Is Jesus Exclusive?

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Some people consider Him one of the prophets; some a great teacher. Some people describe Him using the terms 'messiah' or 'savior'. The most important question however, is, who do YOU think Jesus is? The answer is an intensely personal one; and one which no one can answer for you. But while the answer is intensely personal, it cannot be private. Your answer will ultimately determine your eternal destiny!

Many writers label the time in which we live as 'postmodern' and describe certain characteristics which they say make this time unlike any other in history. When discussing religion, two terms are used to describe this time period: 'pluralistic' and 'diverse'. To be 'politically correct' today the philosophies identified by these terms must be embraced. Briefly, these philosophies include the idea that every religion is of equal value and no one has the right to tell anyone else that they are wrong in anything they believe. Postmodernism says 'truth' is whatever a person determines it is for themselves. The embracing of these views become evident when people ask the questions:

What difference does it make what religion we belong to?

We all worship the same god anyway, don't we?

The answer to those questions: "No, we don't worship the same god; and yes it does make a difference what religion we belong to" is found in the Bible, when Jesus sets Himself apart as exclusive and without equal; not as one among many. In John 14:6 He said, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." He did not say 'I am one of the ways;' He said He was THE way!

In Acts 4 the disciples were prohibited, by the Jewish religious leaders, from preaching about Jesus. They responded to the prohibition, in verse twelve, by saying: "Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved." The disciples believed that to withold Jesus was to withold salvation; without Jesus people were lost; without hope and without God.

The Bible presents Jesus as God; as the Creator; as the only Savior of the world; and as Lord. He described Himself as the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Whatever you think of Jesus, it is essential to come to grips with these exclusive claims. You must answer the question in your heart: "Who is Jesus?"

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Is Jesus The Standard?


Our postmodern age tells us that truth is created rather than discovered. What may be true for you isn’t necessarily true for me. Truth becomes subjective instead of objective. Whatever I choose to be true for me is true, and no one else has the right to tell me I am wrong.

In the days of King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table whenever an enemy attacked, the king’s battle flags were raised to rally his troops. Battle lines were drawn on those battle flags or ‘standards,’ and the enemy was engaged in combat. Isaiah 59:19, in the King James Version of the Bible says, “When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the LORD shall lift up a standard against him.”

What ‘standard’ is there for truth today? According to postmodernism ‘I’ am the standard. My experience becomes the standard by which truth is determined for me. But is that an adequate standard? What if my personal experience is limited and I need some truth which is outside of me because of that limitation? Is there someone else I can turn to for help? Perhaps I can turn to those around me with more experience; but how can I be sure that their experiences and slant on truth will be ‘right’ for me? Will their experience help me or harm me? After all, what agenda does the other person have for helping me? Do they have my best interests at heart or their own? Can I really trust them?

The Bible, on the other hand, presents Jesus as THE standard. The standard which can be trusted because He loves us! In Romans 5:8 the scripture says, “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Jesus was willing to take our sins on Himself, even though He committed no sins, and die in our place. This was just like someone today going to death row and accepting another person’s sentence and being executed in their place. Jesus loved us that much! So, based on His actions, I think His help and experience can be trusted; because He loves us and has our best interests at heart.

Let’s examine a few more passages of scripture which can help us see what the ‘standard’ for truth should be today. In John 3:14-15 Jesus said, “Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.”   Jesus was referring to His death on the cross when He said ‘the Son of Man must be lifted up;’ but I believe the broader implications of that include our lifting up Jesus before the world so people everywhere can come to know Him. In John 12:32-33 Jesus said, “But I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself."

You need to notice that Jesus did not say 'Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so God must be lifted up, that everyone who believes in God may have eternal life.' Nor did Jesus say, '...when God is lifted up from the earth, God will draw all men to Himself.'

There are times when we think we can do things ourselves; that we don’t need Jesus’ help. Take a look at John 15:5 where Jesus said, "I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” We would like to think we are self sufficient and independent; that we can live our lives the way we want to, but Jesus says differently. We need Him!

Once again Jesus is referring to our remaining in HIM! We will bear much fruit if we remain in Jesus Christ. He did not say, 'If a man remains in God and God remains in him;' nor did He say, 'apart from God you can do nothing.'

By now you may think what's the big deal? Jesus IS God, so what difference does it make? In a postmodern culture it does make a difference; a huge difference! God can be anything a person wants to make him, or her, or it. Jesus is real and alive and objective. He cannot be made into something he was not and is not. An individual must either accept Him and what He taught or reject Him and His teachings.

Some people ask the question: “I believe in ‘God,’ isn’t that enough?” As surprising as it may sound, NO, that is not enough! In James 2:19 the Bible says, “You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that - and shudder.” We all know that the demons of hell are not saved. It isn’t enough to just believe in God. We must also believe in Jesus Christ and invite Him into our lives as our Savior and Lord. Making Jesus ‘Lord’ of our lives means yielding the power and control of our lives to Him.

