HISTORY Shaping

By Eric Reeder
Founder and leader of RISEmovement
www.generationsrise.com

This morning I heard, "we can't change history unless we change how God is viewed and how we are viewed."

This seems to be the fundamental work of Jesus. Richard Rohr has said, "Jesus didn't come to change God's mind about man, but rather change man's mind about God."

Too much doctrine has Jesus' Father looking like Zeus.  That has shaped hearts who go on to shape history in a courtroom understanding with a distance judge who is a cold arbiter of justice understood as punishment instead of mercy. So we have a punishment based society centered on who did what to who and who is going to pay. Father's heart isn't about who's going to pay. It's about who's going to forgive.

When we are renewed in seeing Him that way, we become those who look to forgive instead of those looking for payment from our offender. This walks out in marriage, parenting, friendships, business, and society. Our view of Him determines how we respond. If we see Him responding in anger and punishment, we'll think that's the way things are to be done. Like any child observing a parent, we will follow what we see of Father.

The view of an angry, punishing God obsessed with our moral or immoral deeds has built a culture of rebellion, anger, fighting, punishment, retribution, and scorn. If we want a different culture in our hearts, our homes, and our cities, it'll require seeing God differently.

We are to understand Father is like Jesus not like Zeus.