I Wana be a Ragamuffin, How About You?

I just finished the Rich Mullins life story "Ragamuffin" (you can find it on Netflix).  Its an amazing journey of his walk with Christ and his music career. The Lord brought a man into Rich Mullins life that caused a change that brought much needed peace into his life.  Brennan Manning, The Ragamuffin Gospel Ragamuffin Gospel Book was the preacher that explains our relationship with Jesus in a real and honest way.  

This movie was life changing for me! As I was watching my mind and heart became so full, it was like sitting in a room with multiple conversations going on and you want to listen to it all and understand and not forget what was talked about.  As I watched the moving I was pausing and typing my thoughts and quotes from the movie. I want to share them with you. I encourage you to watch the movie.  

The following are quotes from Brennan Manning, The Ragamuffin Gospel 

What is a Ragamuffin Gospel:  "Unsung assembly of saved sinners, that are little in their own sight, and aware of their brokenness, their powerless before God. A Ragamuffin knows hes a beggar at the door of Gods Mercy".  

When we die and stand before the Lord and He ask:  Did you believe that I loved you? That I desired you? That I waited for you day after day, that I longed to hear the sound of your voice". What would you say?  I"ts so important to lay hold of this basic truth in our belief."

"You're only going to be as big as your own concept of God. We've made God in our own image, then He winds up being as fussy, rude narrow minded, judgmental, legalistic, unloving and unforgiving as we are". 
Jesus walks up to you sitting in the pew and says I have a word for you, "I know your whole life story, I know every skeleton in your closet  I know every moment of sin, shame and dishonesty and degraded love that has darkened your past. I know your shallow faith, your feeble prayer life and inconsistent discipleship... I dare you to trust that I love you, just as you are not as you should be. Because none of us are as we should be. 

"Once you come to know the love of Jesus Christ, nothing else in the world will seem as beautiful or desirable".

"You know that you're a Ragamuffin if you're not ashamed to be one. Much like having the simplicity of a child and the poverty of a child you come before your Abba Father and you rest in your identity as the beloved of God".  

Abba: I belong to you

Rich Mullins: "It always cracks me up how we try to impress God, When people try to impress God, because you don't have to impress God. He's already knocked out by you." 

 Rich Mullins: "I hope some day you encounter Him. If you do you better hold on for dear life, or better yet, let go for dear life."

Rich Mullins: "The church exist because we need each other, but why are we all walking around the church wearing these masks pretending to be perfect. Its so exhausting, why do we do it. I think our only hope is the Love of God." 

My thoughts....

In the movie when Brennan Manning said "when we die and stand before the Lord and he ask"... My immediate thought was "what have you done for me".  When Brennan said what is written above...I sat on the couch and cried.  The point is, the Lord wants us to know just how much he loves us. We say it with our words all the time, "He loved us so much that Jesus died for us". But, I ask myself...do I really really believe Jesus loves me. My truth: Yes, the good parts (ha-ha), not the sin or shortcomings. The REAL truth is yes he loves me, all of me! Even the ugly part that I hide, the lazy me, the judgmental me, the critical me. Even me typing the last sentence I'm overcome with traditional thinking. Oh...no by saying that it means I think Jesus loves and is OK with all the actions associated with the bad parts that I just listed. Oh my!...my traditions and doctrines I've been raised with
are so engraved in my heart and mind. I know its going to take a bit for me to really REALLY get it. Trust me, this is exactly what I plan to do.

Again, when I typed the above word from Jesus my traditional mind is overwhelmed with the need to justify that when it says "I dare you to trust that I love you, just as you are not as you should be". I felt like I should clarify that it doesn't mean that God love our actions and what we are doing. By getting stuck in this way of thinking it paralyzes us, instead of stepping out and getting to know the love of Christ, we feel like we need to clean up, do some good works and/or get the junk out of our lives first

I encourage you to accept the love of Jesus, that you allow Him to help you and love you just the way you are. Is He not powerful enough to clean you and take care of the big and little sins you struggle with? I say, He is more than enough! In John 3:16 He makes it clear that all we have to do is believe, trust, cling, and relies on Him. 

Psalm 23:6 Amplified
Surely only goodness, mercy, and unfailing love shall follow me all the days of my life, and through the length of my days the house of the Lord [and His presence] shall be my dwelling place. 

John 3:16 Amplified 
For God so greatly loved and dearly prized the world that He [even] gave up His only begotten {unique} Son, so that whoever believes in (trusts in, clings to, relies on) Him shall not perish (come to destruction, be lost) but have eternal (everlasting) life.