It appears as though some of the teachings of Jesus have been more embraced by those outside the church than those inside the church. Now don't get me wrong, those outside the faith look upon Jesus as simply a good teacher with some good thoughts and not as the Divine Son offering eternal salvation, but still they sometimes take some of the teachings of Jesus more seriously than many believers. Jesus' teaching in the Sermon on the Mount regarding material possessions is one of those teachings. I find some people living counter-culturally who take seriously these words of Jesus. Certainly they are not main-stream folks. They are often people living in communes, on the streets, or off the grid while many mainstream, cultural Christians seem to live to shop and spend. It's as if some Christians believe the way to happiness, joy, and contentment comes with consumerism instead of the way of the cross. This teaching of Jesus' is arguably the most challenging to our contemporary world as anything else in the Sermon on the Mount.
Pastor Lesly
