The gospel of Cool

May 17, 2017 | Devotionals

Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. – Matthew 6:19-21

This WWW is from Bruce Nelson circa 2006:

Last weekend Michelle and I had one more day of riding before we packed our gear away for another season. We were riding the slush at Sunshine with some of the SFC crew from Banff and Calgary. After a fun day of jibbing we had a long drive home to Fernie, as I drove and Michelle slept I started to reflect on SFC and the last few years.

There is something I have seen in the last years that is starting to disturb me. It is a trend that I am going to call the “Gospel of Cool”. I see it in many aspects of North American Christianity; I see it in youth ministries, board riding ministries and church marketing. In our efforts to make our faith known to others we have become caught up in the idea that we have to be cool. That if we have good bands, testimonies from pro athletes, top-notch multi-media and good marketing, THEN we will be cool, THEN people will think Jesus is cool, THEN they will want to be a Christian.

Oh, we need to be careful! We can so easily become sidetracked. If you think this does not apply to you, answer me this. When you ride into the lineup of your local park, do you ever think about your “steez”(that was 2006’s word for style), wonder if others will like the trick you are about to do, or subconsciously compare your clothing of choice to your peers? Basically, are you more concerned about making a good impression, or being “cool”, then you are about the people you meet and ride with?

Why did people flock to Jesus? Because He honestly loved, valued and cared for each and every person He interacted with and He had answers for their questions on Life. Not because He was “cool”.

I know I walk a fine line, and I don’t believe we forsake all modern amenities or purposely dress “anti-cool”. But let me remind you of a few things:

1. We have ALL been created by a powerful Creator, we have ALL been designed uniquely.

2. We long to know and be friends with our Creator, but we are not holy like He is.

3. It is only through Jesus and His payment for our wrong doings that we can know God.

4. Somehow we all need to know Jesus, if we seek Him, we will find Him. And if we live in Him, then He will live in us. We need to let Him take care of all the problems in our hearts. And then we will have the heart of Jesus.

5. Then we will love, value and care for all people around us. We will want to serve them, bless them and be their friend. Others will know that we know Jesus because we love one another. This will take many forms, because we have been created uniquely, and it will be cool because it will be real.

Challenge

How can we challenge each other to put Jesus ahead of our own coolness?

What is Jesus’s perception of “treasure” in this passage and how do we need to change our focus accordingly?

 

By Bruce Nelson | Fernie, BC

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