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Well, I am hopeful that the worst of this flu is over ... after 13 days! I'm still not able to sleep very well, but I'm sure everything will work itself out eventually. All thoughts and prayer have been much appreciated!
I was very sad to have missed the entire Ekklesia NW conference Friday and Saturday... :^(
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Chapter 16 in The Jesus Creed is called A Society of Restoration. Scot coins a great new word for us sesquipedalians: classificationitis. Love it! He defines it (on page 155) as "the inflammation of orderly distinctions." There were just too many separating classifications--and Jesus came to remove those barriers and restore people to their place in society.
Jesus removed barriers in a number of ways -- by his example, by his teaching, by his miracles. But it seems to me that Scot hits it right on the head (on page 159) by calling Jesus the Contagion of Purity.
For the Jews, impurity was wildly contageous. Hence, the extreme number of categories that separated clean from unclean and kept the "infection" under control. But Jesus came to do away with the whole problem! God had given the Law -- his "orderly distinctions" -- through Moses in order to both preserve and build the nation of Israel.
But when the time of the Messiah arrived, and in preparation for the cutting of the New Covenant, God began to deal with the horrible "inflammation" that had come to be so heavy that the people could no longer bear it. Instead of separating and condemning the unclean, the Society of Restoration heals and cleanses.
Before, the touch of a leper or a woman with an issue of blood would render one unclean. Now, when touched by Jesus, his purity passes to them -- cleansing and restoring.
If the society of the Jesus Creed is to be a society of restoration, then we have to be about remembering that we are infected with the purity of Jesus -- and it is meant to be wildly contageous.
The days of the classification wars are over, friends. The contagion of purity has been unleashed.
The question that must be asked, then, is this: are you "sneezing" restoration as loving God and loving others? Or are you quarantining the "contagion" to your church or your group or your ... whatever.
Jesus is the cure for the bad case of "classificationitis" that ails humanity. Please, set his power free -- so that his contagious purity can get on about cleaning and restoring God's precious Eikons to right relationship with God and with others.
Leaning on Papa.
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2 comments:
I really appreciate this post. It hits me right where I am and is helping to lift my spirits from some deep depression I've been struggling with a lot, lately. It's good to be of the Contagion of Purity. Me thinks I should be reading this book. I have a few to wade through right now (not to mention a job to find). However, this is quickly getting close to the top of my list.
Brother, if I may, I suggest that you get this book and read just one chapter a day as part of your devotions with Jen. The chapters are very short but they are very, very powerful.
One chapter a day is more than enough to think about, as I think you've been noticing from my posts. And that shouldn't really interfere with your other reading.
May the Holy Spirit continue to lift your gloom and help you spread the contagion ;^)
Be blessed.
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