Aaron Poelker's Journal: Section 3
1.One paragraph summary of the key idea summarizing the topic of the week. The key idea about the Morality of Jesus presented in this section is how to treat your neighbor. Throughout the gospel’s Jesus repeatedly tells us how to treat our neighbors; that is the way we would like our neighbors to treat us. One reading that has stuck in my mind and is why the main idea of this section is how to treat your neighbor is the reading from Matthew 25, also known as the Judgment of Nations. Jesus tells us that he will judge the people that go to heaven from the people that will go to hell by the way you treated the least among you. Jesus’s morality is hinged on how we treat the people around us. Often times people who follow Christ, Christians, lose this idea through the daily grind of things and most often the question that arises when this happens is can we really call ourselves a Christian if we do not take up Jesus’s cross and help those around us.
2. List and explain three of the most important ideas you want to remember from this week. The People of Le Chambon- It is important to remember the people of the small village in Southern France Le Chambon because these people took to heart Jesus’s message of treating people around you the way you would like to be treated. It is hard for me to imagine taking such a risk in Nazi occupied France. The people of Le Chambon risked everything they had, including their lives, to shelter and take care of Jews from all over Europe. One quote that stuck in my head from the video “Weapons of the Spirit”was when one elderly woman of Le Chambon spoke about taking in all of these Jews without every questioning them. She said “what happened had a lot to do with people still believing in something.” To me this epitomizes the message from Jesus in the Judgement of Nations. The Law of Human Nature. The Law of Human nature as explained by C.S. Lewis in his essay “Mere Christianity”is the law which all men are governed by, which we can freely disobey or obey, that is the kind of behaviour we expect from all other men. C.S. Lewis is able to rationally argue that all people, because of our common situation in life, are governed by this law in which we all can agree there is a right and there is a wrong. This idea is very important to understand in our lives because we are subject to this law everyday, whether is be an argument or a large scale debate, because we are all trying to get closer to some truth. The Sermon on the Mount according to Matthew. The Sermon on the Mount according to Matthew is basically the morality of Jesus. Jesus convey’s radical ideas of who is “blessed”in the eyes of God. Many of the groups of people who Jesus said are blessed were many groups that were looked down upon in Jesus’s time. Jesus is able to tell us if we live by this guide lines of being a peacemaker or being sorrowful we will inherit immortal goods. This is key idea because the Sermon on the Mount has told us how to be a Christian.
3. One image of that reminds you of the topic. Attribute, link, your source.
Source: Le Chambon
4. What is a Christian? Are you a Christian? What did your pre-sermon survey reveal? Did you show you know what Jesus taught, believed and try to follow His teachings? If so explain how being a Christian really affects your morality, If not, explain the base of your moral system.
I believe a Christian is someone who knows and follows, puts into practical use, the teachings of Jesus Christ. I believe I am a Christian, through my pre-sermon survey I demonstrated that I know and follow most of the teachings of Jesus. Although I do not always follow all of Jesus’s teachings I feel like I am a Christian. By knowing and being a Christian, Jesus’s teachings tangibly affect my life. I feel that if I know and believe in Jesus’s message then there is no reason to not follow Christ’s message.
5. What can a person do to try to do to make themselves a better Christian? If you are a Christian, please personalize this: What can you do to try to do to make yourself a better Christian?
If a person feels compelled to become a better Christian my advice to them would be read the Bible. There is no better way to find guidance about being a better Christian than reading the very words of Christ. If you read the Bible you will also be praying so that in itself will help you to become a better Christian. I also think for myself, other than reading the word of God, to be a better Christian I need to give more of my time and effort to those who really need it.
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