The Weirdo Gospel

“Christianity is greatest when it is hated by the world.”

– Ignatius to the church in Rome 

If you want to be liked by the world, don’t come to Jesus. His message, lifestyle, and demands will be too hard for you. 

If you want to be a Christian, you must be a servant of all and willing to be hated by all. 

You have to be willing to get your rights only from God. That means there are going to be many things, good things, in this world and from this world that you will not be privy to. 

“No good man ever lacked anything that was good for him. 

I may lack a thing which is good, but not which is good for me.” 

– Obadiah Sedgwick 

If you want to come to Jesus, you must be willing to set aside your comfort. You must be ready to set aside your dignity from a human perspective. You have to be willing to love your enemies, pray for people who hate you, and bless those who mistreat you. That means you have to pray for the blessing of your political enemies, love them, and treat them with kindness and dignity. Instead of mocking or gossiping about them, you have to fall on your face before God for them. 

Jesus said people hated him and would hate you even more. Are you willing to be hated for what you believe? Are you willing to be seen as a weirdo for believing in a crucified Lord? 

“It is enough for the disciple to be like his teacher

and the servant like his master. 

If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, 

how much more will they malign those of his household.” 

– Jesus Christ (Matthew 10:25) 

Being a follower of Jesus means that friendship with the world makes you an enemy of God. Are you willing to give up your status, your dignity, the values of your culture, your reputation, and anything else the world gives to those who are its friends? To follow Jesus means a lifetime of suffering, struggling, sacrifice, and surrender. Are you ready for that? It means people will hate you because you don’t follow them in their belief system, values, and lifestyle, and you have to patiently pray for them, love them, and care for them your whole life. 

Being a follower of Jesus means that you are now part of a new kingdom, a heavenly kingdom, a kingdom that is not of this world. Your allegiance is not to a political party or movement. It means you do not hope in national borders, laws, courts, judges, elections, or governments. It means your identity is first a child of God and a citizen of heaven. 

“You adulterous people!

Do you not know that friendship

with the world is enmity with God?

Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world

makes himself an enemy of God.”

– James (James 4:4) 

Being a follower of Jesus means that people will mock you, make fun of you, and even physically harm you, your property, or your livelihood. And following Jesus means you never take revenge. You never curse others, only bless. You never wish harm on anyone. You overcome evil with good. It means you are willing to be taken advantage of for the sake of Christ and his kingdom. 

The Gospel is for those willing to lay down their personal preferences and surrender to God. To be a Christian means you have only one Master. Not consumerism. Not your flesh. Not your status. Not your bank accounts. Not your reputation. Not your political views. Not your physical safety. Not your prosperity. Not your comfort. Not your pleasures or preferences. Only Jesus. And his way is hard. Foxes have holes and the birds of the air of nests, but we follow Jesus, who had nowhere to lay his head. This world is not our home. 

Being a follower of Jesus means living as an exile: as a stranger. Living as one who is far from the place he belongs. It means being a refugee in this world, and our only refuge is Jesus. We take no refuge in this world or the things in this world. Being a follower of Jesus means everything in this world we hold loosely. We hold nothing dear that is in this world. We are not intrigued by the passing pleasures this world offers us. We hold nothing in this world close to our hearts. And yet, we love even our enemies. 

“They lost all they had. Their faith? Their godliness?

The possessions of the hidden man of the heart,

which in the sight of God are of great price?

Did they lose these? For these are the wealth of Christians.”

– Augustin

We are weirdos.

We are Christians.