Exit Church Teachings

Unlike cults and secret societies, Jesus is overtly clear and up front with what it entails to follow him. He is open about the fact that the cost to follow him is incredibly high. It costs us everything that we have, even the people and things that we have the highest affections for. And when understood properly, this incredibly high cost is a good thing--it helps us see God as holy as he truly is, it protects us from hypocrisy, and it keeps our eyes on what is eternal.

In this passage, Jesus is at a dinner party hosted by a prominent Pharisee. Jesus challenges him and the others at the party, telling them to focus on what is eternal instead of simply being preoccupied with day-to-day life and getting married and making a living. While those are good gifts from God, they are never meant to be the heaviest thing in the room–the thing that our lives orient around. Jesus is telling the religious leaders (and us) that he is the only thing worthy of being the top priority in our lives.

The religious leaders continually invited Jesus to dinner parties and watched him to see how he would act. Jesus takes the opportunity to address the issue of pride and how to put it to death.

Have you ever wondered why God doesn't do grandiose miracles everyday in our lives? In this passage, Forrest Brown preached about how Jesus advances His kingdom through small things--through the woman with the bent back, the parable of the mustard seed, and the parables of the yeast. Who would have imagined that in a matter of a couple thousand years, God's kingdom would advance from one man, to eleven, to millions/billions today? It may be an indication that our expectations need to realign with the Father's will.