Peculiar People

Peculiar People

The Confessions & Comments of a 21st Century Saint

Gary L. Villamor

2011

Peculiar People

Gary L. Villamor

Smashwords Edition

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Peculiar People, Copyright © 2011, Gary L. Villamor

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Acknowledgements

One of my sisters-in-law is fond of saying, There are a lot of ways to live a life, by which I assume she means that she has noticed how various people dance through life differently, and that she is okay with it. One dance is as good as another, despite the fact that most people dance poorly and their lives are miserable; despite the fact that people keep crashing into one another and don’t seem to be enjoying the music at all, and despite the fact that most of the dancers are oblivious to the etiquette of dancing altogether. She believes they not only have every right to dance as poorly as they do, but that we should leave them alone. I believe, on the other hand, that one of the reasons most people have become so intolerant of everyone else’s dancing is that there is very little harmony on the dance floor. My prayer is that through the testimony and appeals of Peculiar People more people will be dancing to the eternal music of the universe.

Every once in a while I see someone dancing in a manner similar to my own movements and that consoles me. It suggests to me that I’m not completely tone deaf; there are people, after all, who hear the same song I’m hearing and we are connected by the same drumbeat. Marcos Miranda is one of those people. His friendship, prayers and boldness in the Lord, have raised my expectations and challenged my ideas. We are listening to the same song and we have a special fellowship. Everyone who is earnest about following Jesus Christ should have a friend like Marcos to help them reach higher, dig deeper, walk straighter and dance with more confidence. Through my friendship with Marcos I see and hear God more clearly, and for that I am eternally grateful. Marcos is a bi-lingual pulpit minister for the West McKinley Church of Christ in Fresno, CA. Thank you Marcos, for your patience and encouragement. I’m enjoying the dance more than ever!

Peculiar People

The Confessions and Comments of a 21st Century Saint

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements

Preface

Introduction

Peculiar People

Chapter 1: The Book of Beginnings

Chapter 2: The Book of the Kingdom

Chapter 3: The Book of the Cross

Chapter 4: The Book of Consecration

Chapter 5: The Book of Obedience

Chapter 6: The Book of Peacemaking

Chapter 7: The Book of Communion

Chapter 8: The Book of Character

Chapter 9: The Book of Prayer

Chapter 10: The Book of Appeals

Epilogue

Bibliography/Recommended Reading

Preface

Everyone will find something in these writings to edify them. Those who are in the grasp of the world, deceived by its allurements and promises, will be encouraged to know a hope to which they are being called, while those who are in Christ will be encouraged to persevere in their practice of following their Master; to remain in his presence. In all the centuries since Jesus walked upon this earth, only a few have actually stayed on the pathway he established and they have, by grace, kept the way lighted for the rest of us. To them we are grateful. We cannot expect another person to follow this way, much less demand it, because a person must want this life, even while knowing full well what it entails. The Lord knows that I have never been consistently good at following the Way, but by the grace of God I have at least discovered it, and am able to discern that there is no other way worthy of our devotion.

The longer I live the more precious life becomes; every moment has become sacred, every circumstance is filled with grace. As God has been speaking to me through each of my days, I’ve been listening. His presence does not escape me as the sun beats down on my balding head, as the trout nibbles at my worm, or as the rain pounds against my windshield. I cannot tell you exactly what the Lord is saying in every instance, but I know that life is fuller, richer, and more exciting as he speaks. I feel bad for all those people around me who have been deafened by the din of our society. This much I can share with you; he is with us. The deer and the owl are aware of it; so too are the rattle snake and the lion. Having emptied my hands in order to embrace Jesus Christ, I have discovered that nothing was lost and a great deal was gained. There is nothing so valuable in my life as his fellowship.

I know some of you will say my world is a delusion and my faith is unfounded, but never would I trade my world for any other. The truth of the matter is, faith takes courage and most people are cowards, therefore, they will never taste the goodness of God. I consider all of us, however, to share to some degree a common story and I am hoping that the contents of this book will resonate with your own sacred journey. I am praying that the passion of the apostle Paul and the early church will capture your imagination and increase your thirst for Christ-likeness. For me, time is running out. There are so many things to do, so many people to see and places to go, but walking with Christ I’m finding that not one thing is more important than another. Life in Christ is a gift.

Only friends walk together. I invite you to walk with me. The contents of this book are only my simple testimony; I will be praying for you. Will you pray for me? Let us pray for each other. As members of the body of Christ, we should help one another with both encouragement and good examples. Together, let’s renounce everything that would separate us from God, in order that our love for him may never become lukewarm. In our troubles we will turn to him; in all of our circumstances we will think of him, and with eternal gratitude we will always adore and behold him.

