boy on law ness

notes/quotes (starts at 42 min) – [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oj4yox5FXv0]:

book came out in 2005 – soul searching by christian smith.. interviewed youth thru out nation.. found youth in america believed 5 things about who god is and what faith means: 1\ god exists.. created/watches over 2\ god wants people to be good, nice, fair to each other 3\ central goal of life to be happy & feel good about oneself 4\ god doesn’t need to be particularly involved in one’s life except when needed to resolve a problem 5\ good people go to heaven when they die.. this has been termed: moralistic therapeutic deism.. a kind of thinking in many churches and all of us to fall into

also at this time.. in 5th grade.. one day.. everything was so diff.. given about $100 monopoly money.. could use money however wanted.. but going to be taxed on it.. taxes thru out week got different and more and more.. teachers doing whatever they wanted.. i felt i was fine though.. i felt i was really good at managing my finances as a 10 yr old.. i knew what i was doing.. so didn’t have to worry.. but some of my friends getting kind of concerned.. they came to me one day at lunch.. had written out.. citing all things teachers were doing wrong.. and were going to take it to teachers.. and wanted me to sign it as well.. and i thought about it and i thought.. no way.. i don’t want to do that.. i don’t want to get in trouble.. day later.. sitting in my seat w all the goods i’d acquired.. my friends were up front by the teacher.. teacher had the letter.. and i’m thinking.. guys i told you.. you’re going to get in so much trouble.. but honestly what i was really thinking was .. ha.. you guys are in trouble.. i told you. . if you only would have listened to me.. the next thing out of my teacher’s mouth was really interesting.. they were commending them for standing up to unjust taxes.. actually what they were doing .. that i didn’t realize.. they were trying to give us a kind of case study on the declaration of independence.. and how the teacher’s were just raising taxes unfairly and how somebody needed to step up.. i just kind of sat in my seat and was perplexed by my decision

47 min – the question i want to raise in your minds.. 1\ what kind of picture do you think of when you think of the father.. maybe even more important.. 2\ what kind of standard do you feel like the father holds you to.. one where he just wants you to be happy/healthy and ultimately need to just do more good than bad to get to heaven.. do you think like i did.. that maybe the father is just someone you have to trust with whatever taxes and you have to follow everything to the letter.. and you can’t mess up anywhere.. and those who do mess up are just kinda out of luck.. or maybe it’s some other kind of standard.. i don’t know.. but what kind of standard do you feel like the father holds you to

48 min – act 21: 17-36.. paul returning to jerusalem.. hub for christians.. paul hasn’t been there in a while.. about 8 yrs since he’s been back to see this church.. greeted fairly warmly by church.. crowd of jewish christians and maybe just jews.. 17-26 (return & proposal by church) 27-39 (questioned by crowd) 30-36 (attacked by crowd)

50-53 min – (reads 1st passage) .. greeting.. but then telling what he has to do to cleans himself after being gone (numbers 19 if leave have to purify when get back).. so seems what they’re asking paul to do is kind of fair.. and v 26 seems like paul is ok w that.. but at same time.. hard to think of this as the paul we know..

54 min – easy to see what is significant to church in jerusalem.. the law.. v 20 – zealous for it .. v 24 – purification not to be cleansed before god.. but so all people in jerusalem know he’s living in obedience.. not so much focus on god but on the law.. v 28 – jews coming at paul and accusing him that he is teaching all men everywhere ‘against our law’ not our god.. our law.. so again.. have to think is this really what paul wants to encourage

55 min – same paul who in galatians 2:1-5 – about 10 yrs before all of this is going on .. goes to jerusalem w barnabas and titus.. but just to leaders.. but titus not even compelled to be circumcised.. so 10 yrs ago.. paul people had come into the church ‘we did not give into them for a moment’.. now seems like he gave in right away..

