Jesus Army: Magazine - Radical Bible

Isn't it obvious that God deliberately chose men and women that the culture overlooks and exploits and abuses, chose these "nobodies" to expose the hollow pretensions of the "somebodies"? That makes it quite clear that none of you can get by with blowing your own horn before God. (1 Corinthians 1:27-29, The Message)

Jesus (the replacement Adam) is the originator of 'human race mark II' (1 Corinthians 15:45) - a race of peace, justice, and love with a new, revolutionary lifestyle.

This is Eden revisited: social equality, tearing down the barbed wire barricades which divide brother from brother with its tribes, races and classes (Colossians 3:11).

Jesus' triumph over suffering (at the Cross) demolishes dividing walls and reconciles man to God and man to fellow man (Ephesians 2:14-18). No-one has to be 'outside' anymore: all become insiders; members of God's family (Ephesians 2:19).

This God-love which unites people together is the mark of a Holy Spirit-filled people. It is true church; it is the gospel made flesh (John 13:35, John 17:21).

This is 'light of the world' to make your eyes water! (Matthew 5:14) This kingdom demo throws out all the rotten 'ins' of the old order: inequality, injustice, inhumanity... But we don't have to tell people: we must show them!

Jesus leaves us in no doubt: our treatment of the 'least' (Matthew 25:31-40) reflects how we see Him - and it effects the verdict we receive on judgment day.

Jesus was straight down the line. Welcome the poor, bring them in! (Matthew 22:8-10, Luke 14:13-24). So, in our day, the poor will be into Jesus. The spiritually poor, the physically poor, the socially poor, the educationally poor - the underclass, the deprived, single parents, the addicted, the homeless, the racially abused, long-term unemployed, the ill-treated, the underpaid, those with disabilities and mental and learning difficulties, the old, the sick, ex-prisoners, those who've been in care, those in debt and all rejected and marginalised people. Yours is the kingdom! (1 Corinthians 1:27-9).

Better get used to it - there's no rich and poor in heaven.

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