rather than the “promises”?

does (true) love never fail…except when we think we’ve run out of options? is GOD the redeemer of all things…except that one thing? and so on and so on.