June 9, 2014 Thought

Being a Cultural Rebel

Against the Norm

 What does the cultural rebel look like? In a word, he looks like Jesus. How can this be? Jesus, our Savior, a rebel? Well, yeah. Just look at the evidence given. In Matthew 21:12, it says,

"Jesus entered the temple courts and drove out all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves."

The people of the city were buying and selling items for a living. Jesus rebelled against this by driving out the people in a righteous anger, for it was His Father's dwelling place. The main fact here is that Jesus stopped the people from making a living. Jesus also taught what the pharisees did not want to hear. "This man, the Son of God? Impossible!" And they say this while waiting for their Messiah...but the fact remains; Jesus continued to do something that was not culturally accepted. 

     So how can we be rebels if we, in this day and age, have freedom of speech? Most people started drinking, doing drugs, having sex out of wedlock, killing, and stealing to be rebellious. The Christian artist Lecrae put it this way in his album, Rebel: 

"Everyone is doing it, so it's no longer rebellious to sin!"

So if the whole world is committing these sins, how can the modern Christian rebel against the rebellious? By reading our Bibles. Standing up for what we believe to be true--that is the Word of God! 

"That's the only rebellion left!" -Lecrae 

If you're living your life to impress the world, then you're going to end up living a life filled with nothing because it will be a life without God. The world doesn't care what you can or can't do. You had a drink from your dad's stock of beer? You bought a cigarette from that guy at school and smoked it on school grounds? That's not very impressive. People do that every day all year round. How can you impress a society by doing something they are already doing? Now, not everyone reads their Bibles daily, and by doing so, conversations have been started. Lives have been turned around. People accepting Jesus as their Savior. So instead of hurting yourself for a little bit of recognition, why not strengthen yourself for an eternal reward that is ours in heaven? That seems like a way more reasonable deal to me.

     What do you think? How could you be a rebel against today's rebellious society? Will you read your Bible in public and not care who labels you as a "Jesus Freak"? Comment below. I'd love to see what you guys think. Thanks.