Before Jesus came on the scene, the Jewish religious world was ruled by the Priests, the Pharisees, the Sadducees, and group called the Essenes.
For the most part, these leaders followed the Mosaic law pretty well. Their application of their interpretation of the Law was good, their motivation for their obedience was not.
Jesus said He came to fulfill the Law and Prophets. Not necessarily fulfilling in the sense of bringing things to pass only, but in the sense of giving us the perfect example of what it means to interpret and live out the Scripture correctly. In other words, Jesus shows us how to obey the revealed will of God with the right heart.
He taught that the Law and Prophets are less about following a bunch of rules and more about knowing and following Him! He taught that being a follower of God looks less like a liturgical religion full of regulations and more like living with compassion and generosity. Jesus, the Son of God, came on the scene and changed everything.
Throughout His ministry, Jesus summarized the heart of Christianity as this: love God, love others, hunger and thirst for righteousness, suffer well, be merciful, gracious, generous, hospitable, and forgiving.
Every book, every story of the Scripture is pointing us to value people the way God does and to live our lives in service to people they way Jesus did.
For us at 5 Eleven, if Jesus taught it or modeled it we’re in. If something contradicts what Jesus taught or modeled, we’re out. We do not have authority to override His message. Our role as His disciples is to say “Jesus, my teacher says,” not “I believe” or “I think” etc.
We live like Jesus and share His Gospel because we believe Jesus can change anyone, anywhere, at any time.