What Should I Do?

When one begins to turn to Jesus, a natural question is, "What should I do?"  The answer one generally gets is something along the line os get baptized, attend church, start tithing, stop drinking, stop cussing, get involved in ministry...

Converesly to what we are generally told, when John The Baptist, the one who set the stage for Jesus' ministry, was asked that, he said nothing about church attendance or tithing or drinking and such.  Let's take a look at Luke 3:10-14, to see what John has to say. "'What should we do then ?' the crowd asked.  John answered,  'Anyone who has two shirts should share with the one who has none, and anyone who has food should do the same.'  Even tax collectors came to be baptized.  'Teacher,' they asked,  'what should we do?'  'Don't collect any more than you are required to,' he told them.  Then some soldiers asked him,  'And what should we do?'  He replied,  'Don’t extort money and don’t accuse people falsely —be content with your pay.'"

Notice that rather than give them a set of rules to follow or point out a series of rituals to keep, he tells them to begin where thry were and make fundamental changes in their hearts.  To the crowds of Israelites he said to be merciful; to the tax collectors he said to be honest and to the soldiers he said to be law abiding.

The other would come, growth would happen, each would seek out a place and  a manner of worship; each would want to contribute to the needs of the church, each would want to be involved in ministry, each would want to grow in grace and holiness; but the immediate need and the most pressing concern of God is that we experience a heart shift - a shift from self to others.

What John told those gathered sounded a lot like the prophet Micah, "He has shown you, O ortal, what is good.  And what does the Lord require of you?  To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God" (Micah 6:8).  Start with self, become more like Jesus - selfless, not self9sh.

Notice Paul's charge to us in Phillippians 2:5-8 to "Have the same mindset of Christ Jesu: Who, being in very natuure God...made himself nothing, by taking the very nature of a servant...he humbled himself by  becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross."

The beginning point is radical hearth change that seeks the good of others above  self.  For thi is the basis of all righteous living: For all laws are "summed up in this one command: 'Love your neighbor as yourself: Love does no harm to a neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law: (Rom 13:9-10).  And, the beginning point of judgmen is found in "the thoughts and attitudes of the heart" (Heb 4:12).  Jus' Say'n.