Jesus Drives a Ford.

This picture is what’s wrong with Christendom.

When we tell people the ways in which they are dying (most of which people are acutely aware of), we forget to tell people how to experience full life. Life, to my conviction, is what following Jesus is all about.

The sad thing is that the person who drives this car believes they are doing the Lord’s work. “I’ll show them for-nee-cators what Almighty Gawd thinks about their dev’lish behave-yuh!” Maybe they are. But I can tell you this, you can judge a “tree by its fruit.” I don’t know where you sit on this, but I don’t see too many people following this car to the church doors saying, “Where do I sign up?”

I find it ironic that this is a Ford Escape. Escape. Did you catch that? Too many times, people with this theology desire to escape the reality of this life; the reality that we (and by “we” I mean the imperial “we” – that includes Christians) are broken and sinful people, in need of a Savior who desperately desires to give us life. Life to the full. We don’t get another home. We don’t get to choose to not be a part of the human race and the beautiful mess that is life. We are where we are because God chose to put us here. We cannot, we must not, attempt to escape it. To do so is unwise, dangerous, selfish, and theologically bankrupt.

So to all you life-giving Christians out there, keep it up. To the ones who desire to tell everyone else how awful they are (driver of this car included), just remember that if you’ve got a pulse, you’ve got a problem and its name is “sin.”

As the caption of the picture of Noah’s Ark hanging up in my childhood bathroom read,“We’re all in the same boat, let’s keep it afloat.”

Photo Source: Collide Magazine

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Contributor: Justin Wise

I am a religious deviant who enjoys coffee, collared shirts, spending time with my wife and son, learning about quantum physics and creatively exploring the riches of the Spirit of Christ. Find more here: JustinWise.me

Makella

Hey Justin.

Mostly the people who I talk to understand that they are twisting things around, but they don't really know the truth behind it all, so mostly they just listen when I try my best to explain.

Last year, one of my friends tried to talk to him on his break while his wife spoke. I stood by and overheard and my friend was basically trying to gently point out some verses in the Bible about God's Love and about how it says that there is only one judge (one of their main points was that they are allowed to judge others because they are Christians), and he basically ignored her and started asking her if she watched movies, listened to music, ever told a lie, etc. trying to find ways to bring her down. It was almost like there was something blocking him from really hearing what she had to say; it was basically impossible to have a real conversation.

I still get a little frustrated, but honestly, the week that they are here is one of the easiest weeks to have a spiritual conversation with someone. Last year my friends and I planned a discussion for a couple of the nights they were here to get some dialogue going about what the real truth was. We tried to look at some of their main myths about Christianity.. We also showed the nooma 'Bullhorn.' It was pretty successful. I kind of feel like God brings them to our campus to, in a way, remind us that we need to live lives of His love.

Daniel

John 4:16-18 [NLT]

“Go and get your husband,” Jesus told her.

“I don’t have a husband,” the woman replied.

Jesus said, “You’re right! You don’t have a husband—for you have had five husbands, and you aren’t even married to the man you’re living with now. You certainly spoke the truth!”

cont... John 4:27-29 [NLT]

Just then his disciples came back. They were shocked to find him talking to a woman, but none of them had the nerve to ask, “What do you want with her?” or “Why are you talking to her?” The woman left her water jar beside the well and ran back to the village, telling everyone, “Come and see a man who told me everything I ever did! Could he possibly be the Messiah?”

This woman was thrilled to be told what she did. Jesus called this woman out on the carpet about what she was doing, and He explained to her that she was indeed unmarried, yet had five husbands and a man at home to whom she was unmarried.

The reason the person in the Escape has it wrong is primarily, IMO, the smaller text under JESUS. It says: "JESUS will fogive, only if you stop. You have been warned..."

This is actually inaccurate. The truth is that Jesus will forgive you if you believe on Him. Jesus did not come into the world that He might condemn the world, but that through Him the we might be saved. Fornication is a sin, and sin does lead to death--I find this to be a helpful reminder. I would conclude that "Jesus is the answer, in Him there is no death, but all who believe on Him will have eternal life."

IMO, the point that the person w/ this Escape went wrong was when they tried to resolve the matter with works. What works? Well, the works of stopping of course... "Jesus will only forgive you if you stop what you are doing right now." What we need to tell people is that Jesus has forgiven them already, if they would only trust Him. In doing so, when a person trusts Him, naturally their behavior will change.

Again, the woman at the well was not condemn the woman who was accused of adultery. Rather, Jesus asked here where her accusers had gone, and told her that neither did He condemn her, and that she should go her way and sin no more. I ask this, "Does the person in the Escape have the same message?" No, they do not. The person in the Escape says, "Sin no more, otherwise Jesus will condemn you."

They've got it wrong. Jesus has forgiven them already, if they would only trust Him. What we sow in the flesh we will reap in the flesh, and what we sow in the spirit we will reap of the spirit. There are consequence for our sin, but if we have at any time trusted Christ, none of those consequences involves forfeiting of eternal life. We are saved by grace, through faith; not of works lest any man boast.

I'm all for bumper stickers that are accurate, and true all the time. I have one that says "Don't let the car fool you, my treasure is in heaven." I have it on the back window of my two-seater pickup, and the sticker is helping to hold my shattered back window together :).

Marc

I agree with what you're saying here, Justin. It's also one of the reasons why I don't put anything on my car (the icthus, bumper stickers/magnets, etc), I don't want it to be seen by others as a proclaimation on my part that I have the moral and spiritual high ground and that they're pond scum. Besides, it could really turn off people from Christ if they saw me get pulled over or inadvertantly cutting someone off in traffic and think that such behavior applies to all Christians.

BTW, a carpenter, guy in his 30s with a beard who liked to drink with his friends - it's obvious that Jesus would drive a full sized pickup! ;)

Justin Wise

Makella:

I remember those same fellows on my campus back in the day. I always found myself frazzled after watching them - even being a Christian - thinking, "Are we following the same God?"

What's the reaction of your classmates when you answer the questions they have? What's the reaction like when these guys come to campus? Does anyone ever confront them?

Makella

Justin, I so agree with you.

There are these traveling preachers who come to my campus every year at the same time.
They stand up on the main part of campus and yell at all the students telling us that we are all going to hell because of things like listening to rock-and-roll and "gangster rap," watching movies, being "whore-mongers", basically for doing anything... and people who know that I am a Christian ask me if I support them, because everyone who claims to love the Lord gets painted with the same brush (as Rob Bell puts it) after seeing these outspoken preachers on the green..
Like you said, the 'life-giving Christians' are those who are spreading the real message of hope and love. There is an old phrase about catching more flies with honey and not vinegar. There is a lot more to say about this and I didnt mean to come on here and ramble!! Just wanted to let you know that I agree with you.

Now that I think about it, are there any statistics showing how many people come to know Jesus by being scared into it like that? I would love to see something like that if you know of anything.

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