I'm confused.

This whole Christianity thing confuses me.

How much of this is just based on our own personal conceptions of the gospel and how much is based on what Jesus really said?

I look at verses like the Sermon on the Mount, John 17, Revelation 18, the beginning of Acts, pretty much everything that Jesus did while on earth and can't help but wonder... are we missing the point.

I look at what he spent his time and efforts on. Then I look at what we spend our time and efforts on. They don't seem to match up. We're so busy starting "ministries" and keeping them going, building great churches with emmaculate sound systems, have 'acountability' groups (whatever that means...), etc. etc. etc. It seems like we're kinda missing the point to me.

Back to that John 17 passage... Christ talks about having glorified the Father by fufilling the work that He (the Father) had left him to do. That work the passage goes on to say is "manifesting men" and "establishing them in the Word."

The work that Christ left us to do isn't too much different I wouldn't think? But... except for when we're doing 'outreaches' do we really do it? I wonder sometimes.

It's really hard for me to seperate the things that Christ says following Him are all about from the things that my culture tells me a Christian is all about. They're not really the same... but they have similar ellements.

What does being a Christ follower look like when you're the boss? The servant behind the esspresso machine? When my boss is ripping my butt?

I think it means more than I've been taught. It means more than not swearing, not stealing, allways wearing a smile, spouting off Christianeese in my Young Life T-shirt, calling people "brother," being involved in 12 ministiries to show my spiritual maturity, ownining the newest David Crowder album, and having read "Blue Like Jazz" 6 and 1/2 times.

It means being like Christ. Being a part of the world, but not being of it. (cliche, I know). But really being in it. Not in the Chritian one I've created.

It also means not sugar coating the words of the Father. Calling it like it is so to speak.

But still, I'm not sure what it looks like entirely.

Confused.