A healthy regard for the awesomeness of God will bless your journey through life, your relationships, and your understanding of all the circumstances we encounter. The Bible is intended to help us understand the character, principles, and will of God, as well as our place in his plans. Therefore, do not despise his corrections in your life, or regret for a moment the restraints of goodness: Before we can say, Yes to God, there must be things to which we are willing to say, No. God is Holy, holy, holy, (Revelation 4:8). God is other, and set-apart from everything else. We too must be set-apart.

The purpose of the Bible is to direct us to God’s Son, Jesus Christ, and the purpose of Peculiar People is to direct your attention to the Bible. Too many of us settle for the opinions of others. We allow those people to do our chewing for us; to tell us what the Bible means. But I want to encourage you to taste for yourself that the Lord is good. We are to eat (his) book for ourselves. The word of God is not only a window through which God reveals his will, but a mirror in which each one of us can see ourselves, if we dare to do so. In both regards, the word of God provides an intense light to help us know the truth and apply it to our lives, rather than stumbling around in the darkness that surrounds us. More than a book that tells us what to do, the Bible wants us to know what kind of a person we should be. The purpose of this book is not to point a finger at anyone; it is not meant to condemn or persecute anyone. Neither is the purpose of this book to draw a line between heaven and hell, between the sheep and the goats, between the left and the right, between those who are received by the Lord and those who are condemned. The purpose of this book is to point us toward holiness in order that individually and collectively our lives might glorify the Lord.

While there really isn’t anything new in the world, with the exception of more and more things, there are certainly various ways of seeing the world. In fact, life as we know it is always a reflection of life as we see it. When we change our perspective we change what we see, so life really is relative to our view of things. I’m prayerful that something within the pages of this book will disturb your contentedness with anything less than God’s view of your life. After all, it’s his creation. He has a specific plan for every molecule in it, and he tells us that our life is an important part of his plans (Jeremiah 29:11). Basically, God wants to know, will you embrace the plan? Will you participate?

In the Bible God presents just two alternatives in life, those who are for and those who are opposed to his will. He pleads with us to choose life (Deut. 30:19). God is pro-life. The proper response to the grace of God, I’m certain, is gratefulness, and the purest expression of being grateful is our own worthiness. We are asked over and over in the Scriptures to live a life that is worthy of the calling we have received from God. Jesus Christ is worthy, and he is our perfect example. His life was a picture of worthiness, therefore, Jesus is worthy of our imitation (Revelation 5:9, 12), and it is the will of God that each one of us should be conformed to the likeness of his Son (Romans 8:29). We have one Teacher and one Master, one Lord and one pattern to follow. This book is about following the pattern established by Jesus Christ.

My comments and confessions will sound like boastings. They are. I am boasting in Jesus Christ with the confidence of one who is running the race to win. I know the one in whom I have placed my faith and I am sure that he is worthy of our complete obedience. I submit these comments and confessions to you, therefore, for your consideration. They are not presented as a replacement for, or supplement to, the word of God. They are written that you may be encouraged to open the Scriptures and open your heart to them. We know that Faith comes from hearing the message, (Rom. 10:17), and that Without faith it is impossible to please God, (Heb. 11:6), therefore, above everything else I am prayerful that you will increasingly commit yourself to the Lordship of Jesus Christ as your faith in him grows. Amen!

There is an additional motivation for writing this book at this time. Never before have true followers of Jesus Christ had a greater opportunity to influence the world for good, (even as Christianity has never been so despised by so many), but the opportunity comes at a tremendous price. I am sure there are hundreds of thousands of you, perhaps millions, who could begin to bring about the most extreme change to the world’s disposition and need for hope since the resurrection. You can begin today. Set yourselves apart from what is average, ordinary, and expected. If you are willing to lose your life, you will find a more abundant life in Christ. Not only that, but you will have a tremendous affect on the lives of people around you. Join the revolution by becoming revolutionary in your thinking, your caring, and your behavior. That, in fact, is the premise of this book; allowing ourselves to be conformed to the image of God’s Son, not to any particular denominational doctrine or traditions, but to the examples and principles given to us in the Bible of a consecrated life. To that end, then, I challenge you.

