YGT: Does Church get in the way of Living like Jesus?

This week, I wanted to share a testimony of former pastor Edward G. Dobson.  The video describes his journey from being the pastor of a thriving church to his diagnosis with Lou Gehrig's disease.


At the 5:20 minute mark, Dobson shares that being so active in the church actually challenged his ability to live like Jesus.  This reminded me of an interpretation of the story of the good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37 below).  When a man asked Jesus who was his neighbor, Jesus told him a story about a man who was hurting on the side of the road and people who passed him by.  The first person to pass was a priest.  The second, a Levite.  These two were each religious leaders in the Jewish community.  As the interpretation goes (the one here is by Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.), perhaps they didn't help the man because they were on their way to a religious meeting.  Being part of a religious community was actually preventing them from seeing their neighbors.  


Not surprisingly, Dobson is also good at recognizing his neighbor.  From an insightful article on his life...


The scraggly guy stood at Ed Dobson’s door, asking for money. He said he was a Vietnam vet and needed bus fare for a medical appointment in Lansing.

Problem: It was the same story the same guy told three months earlier, when Dobson gave him $15. Dobson figured he probably blew that on booze and would again.

Problem No. 2: Jesus said, “Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.”This time, Dobson gave him $20.

I wonder if he would have been as giving if he was pastoring...


Check out his book - The Year of Living Like Jesus.  Haven't read it, but looking forward to soon.  In the meantime, I'll try to follow what Jesus has shown us in scripture. Ed Dobson reminds us that it's not about how much you know, it's about how much you know that you're willing to act on.  Praise God for his witness.






Lord, please forgive us for desiring to be in church more than we desire to be in You.  Have mercy on us.  We look to Christ as our Savior, teacher, and intercessor.  In His matchless name, Amen.


Freed,
j.a.g.






*Btw, if you can, check out the article linked above.  Discusses why Dobson voted for Obama during his year of living like Jesus.  Hmmm... A compelling figure indeed.


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Luke 10:25-37
25 On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

26 “What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?”

27 He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’[a]; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’[b]”

28 “You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.”

29 But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”

30 In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. 31 A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. 32 So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33 But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. 34 He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. 35 The next day he took out two denarii[c] and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’

36 “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?”

37 The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.”

Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”