We are well on our way on a journey through Feral Christianity, and if there were one word I have heard consistently to describe this experience, it is ‘challenging.’
That makes me excited.
If the response had been anything else to a series in which Jesus asks us to take seriously what had been made legalistic in some cases and frivolous in others, I would be worried about us.
To know that lust in the heart is just as serious as is adultery with the body… that’s not really, fun.
To say that murder is wrong, but calling someone a fool is nearly equitable… that’s not really, enjoyable.
The things Jesus has been saying in the Sermon on the Mount are difficult, life-changing, countercultural, wild, and at the very least, challenging.
I have heard a term recently, as I’ve been preparing for these messages, that I have been looking for a way to share with you. So, here goes: rewilding.
I don’t think there’s a better way to describe what becoming feral is than: rewilding!
The challenge before us is to not let our previous indoctrination of what we, or our forefathers, believed outweigh what Jesus actually intended.
The hill we have to climb is one that makes sure we don’t sleep on tradition, but we stand on Jesus' commands.
The purpose for this series is that we would embrace the hard and harsh realities of what it means to be a true follower of Christ and simultaneously reject the easier path traveled by most.
We will look a little crazy. We will definitely be unorthodox. We will be moving in the direction against the flow.
We will be rewilding.
I imagine there is a process to becoming a Feral Christian, but I think that process will take care of itself if we just keep heading in His direction.
More important is not how we get there, but understanding where we're going.
Jesus is calling his disciples to this wild faith not because He wants to inconvenience your life, or satisfy your need for adventure. He is preparing you to change the world.
Acts 17:6 shows the world’s response to feral believers in the first century: “These men who have turned the world upside down have come here also.”
Man, I love that!
Jesus calls us to a different way of living, because He wants to turn the world upside down. And, if you’ve looked recently, this world could use some jostling.
So keep your nose to the grind stone, your feet on the ground, and your face to the wind… insert whatever metaphor will help you here.
But, let’s not give up on the incredibly audacious life that Christ is calling us to: Feral Christianity.
Let’s get busy rewilding.