Jesus or Caesar? Christianity in the 1st century Roman Empire

Whose way do you find more compelling? Jesus' or Caesar's?

"Jesus is Lord."

"There is no name under heaven by which people can be saved except Jesus."

The gospel. Evangelism. The church.

What do all these phrases and terms have in common? They were the politically charged language of a movement of Christians on the margins of society who were seeking to show the world that there was a better way to live than the way of the Empire. You might know their leaders as Paul, Peter, James, and John.

[Disclaimer: I don't endorse everything Rob Bell says; I'm not thrilled about his statement "you are the gospel" at the end of clip two, since the gospel is the good news about God, not about me; but, I do agree that our lives should give people hope in Jesus.]

If Christianity were founded today, maybe our churches would have been five-sided buildings called Pentagons from which we renounce violent warfare and practice spiritual warfare.

Maybe our sermons about the love of God and our messages about how we should not put our trust in princes would have been called "State of the Movement Addresses."

Maybe our communion services would be called celebrations of "the ultimate sacrifice for freedom."

Maybe our tithes would be called "taxes" and our deacons who collect truly voluntary contributions would be called IRS agents.

Perhaps, as we served the poor with money we did not steal from taxpayers, we would call our generosity, "public welfare."

Maybe our evangelistic efforts would be called "the war on terror."

But even without being deliberate about it, as Christians in the first century apparently were, by living out the Christian life of love and servitude, by preaching love of enemies, we are engaged in an inherently political act, as the kingdoms of this world stand in such stark contrast to the Kingdom of God lived out in our lives.