When Jesus pronounced blessings, it looked very different from what the culture and others would acknowledge as being blessed. In fact, the Kingdom of Heaven is counter-cultural. As followers of Jesus, if we are living according to the attributes which Jesus pointed out in the Beatitudes, there will be collisions with the culture around us. What will our influence be as citizens of the Kingdom? Will I, as a Christian, understand the value that I have because of Christ and fulfill my purpose, or will I try to hide and conceal my identity as a disciple and thereby negate and nullify the value and purpose that I have been given in Jesus?

by Greg Surles