56 min – and later gal 2:11-13 when peter came into antioch.. to jerusalem ‘i opposed him to his face.. before men came from james he used to eat w gentiles.. but when they arrived.. he began to draw back and separate himself from the gentiles because he was of afraid those who belonged to the circumcision group.. the other jews joined him in his hypocrisy so that by their hypocrisy.. even barnabas was led astray..again.. hard to get this story to match up w the paul we see thru out scripture

57 min – i was watching pilgrims progress the other night.. really love the cartoon version.. there’s this point where christian is walking along way w huge burden on his back and he comes to worldly wisesman who he hopes can help him.. ww says ‘there’s this way you can go.. that will help to have your burden lifted sooner .. toward mount morality.. ‘ mount morality is this place where all these rules are.. christian starts to climb up and he asks guy at top.. can you lift this burden from me.. and guy at top says yes.. just come up to me.. c: it’s so high though.. how do i get up there.. guy at top: follow all the rules c: which ones.. cause there’s signs all over the place.. rules here/there.. guy: all of them.. follow all of them..he starts climbing and guy at top: you missed a sign.. you missed a sign.. then he falls down and everything tumbles over..

59 min – next scene see the evangelist: ‘when legality comes toppling down we are catapulted to the way’..

‘when legality comes toppling down we are catapulted to the way’

seems like that’s what paul would agree with.. when all those rituals come toppling down.. when putting those things first come toppling down.. we are catapulted to the way.. the path in acts.. the path we’re supposed to be on.. the way.. the straight path.. but it’s like.. is that the way paul is going

1:00 – next section .. questioned by crowd (27-29).. a couple ways commentators say why paul is acting this way.. and honestly my understanding of it is in the minority.. most people would say that paul acting this way because now back in j after he hasn’t been there forever.. so .. he’s being ‘all things to all men’ .. so .. he may not agree with the purification rights.. but it is their way.. so he’s willing to do that if that’s what they need to have happen.. and i think that’s a very possible reason for why paul’s doing that.. but i don’t think that’s what’s going on here..

1:01 – (continues reading from 27-29.. when 7 days were over some saw paul at temple).. what’s paul doing at the temple? he’s not supposed to be at the temple till all 7 days are done but when 7 days are nearly over.. not over.. where is paul.. ?.. he’s at the temple.. w his father.. he’s not just listening to the purification rights.. or to the rituals of the people.. he thinks that those can be good.. he understands that the people need to hear those.. but ultimately what paul knows he has to do.. is he has to be at the temple.. 7 days over or not .. paul has to be at the temple.. because he has to be w his father.. jews don’t like that..

1:02 – and the men come shouting.. ‘this is the man who teaches all men everywhere against our people and our law in this place..’ et al ‘and defiled this holy place’.. visiting jews calling paul out

1:03 – acts 6:12-14 when getting ready to stone stephen ‘this fellow never stops speaking agains this holy place and against the law’.. parallel between stephen and paul and jesus.. false claims.. this is the way.. the way is the one you’re actually going to have false witnesses against you..

1:04 – so what do we do in the midst of that.. what do we do when we’re falsely charged.. same that stephen, jesus, paul did.. continue to proclaim the gospel

olivier wrong about you law.. anonymous ones heavy law.. et al

next session – attacked by crowd (30-36) – reading

1:05 – need to get out of this – acts 21 – ‘some in crowd shouted one and some another’ ..most didn’t even know why there.. same w riot in ephesus.. so illusion that this crowd and other same.. but this crowd.. some of them were believers.. also say ‘away with him’.. about paul.. but in luke.. says same about jesus..