In Matthew 17:5 when Jesus was on the mount of transfiguration with His disciples and they wanted to build little shrines to Jesus, Moses, and Elijah, “a bright cloud enveloped them, and a voice from the cloud said, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!" The Father could have just as easily said, “Listen to Me” but He did not. He said they were to listen to Jesus!

The Apostle Paul in Philippians 2:9-11 said about Jesus, “Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” Luke, writing in Acts 4:12, records the disciple’s response to the Pharisees’ prohibition to preaching in Jesus’ name: “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved."

Though we are entering what many call a postmodern age with all of its philosophical ideologies that attempt to place ourselves on the throne of life; the standard remains the same. Jesus said in John 14:6 "I am the way and the truth and the life.” If you truly want to know truth, you must get to know Jesus Christ. He has remained and still remains the standard throughout the many philosophical and ideological ages which have passed before and which are yet to come.

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Is Jesus Being Marginalized In The Church?


We live in a postmodern, pluralistic culture and relish the idea that we are the most religiously diverse society in the world. Every religion is correct and no one has the right to say anyone else’s faith is wrong. Political correctness demands great care in the use of terminology when referring to deity; gender neutrality and inclusiveness are essential; exclusiveness is to be rejected.

Postmodernism involves, among other things, the denial of absolutes. What constitutes ‘truth’ is determined by each individual’s personal experience. Thus, truth becomes entirely relative; what is true for ‘you’ may not necessarily be true for ‘me.’ Pluralism is a concept which supposedly accepts every religion as equally valid. There is, however, one exception: Christianity. Christianity is not tolerated by those who boast of their ‘toleration’ because of its exclusivity. Unacceptable in a postmodern society, ever increasing pressure to is being brought to bear to marginalize Christianity in the Western world. And in an ever increasing number of Eastern countries laws are being enacted outlawing ‘conversion activities’ of any kind by Christians.

My concern in this discussion is the subtle effect this social pressure is having within the evangelical church. Not only is there a marginalization of Christianity occurring in society as a whole, there is also a marginalization of Jesus Christ occurring within the evangelical community. This marginalization of Jesus occurred among the non-evangelical churches decades ago beginning in Europe. However, its occurrence within the evangelical community is a relatively recent phenomenon. Let me share my story with you.

I was raised in the Lutheran Church of America; water baptized as an infant; and confirmed as a young teenager. My family went to church regularly on Sundays and intellectually I knew all the right ‘Christian’ doctrines. But it wasn’t until I joined the navy and visited a Christian servicemen’s center in California that I was challenged that I was not a Christian. I argued and debated this challenge; but when asked if I had ever been ‘born again’ according to John 3:3 I had no idea what to say. I had never heard about the need to receive Jesus Christ as my Savior, or about the need to be ‘born again’ in the Lutheran Church. I had come to realize that the young people at the servicemen’s center had something I did not; I didn’t understand what it was at first; but came to see that it was a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Being a Christian, I was told, was more than believing the right things; it was having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. And when I asked Him to come into my heart, my life changed dramatically!

One of the first things I wanted to do was share this experience with other people I knew. This eventually led to training in personal evangelism, being filled with the Holy Spirit, being called by God into the ministry, Bible college and seminary training, and ultimately ministry as a pastor and military chaplain. During my training and ministry my passion was always to help people without hope and without God experience the same life changing personal relationship with Jesus Christ that I had found.

During my time as a navy chaplain I began experiencing a struggle with two areas of increasing pressure from within the chaplain corps: the prohibition against the use of Jesus’ name in my prayers at civil ceremonies – lest someone in the audience who was Muslim or Jewish might be offended; and the prohibition against evangelization in the military. The pressure was to become a ‘counselor’, a ‘social worker’, or a ‘religious facilitator’; but not a Christian, Pentecostal, clergyman with a mandate to reach servicemen and women for Christ.

I understand these two issues create tremendous legal challenges for the military chaplain corps and they attempt to walk a fine line between not promoting a particular religion while not denying anyone’s free exercise of religion. However, it created a dilemma for me and my core values. The reason I was a military chaplain was because I believed people who did not have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ were lost; and it was my responsibility and calling to reach them before it was too late. If I did not lift up the name of Jesus Christ and bring the lost to faith in Him I would be denying the very God who I represented; and there would be no reason for me to be a military chaplain.

Worship

After retiring from the military I became concerned for the evangelical church while visiting a variety of churches as an itinerant evangelist. I noticed an increasing number of songs in worship services that made no reference to Jesus Christ or His atoning work; and more and more of the ‘new’ worship songs using pronouns such as He, Him, Lord, and God, and an abundance of first person pronouns. The churches that sang these new songs marketed their worship as ‘contemporary’; which apparently meant focusing primarily on the needs and desires of young adults, eliminating hymn books, and marginalizing the desires and tastes of senior adults in worship music.
 
