The OT is Not On Par With Jesus

"The Old Testament is not on par with Jesus. The Bible is not a flat text where every passage carries the same weight. This is why Jesus says, “You have heard it said, but I say to you…” 

... 

Wars of conquest, violent retribution, the institution of slavery, and women held as property are all “Biblical.” But when placed in the light of Tabor they must be renounced." 

- Brian Zahnd

Read more: Jesus Is What God Has To Say

Old VS New

Thanks to the internet, we now have access to a ton of Christian messages than our earlier generations. We no longer have to be limited by tunnel visions!

While I'm thrilled with this convenience, I'm not attracted to a message, book or an article, simply because it is tagged "Christian". 

What I look for is, if the content is rooted in Jesus' perfect work on the cross.

Narrating the parables of Jesus or quoting 10 scriptures from the Gospels simply for the sake of it won't cut it, because Jesus was still living under the old covenant. 

Contrary to the popular assumption, the new covenant starts only after the resurrection and not with Matthew Chapter 1. 

Selah  ; )

So how do we know that the messages that we listen to or the material that we read stems from the old or the new covenant?

Under the old covenant, I get to bear a nice-looking, but a heavy yoke of trying to earn the blessings. My ego gets to be the star. The blessings or curses are hinged on my performance.

Under the new covenant, Jesus did all the heavy lifting; we are freed from the yoke and are liberated, once and for all. Jesus is the star here and through His obedience, we are made righteous (not self-righteous). Grace or Unconditional Love is the oxygen that we live in. Under this covenant, we are God's masterpieces, not unworthy worms.

Pagan Christianity

The institutional mindset is the towering wall that stands between a person and Jesus Christ and the way He wants to connect with the church, His body. The book Pagan Christianity, authored by Frank Viola and George Barna addresses this life-sucking, yet seemingly pious mindset that is not rooted and grounded in the New Testament.

If you are a thinking Christian, I would urge you to read this book. This is not the typical Christian self-help book. Depending on how traditionally rooted you are, this book will challenge everything you thought about Christianity as it is generally perceived and promoted.

Before anyone jumps to the conclusion that the authors are pushing house churches, that is not at all the point of this book. I initially had the same feeling too, because the last thing I wanted was the old wine in a new bottle. The book cleared my doubt regarding that. By the way, I have nothing against home churches, as long as they are directed by the Holy Spirit. It's just that this book not is a debate on traditional church Vs house church. On that same note, I should also add that Pagan Christianity is not a stand-alone work. The other half is Reimagining Church.

May their warning from Chapter 1 inspire you to read the book:

"Warning: If you are unwilling to have your Christianity seriously examined, do not read beyond this page. Give this book to Goodwill immediately! Spare yourself the trouble of having your Christian life turned upside down."

Download* or order the print copy of this book from this link.

*You do not necessarily have to have a Kindle to read the electronic version. Click here for more info.
 

Related post by Frank Viola: 10 Myths About Pagan Christianity