1:07 – seems like a thing paul is trying to get in our heads.. this crowd that’s actually filled w believers is not that much diff than other crowds.. (expelling jesus and …)

1:08 – so i think we’re left w this point when we read this story.. when we idolize the law.. we do not worship god.. you may hear that and say.. that’s not me.. but hold on.. how do we idolize the law today?.. there’s 4 ways i think we idolize the law

so me.. no train.. no prep.. ness.. rather.. listen to what’s already on each heart

1:09 – 1\ we find or dis\comfort in the law.. just like legality.. the way of legality promised an easier/lighter path.. sometimes law easier path for us.. i think it’s because we can measure legality.. sometimes it’s just nearness to the father that we are called to and it’s not as easy to put a quantity on that..

huge.. literacy and numeracy both elements of colonialism/control/enclosure.. we need to calculate differently and stop measuring things

graeber violence/quantification law et al

1:10 – so sometimes we want to grip onto something we can measure.. and what can we measure.. how well am i doing in following the law.. how much better/worse am i doing compared to that/that person.. so instead of a comfort.. can be a discomfort.. the law is not meant to measure us.. good works are things to strive for.. things that happen because of our proximity to the father.. but good works cannot be our measurement.. cannot be our standard for who we are

fgraeber measure law.. masks and measures.. mona lisa smile compare law et al

1:11 – to be gripped by jesus/father.. to be in close to relationship will lead to good.. but (they’re) not the measurements

2\ priority.. we prioritize the law.. where does the law.. good works.. fit on your totem pole.. on the measure of what your standard is.. be honest.. we would all say.. jesus.. he is our only righteousness.. but look at your real life on a day to day basis.. do you actually believe that you are a child of god and that is the only reason that you are righteous.. it’s not that i’m a child of god and i go to church.. not that i’m a child of god and i tell people about jesus.. not that i’m a child of god and i read my bible.. those things are good.. but the only standard by which we are measured is that we are a child.. of the king

garden-enough ness.. et al

1:13 – think of god in a box.. if your god is contained/restrained by the law/anything.. he is not god.. god can’t fit into any picture of what we have.. if we’re setting limits like that then we’re setting an idol of the law instead of setting god as the one we worship

constant line law.. siddiqi border law.. et al.. any form of m\a\p

1:14 – 3\ separation.. mark driscoll.. ‘as long as christians fail to repent of self righteousness.. we will continue to speak of evangelism in terms such as outreach which implies we will not embrace lost people but we will keep them at lease an arm’s length away.. jesus was not a separatist and he is our only righteousness’

help\ing ness et al.. steiner care to oppression law et al.. graeber violence in care law.. et al

1:15 – levi the poet expands: ‘i think that he (god) probably cares less for pretense .. for thinking that we have everything together.. than inaccuracy.. he would rather change us than have us act as though we were changed.. heal the sick than have the sick pretend they were already healed.. you are sick.. i am sick.. he is our only righteousness.. and so when we think about this as a matter of outreach as how we deal w world around us.. do we look at the law and think we are better than them and that causes us to separate from them and keep them at an arm’s length away.. that is idolatry.. that is putting the law that pushes people away ahead of the god who embraces them and brings them in .. in the midst of all of their brokenness and woundedness and grossness.. the same way that he embraced us

fix vs not hidden et al

entitlement et al.. any form of m\a\p

1:16 – 4\ evangelism – what are you evangelizing.. what is the good news you are telling other people.. is the good news you are telling other people that if you do more good than bad .. if you go to church.. if you do these things.. then you will be saved.. that is not the good news.. evangelism.. is the proclamation of the good news.. and the only good news there is is that we are made spotless by jesus and jesus alone.. are we leading people toward jesus or are we leading people toward the law.. or whatever our understanding of the law is..

1:17 – paul knows when coming back to jerusalem.. the purification ritual is not going to make him pure in the presence of god.. he knows that.. he knows that the only way to be pure in presence of god is jesus.. and the good news is not that we are given everlasting life if we do enough good.. the good news is we are given everlasting life if we follow jesus.. if we grow so near to jesus that he is our greatest joy.. the good news is not that we get there.. by pulling up our bootstraps.. by doing this/that.. something we attain.. the good news is that we are there only by proxy.. we are there only out of relationship position w the only one who can save.. the only physician who can heal the sick

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