It is a horrendous contradiction to think that the gospel can be communicated any other way than peaceably, lovingly, and meekly. It must also be conveyed from a posture of unity among all those who claim to be following Jesus Christ; otherwise it is a mockery. Your challenge, therefore, is to bring your love and hope for all mankind to this alliance of true believers, but to leave your doctrine and traditions at home. When you congregate with people of like-mind to worship the Lord, of course, you should do as you believe the Lord commands you, but leave the other sheep to worship as they understand God’s call upon their lives. No pointing fingers or displaying an attitude of superiority. Even if all your religious practices were correct, your attitude would be wrong. As ambassadors for Christ you cannot act or speak on his behalf unless you do so with both truth and grace and without meekness your truth loses every ounce of its power and goodness. Self-righteousness and arrogance have no place in a life lived in Christ. That would not simply be an oxymoron; it is an abomination. Our cause is reconciliation, (2 Cor. 5:16-19), and we cannot hope to carry that message to anyone until we have reconciled our own differences. The world will reject our message because it is sick of our constant splits, denominating, and the establishment of new churches on every other street corner. No one needs a mega-church, or the latest and greatest church entertainment program. What people do need is the truth, not people preaching to them, but people who actually live the truth on a day-to-day basis. Will you do that?

The denigration of Christianity began with its stamp of approval by the Roman emperor, Constantine, only a couple of centuries after the Apostles had established those first congregations. The introduction of the state and papacy as heads of the Lord’s church immediately desecrated her. These two ruling powers constantly scratched each other’s back while seeking personal glory and setting the people against one another. For centuries official Christianity drifted farther and farther from the truth, the very foundation upon which the Apostles, guided by the Holy Spirit, had built the church. Despite attempts over the past 500+ years to reform and restore the church to her original glory, not more than a form has ever been achieved except in the lives of a few individuals.

The disposition and posture advocated in this book are intended to bring glory to God, not a stamp of approval to anyone’s piety. Be the person in your congregation to start a revolution. It only takes one person to get the fire started, but the more committed and enthusiastic we become, the more lives that will be influenced. Set yourself apart to the glory of God’s name – You are the church. Dear friend, the kingdom of God is within you; seek the Lord within. I will be lifting you up with my prayers.

Introduction

First Things First

The story of Jesus Christ sits within the context of blood, sweat and tears, in the dirt of farmyards and the stench of city streets, and in the economics, politics and social issues of everyday life. The most appealing aspect of the gospel for me is its authenticity. I love the miraculous, wondrous and axiomatic components, but more than anything else, the gospel of Jesus Christ is pragmatic. Unlike the founders of various religions around the world, Jesus Christ didn’t have to find or discover the truth; he always knew it. He is not the enlightened one; he is the Enlightener! Rather than speaking to us in platitudes, he gave us a revolutionary, countercultural, above the quarrel, way to live our lives. He was disrespectful of the boundaries established by the religious leaders of his day and demonstrated their hypocrisy. Jesus is the word of God incarnate; more than wisdom and precepts, he gave us a disposition and posture in which to be God-like. As I listen to the revelation of God unfold, I perceive that life is a dance and the Master of the dance is Jesus Christ. The gospel is a picture of what that dance should look like when it’s done right and it concludes with this question - Do you want to dance forever?

The first word out of Jesus’ mouth when he began to preach was, Repent, (Matt. 4:17). That was his message from the beginning because, The kingdom of heaven is near, and unless a person repents they cannot enter the kingdom.

In Peculiar People, we want to differentiate life in the kingdom of Jesus Christ from life in the world. First, it is entirely separate. Second, it is a radical change. In fact, you must be born again in order to enter the kingdom of God (Jn. 3:5).

To be in Christ is to be in the kingdom, with people for whom Jesus Christ has sacrificed himself to truly set them free from the bondage of sin, and where people are being transformed into the image of their Master by dying to sin.

The love of Jesus Christ is wider, longer, higher and deeper than any human being has ever imagined. He is so profoundly wonderful that no one else even comes close to his majesty, and the lavishness of his grace compels those who love him to say, You are worthy, our Lord, to receive glory and honor and power (Rev. 4:11).

Jesus is the way we come to know God, because he is the exact likeness of God. Jesus is, therefore, God’s way of making himself known to us. The word of God is the way we come to know Jesus, and Jesus is God’s word. No one word, verse, or phrase of the Bible is intended to stand alone; they all compliment and expand on one another. When we open our Bibles, God speaks. The words of the Bible, therefore, are not written simply as information, they are a communication. The words are God-breathed; they are his testimony. The mystery they reveal is made known by the Spirit of God to those in whom the Spirit dwells. It is the one Spirit, the Holy Spirit. That Spirit was in Jesus, and if you belong to Christ, that Spirit is in you. It is the Spirit of truth and the truth reveals that Jesus Christ is the way we come to know God. He