Jeremiah 31:31-34 [http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20corinthians%2013;&version=72;]

Luke 4:14-20 [http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/columnists/matthew_parris/article5400568.ece]. An incredible admission.

We can’t do the work of God without the Spirit of God. Jesus said the Spirit of the Lord is upon me, he spent whole nights in prayer to stay close to God. His death and resurrection point the way to a new world where we are in intimate relationship with him and with each other, indeed with all of creation. That’s why Christianity makes a difference. That’s why it’s not just about social work, and not just about getting people into heaven. For Jesus there was no distinction, it was about salvation, a salvation that is the restoration of the image of God in creation and putting the world to rights.

When Jesus returns, which I believe he will, it will be to put the world to rights. And that’s why we work for the good of the world, to love the poor and do all we can – to love what God loves. That’s why works of justice, caring for the earth, and loving all who come across our path, are so essential. God is coming back to put the world to rights and we are called to participate in this work. That is why Jesus said the kingdom of God is within you or among you. The kingdom of God is here and now, and we are called to help bring in the kingdom as part of our mission of following Jesus.

As N.T. Wright says, our mission is to be envisioned in terms of “what would it look like if God were running this show?” We will be the fragrance of Christ in a world of stench.

Let me finish with the words of Shane Claibourne, a young Christian activist from the United States who was in Melbourne recently, and who wrote an article about his time here, called ‘When Jesus and Justice Kiss’ [http://soulthoughts.com

Related Articles:

• Michael Hardin, The Jesus-Driven Life: Reconnecting Humanity with Jesus
• The Jesus Driven Life
• Paul: ‘inspired’? What does that mean?
• 25 LISTS OF EVERYTHING INTERESTING/IMPORTANT
• Miracles and the Virgin Birth etc.

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