Jesus Lines
I have started a small hobby or even a game I suppose. I call it Jesus Lines and it is simple and also a good exercise in the Gospel and the recognition of it. Let’s start with it’s foundation.
The Gospel: The story of a good and gracious God making a people who rebel against Him. But in His great love, mercy and grace He sends His Son to die for them taking the wrath of His justice so that God may claim us as heirs of His kingdom instead of the enemies and thus objects of His wrath that we were.
That was obviously put quite simply and succinctly. The Story of Jesus is one that runs through all of the Book. It is a monumental truth that, because of it’s massive significance and magnitude, has affected all of history and the story and truth of Him can be seen everywhere if someone is willing to be observant and search it out.
What I mean to say is that there are often little truths that can be seen, but because of there imperfection, serve best to point to the epitome of the ultimate truth. For instance, when we hear about someone sacrificing their life for another we hear a good little truth, but the ultimate truth of sacrifice is that of Jesus giving His life for the world.
So my “game” involves looking at life, specifically literature, movies, and music, for Jesus Lines. The greatest part about this game is that the little truths can be found anywhere, even in secular literature, even if the author did not intend it to be. Also, it does not have to be limited only to the gospel story, but all biblical truth. For instance, I have been thinking a lot about pain and suffering as a means of discipline from God treating us as sons that we may grow to be more like Him (Hebrews 12). Recently, I was listening to Iron and Wine (a folk group) and they sung a line, “There is no way to grow that don’t hurt.” I immediately heard this little truth and connected it to the bigger truth of Hebrews 12 and thought, “There is a Jesus Line.”
I think this is a great way to engage the culture you are in and to develop a critical mind for two reasons. First, You have to engage the culture you are in to even begin to look for “Jesus Lines”. You cannot shut it all out and just stay in the small Christian subculture and, equally so, you cannot just let all of culture go into to your cranium unfiltered and unwatched. It has to be sifted to find the little truths and throw out the lies. Secondly, it takes a practice and thought to begin recognizing the Gospel and Truth, not to mention studying the Gospel and the Bible. This develops the critical mind because you have to constantly be weighing the Culture’s view of truth to what the Bible says is truth. If you find some truth in what you are looking at you can redeem it, if you find just fallen thought and lies you can throw it away knowingly because you have studied the Gospel and the Bible and not what needs to be tossed.
I have found this to be a very encouraging activity and also beneficial to my thinking skills. The things I watch or read or listen to now have a bar to be compared to and I can find good meaning and truth behind them. It has me thinking about Truth through out the day and has me constantly looking for “Jesus Lines” and continuing to review the Gospel in my mind as I observe.
Side note: Jesus used the truth of life in parables to communicate Biblical truth, Truth is so monumental and universal that it can be sifted from even the nature of how things are. Jesus invented this game.
I would encourage you to play this game with me. Study the Bible and Culture. In that order, read the Book and learn well and solidly, by the power of the Ghost, the Gospel and all Biblical Truth and then jump into culture comparing, redeeming and tossing your way through it all.
I hope this is helpful.
To the Curious, I was listening to Iron & Wine and their album “Into the Well.”
I think if my writing ever becomes worthwhile, readable and somewhat known I will make shirts or cheap buttons for the fans that said, “The Curious.” I think that would be funny.
