I'm a Rebel
Good morning, afternoon, or evening depending on when you are reading this! Mary Beau here!
This blog idea came from one of my favorite artists. His name is Lecrae and he writes or performs Christian Rap songs. In this specific one, he talks about how Jesus was a rebel. The definition of a Rebel is "a person who rises in opposition against a government or ruler" according to the Oxford Dictionary. This idea is commonly associated with the 1960s with 'hippies' as rebels. The teens were beginning to think "What if my parents don't know it all. What if I have been living life wrong?" So, they would rebel. They would disobey authority and do what they thought is right. Now as a Christian, we immediately think "but that is not what we are supposed to do. We need to obey authority as Romans 13 says." That would be the correct thought if it was not for the government and culture that we have.
I have been told many times "It does not matter what the government says- if it goes against the bible it should not be listened to." At the beginning of Acts, the disciples (specifically Peter and John [this is found in Acts 4]) were taken in by the Pharisees and Sadducees and commanded not to proclaim the Good News. This is the opposite of what the disciples were told by Jesus: "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age." They even told those "in authority" (really those 'teachers' made the religious authority up. They should not have held that power in the first place) that they would not listen to what they were saying and they would continue to teach (Acts 4:19-20). The Bible tells us that the disciples went back to the Church ENCOURAGED! I would love to be able to be encouraged by the persecution that I know I will face. This is a perfect example, though, of the disciples not listening to authority because it went against what God's Word said.
We are told we need to pray for those in authority. 1 Timothy 2:1-3 says "First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior." God wants us to pray for everyone, but especially those that God has placed in a high position. We need to remember that none of those are accidents. God knows what he is doing when he has a King, President, Queen, Governer, or any other governing position gain their position. Sometimes we may not see what God has in mind (actually, most of the time we do not) but we have to remember that God, the Ultimate Authority, is still in control.
I know that I don't need to add this. I really don't. So why am I? Because I just need to let this out. I may end up deleting this paragraph within the next month or year. So here I go: A big deal in America right now in the Carona Virus (or COVID-19 though I was told they are different). The American government is making everyone hunker down in their homes. Entertainment of almost all sources are being shut down, and now schools are closed for a few weeks a least. I can understand the entertainment being shut down- they are not needed for this society to remain intact. BUT, shutting down schools and telling people that they cannot meet together because there are a FEW cases of COVID-19 here is no reason for it to be this extreme. These are government personnel who are put in authority. What they are telling us is not bad. We can still serve God and obey these rules. BUT we are told, "For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and a sound mind." (1 Timothy 1:7) This means not panicking about something that will probably not kill us! We need to trust God if we have any concerns about this issue. So, I do not need to rebel in this area, but I do not need to live in fear like what these 'rules' seem to indicate.
This blog idea came from one of my favorite artists. His name is Lecrae and he writes or performs Christian Rap songs. In this specific one, he talks about how Jesus was a rebel. The definition of a Rebel is "a person who rises in opposition against a government or ruler" according to the Oxford Dictionary. This idea is commonly associated with the 1960s with 'hippies' as rebels. The teens were beginning to think "What if my parents don't know it all. What if I have been living life wrong?" So, they would rebel. They would disobey authority and do what they thought is right. Now as a Christian, we immediately think "but that is not what we are supposed to do. We need to obey authority as Romans 13 says." That would be the correct thought if it was not for the government and culture that we have.
I have been told many times "It does not matter what the government says- if it goes against the bible it should not be listened to." At the beginning of Acts, the disciples (specifically Peter and John [this is found in Acts 4]) were taken in by the Pharisees and Sadducees and commanded not to proclaim the Good News. This is the opposite of what the disciples were told by Jesus: "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age." They even told those "in authority" (really those 'teachers' made the religious authority up. They should not have held that power in the first place) that they would not listen to what they were saying and they would continue to teach (Acts 4:19-20). The Bible tells us that the disciples went back to the Church ENCOURAGED! I would love to be able to be encouraged by the persecution that I know I will face. This is a perfect example, though, of the disciples not listening to authority because it went against what God's Word said.
We are told we need to pray for those in authority. 1 Timothy 2:1-3 says "First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior." God wants us to pray for everyone, but especially those that God has placed in a high position. We need to remember that none of those are accidents. God knows what he is doing when he has a King, President, Queen, Governer, or any other governing position gain their position. Sometimes we may not see what God has in mind (actually, most of the time we do not) but we have to remember that God, the Ultimate Authority, is still in control.
I know that I don't need to add this. I really don't. So why am I? Because I just need to let this out. I may end up deleting this paragraph within the next month or year. So here I go: A big deal in America right now in the Carona Virus (or COVID-19 though I was told they are different). The American government is making everyone hunker down in their homes. Entertainment of almost all sources are being shut down, and now schools are closed for a few weeks a least. I can understand the entertainment being shut down- they are not needed for this society to remain intact. BUT, shutting down schools and telling people that they cannot meet together because there are a FEW cases of COVID-19 here is no reason for it to be this extreme. These are government personnel who are put in authority. What they are telling us is not bad. We can still serve God and obey these rules. BUT we are told, "For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and a sound mind." (1 Timothy 1:7) This means not panicking about something that will probably not kill us! We need to trust God if we have any concerns about this issue. So, I do not need to rebel in this area, but I do not need to live in fear like what these 'rules' seem to indicate.
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