New Boundaries for a New Kingdom

Now Welch explains how when Jesus overturned cultural conventions and stretched religious boundaries, He was reclaiming land that had been in enemy hands too long.  The Beatitudes showed who was honoured in the Kingdom but if we think of the anti-Beatitudes we can see who is excluded: the self-satisfied, those who don't care about the misery of others, those who continually shake their fist at God, those who hunger for earthly riches and honour above King-God, the hypocrites intent only on their own self-seeking goals, those who divide people with their anger and gossip, those who refuse to taste shame for the sake of Jesus' name.

This list might make us feel a bit uncomfortable -  am I an outcast after all?  But Welch goes on to say "if the anti-Beatitudes step on your toes and hurt a little, or provoke a hint of anxiety, then you are not an outcast." (p. 169)

Welch now encourage us to look a little closer at the boundaries of the Kingdom of God.  It includes the outcasts, failures, poor, poor in spirit, those without earthly honour, all who claim a childlike neediness for Jesus Himself.  It excludes those who identify with the world's guidelines for inclusion: wealth, reputation, power and personal honour. Amazing when you look at these boundaries and you see how God's normal is made abnormal by satan, and God's abnormal is made normal by satan and we have gotten sucked up by this LIE.

But then Welch turns us back to another side of shame.  Most people experience shame because other "powerful" people impose shame on them and we can't minimize that!  What we do have to understand, Welch warns, is that the oppressors' days are numbered.  Other people can still victimize, BUT THEY CAN'T DRAG US AWAY FROM THE HOLY ONE!!  By faith we have a connection to Jesus that no perpetrator can sever (p.161).

Now contamination can only come from inside ourselves.  Please read Matthew 15:17-20.  Jesus is telling us that no longer can anything outside us make us unclean.  The things that make us UNCLEAN are the things that come out of our own heart!! And only God can make us truly CLEAN:

• only our own sins can contaminate us
• no one has the power to make us sin
• God is quick to forgive when we turn to Him
• when the inside is clean, the outside is clean (Mt 23:25-26) (p.162)

Now Welch goes on to look at some specific questions we might have.
What keeps me from becoming unclean by those who touch me?  When we trust God to keep us safe, instead of trying new ways to self-medicate we are being touched by Him.  When we are touched by the Holy One, we become HOLY.  Holiness is contagious (John 13:10) and once holy always holy, although we will still get our feet dirty (still sin) and need daily washing that does not nullify the bath of holiness.

What do I do with the uncleanness I bring on myself?  We will still sin, turn away from God, but that doesn't affect what God has done for us through Jesus.  He has still touched us (given us a bath), all we have to do is turn back to Him and ask for forgiveness and He WILL forgive (Is 43:25).  The wonderful thing about this is that it's not about us!  God forgives for His sake.  When He forgives that gives Him honour and glory!!

Am I ready to begin distinguishing the sins of others from my own sins? Welch asks us to ask ourselves the next question before we try to answer the first one - Do I believe it honours God when I trust Him to forgive and cleanse me? Sometimes things get complicated when although someone victimizes us, we also sin because of it, or in response to it and then we need to look to God to help us unwind the complications.  When we pray "God have mercy", He will help us OWN what belongs to us and let Him look after the sins of others and what belongs to them.  Mercy comes to us as cleansing for both guilt and shame (p.165).

Welch encourages again when he says "Jesus is the BURDEN-LIFTER (Mt 11:30) and if we feel as if Jesus just adds new burdens, we are mistaking Him for someone else (Mt 23:4).  We don't have to get defensive but make Psalm 139:23-24 our own words!

Now Welch goes on to warn us to BEWARE OF THE "REALLY BAD SIN".  Perhaps you have been feeling hope that you might be cleansed and then something happens BAM, you might "discover that you believe there are two categories of people: those who do normal sins, which are forgivable, and those who commit really bad sins, which might be forgivable but only after you.... you don't know what you have to do to be forgiven" (p.167).  Remember we're Christians under Construction so our growth is slow, and sometimes things may have to be taken apart and re-built, but steadily you WILL grow in Christ's image!

Welch counters this BAM moment by turning us to Scripture again, to look at some of the truly human people there: murderers (Moses, David, Paul), adulterers (David), and blatant denier of Jesus (Peter) and see that they were ALL FORGIVEN.  Paul, in his letter to the Galatians is very clear that "Jesus death paid for everything, especially the really bad sins, and he is more than a little ticked off if you disagree.  If you try argue with Paul about this he'll argue right back at you (1 Tim 1:16)" (p.169).

Welch finishes this chapter with the words "If you live as though that forgiveness needs a small boost from your own grief or good works, then you don't understand what He did.  You could read Galatians with this theme in mind."  So when we sometimes lose our bearing, instead of turning to ourselves, let's turn to God, read about Jesus, perhaps taking a quick read through Galatians before Welch's next chapter.