Harbor Presbyterian Church

Why "Flipside"?

To understand why we went with the name "Flipside" I need to tell you a true story. I grew up in a very traditional, yet healthy church. Every time the doors were open we were there. All my friends were part of the church and it was actually a very positive source of strength and security in my life. As I grew, I began to think about what it was that really attracted me to Jesus. I discovered that what pulled me to Jesus wasn't the "churchy" part of church. The program stuff didn't do much for me. What I was so taken by was the person of Jesus Himself. As I understand Jesus, he was a man who cared deeply for people but he was also a man who didn't care much for the religious system that came to enslave people. This person of Jesus mesmerized me.

As I began to look through the Bible at the life of Jesus something significant was brought to light. Whenever Jesus spoke to people about what His life was about, or about what really made God smile, He always spoke in terms of the flipside to the current religious system. Consider for yourself Jesus' words in Matthew 5:21-22 where Jesus said, "You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, 'Do not murder... But I tell you..."

Matthew 5:27-28 "You have heard that it was said, 'Do not commit adultery.' But I tell you..."
Matthew 5:31-32 "It has been said, 'Anyone who divorces his wife must give her a certificate of divorce.' But I tell you..."
Matthew 5:33 "Again, you have heard that it was said to the people long ago, 'Do not break your oath, but keep the oaths you have made to the Lord.' But I tell you..."
Matthew 5:38-39 "You have heard that it was said, 'Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.' But I tell you..." Jesus always finished with "but I tell you..." and then gave the flipside to the status quo religious rules. I don't do well with rules.

I looked further at Matthew 6:1-18 "Be careful not to do your 'acts of righteousness' before men, to be seen by them... when you give to the needy, do not announce it, as hypocrites do in synagogues... when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, they love pray standing in synagogues... When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do..." The "hypocrites" Jesus speaks of are all the real churchy people of his day.

Still further in Matthew 6:19-21 "do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and thieves break in steal. Store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, where thieves not break in steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." And again in Matthew 6:33 "But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well."

Jesus goes even further in Matthew 16:25 when he says, "For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it."

And Jesus' own 1/2 brother James said in James 4:10 "Humble yourselves before Lord, and he will lift you up."

All these instances makes us realize that what Jesus was talking about, the way He lived His life, was about the flipside to the stale, stuffy, rules oriented religion that had replaced the grace filled relationship with people that He had intended.

When we look at the first church, its leaders and people, we see the same thing. As a matter of fact it is said of Paul and Silas in Acts 17:6 "These men have turned the world upside down, and now they have come here disrupting our city".

Jesus taught that the important thing about being a Christ follower was the heart and establishing a love relationship with Him in one's heart. The "churchy rules" about style of dress, style of music, inked up skin, whatever just don't matter that much to Jesus. We chose "Flipside" because we want to be the church and the Christ followers Jesus had in mind when he started this whole thing. We want to, like Paul and Silas, "turn our world upside down" too. Be a part of the "Flipside" and let Jesus turn your world upside down.