“Jesus’ Gospel reveals the primal, disruptive, inspiring, terrifying, shocking, hopeful worlds and ways of a revolutionary who seeks to overthrow the status quo in nearly every conceivable way.”
-Brian McLaren
The primal, disruptive, inspiring, terrifying, shocking, and hopeful love of Christ
I think about how all but one of the disciples were martyred and how nearly every place the apostle Paul went he started a riot and how a large portion of His ministry was done from a jail cell. I think about Jesus and how He came just to heal, save, deliver and set free and yet people still chanted, “crucify Him!” I think about Stephen and how he was stoned to death for proclaiming truth, or John the Baptizer and how his head was delivered on a platter for Herod’s wife because he wouldn‘t stop calling sin sin. And the list could go on and on. They all sacrificed dearly, but they all really lived also. Because of it they will live as kings in Heaven for eternity. When you look at their lives words like primal, disruptive, inspiring, terrifying, shocking, and hopeful come to mind.
In this culture of entertainment and technology it is easy to be lulled into a stupor with these devices that get better and more advanced all the time. Just to sort of numb ourselves within this cyber world. In this culture everything is convenient. Not that it is a bad thing in and of itself. It can be a good thing, but it makes it easy to just sort of live by routine, nothing extraordinary. Easy to let our love grow cold.
When I look at the people from the Bible days I see that it was their love that motivated them. It was their passion for God that drove them on against all odds. It was because of their love that they truly lived. Of course when you truly live your life completely for love – the most powerful, relentless, undeterred, aggressive, and passionate force there is – how could your life be anything less?
When you truly are in love with the someone there is no price to great to pay to have them in your life. You will do anything and go anywhere to be with them, and anything that stands in the way of you and them you will destroy. It will cause you to be primal, disruptive, shocking and terrifying.
We’ve all seen the movies were a mans wife gets kidnapped or held hostage. The man will go without food, without sleep as his full focus becomes how he can get his wife back. He will hunt, fight, and kill to rescue her. And woe to anything or anyone that would try to stand in his way.
When we truly fall in love with Jesus Christ we will live our lives the same way. There are things of this world that will do everything in their power to separate us from God, but that true love will draw out the primal side of us and cause us to fight and kill anything that would hold us back from Him. Love is our secret weapon, and it is one that ensures our victory. Satan doesn’t understand it, never will, and can never use it. God is love. That is why I believe satan uses lust and sex to try and bring down so many people. That is the closest he can ever get to love, but it is no match for real love.
In the book “Wild at Heart” John Eldredge encourages men rather than just trying to live responsibly rather to ask “What makes me come alive?” and then do it, because what the world needs is men fully alive. Well I can tell you right now that what is going to make you come alive is love. So I encourage you to give Jesus all of your love and then fight for it with everything you have. If you do you will change the world.
Do you know why Jesus was primal, disruptive, inspiring, terrifying, and shocking? Because He was in love. With you. It drove Him to come to this earth, rebuke the religious, fight for the helpless, heal the broken, seek out the lost, comfort the hurting and ultimately to offer His life through an excruciating death on a cross. The King of Kings and Lord of all creation offered Himself up to die a criminals death. Just to pay your debt, so that you could get to Heaven and spend eternity with Him. Now it’s our turn. We will never be worthy of His love, but the least we can do is fight with everything that is within us to be intimate with Him. That is what He wants, and that is why He did what He did.
If I should die before the Lord returns, or if my life someday is offered up as a martyr I want to leave a legacy. Not as a responsible guy and not as a nice guy. I want words like primal, disruptive, inspiring, terrifying, shocking, powerful, relentless, and passionate to describe the life I lived. Just like my Jesus as He was driven by His love for me. Most of all, I want to be remembered as a man that was driven by my true, complete, and passionate love for my God and His Christ. It may cost me my life, but at least I will have truly lived.
Living to touch God’s Heart,
Chris Ulery
Chris, I just looked at your site, read your blogs & I think its awesome! Be encouraged & keep up the mission to end His loneliness.