I began counting the number of times Jesus’ name was used in the worship songs of one church I had attended for three years. The church sang about six songs (choruses) each week. Of the approximately two dozen songs sung over a four week period Jesus’ name was only mentioned about six times. Some weeks it was not mentioned at all!

My concern was for the message being sent to the non- believers who were visiting the church; a Muslim, Jew or Buddhist could worship in these services and not be offended at the name of Jesus!

Sometimes I wondered if I was becoming too extreme in my criticism but I couldn't shake the discomfort I was feeling. Yvonne and I eventually began attending another church; while not Pentecostal, they
were selecting songs which were clearly focused on Jesus Christ. One Sunday I picked up a copy of the church’s denominational journal and read an article written by Paul Bubna, the head of their denomination, entitled: What Is The Content Of Our Worship?1 in which he said,

 

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   I sit often in services where there is little doctrinal content in the liturgy and no clear reference to Christ’s work on our behalf. A Jew, Muslim or pantheist would be comfortable participating in songs of praise that uplift no Savior as our cause for worship.

His comments helped me realize I was not alone in my concerns and that I was not completely ‘out in left field’.

Later I came across an article on Christianity Today.Com written by Michael Hamilton entitled The Triumph of the Praise Songs: How Guitars Beat Out The Organ In The Worship Wars2 in which he said, “American churchgoers no longer sort themselves out by denomination so much as by musical preference.” He observed that since the 1950s “denominational divisions have steadily become less important in American church life.” But acknowledging that we are still sectarians at heart said, “Our new sectarianism is a sectarianism of worship style. The new sectarian creeds are dogmas of music. Worship seminars are the seminaries of the new sectarianism; their directors are its theologians. The ministers of the new sectarianism are our church worship leaders.” The questions that immediately came to my mind were: What kind of theology are these new “seminaries” promoting? What message are its “theologians” and “ministers” presenting to the people sitting in the pews?

Hamilton inadvertently answered these questions for me as he developed the historical part of his article. He identified the source of the changes when he said, “All of the changes that have precipitated our worship wars are in fact part of a long trail of cultural dislocations left behind by…the baby boomers.” He described the effect that the unwillingness of this abnormally large generation of Americans to follow their parents’ lead had on society: “they reoriented our society toward peers and away from family. They have moved the psychic center of the family away from obligation to others and toward self-fulfillment.” He then observed that the generation that did this in society did the same thing with religion. “Surveys consistently show that baby boomers…attend church not out of loyalty, duty, obligation, or gratitude, but only if it meets their needs.”

This raises the additional dilemma which the evangelical church must grapple with concerning the methods we are using to reach people. Are we giving people in the world, who we are trying to reach, more of what they already have, to attract them? Or does the church present a message that offers something different; something that the world doesn’t have? Are we simply attempting to ‘reach’ people or are we trying to make disciples of Jesus Christ out of people who are not believers? Too often it appears we are more interested in attracting people by giving them what they already have and then giving them more of the same to keep them coming back than we are in changing lives.

Talking about the generation that finds its identity in its musical style Hamilton says, “the kind of music a church offers increasingly defines the kind of person who will attend, because for this generation music is at the very center of self-understanding.” What kind of self-understanding is the church imparting to those it reaches? Is it truly helping people enter a personal relationship with Jesus Christ and discipling them to become mature followers of Jesus?

My concern is with the marginalization of Jesus; and church after church I visit confirms Hamilton’s observation that “the focus on individual experience aligns perfectly with the baby boom’s luxuriant self-concern…one cannot sing praise songs without noticing how first person pronouns tend to eclipse every other subject.”  I noticed that the scripture passages from which many of the praise songs drew their inspiration increasingly originated in the Old Testament or the Psalms. There is nothing inherently wrong with this, except when combined with the self-centered focus of the songs, and the worship experience being centered on the individual instead of on exalting Jesus Christ.
Hamilton concluded his article by saying, “We need…to welcome any worship music that helps churches produce disciples of Jesus Christ.” I agreed with the obvious sentiment behind the conclusion, but questioned the ‘kind’ of disciples being produced when the focus is so dramatically self-centered and minimally on the Savior and His work on our behalf.

 This issue becomes even more significant when taken in the light of Hamilton’s observation that:

    Once this oversized generation decided that music would be the primary carrier of its symbols and values, music quickly became, in the words of George Steiner, “the new literacy of western culture.” When one chooses a musical style today, one is making a statement about whom one identifies with, what one’s values are, and ultimately, who one is.

I think the question that must be asked is: Are those people we successfully draw into the church ‘identifying’ with Jesus Christ and His atoning work on the cross based on the music being sung in the church? I have grave doubts when Jesus is gradually removed from our worship songs and replaced with first person personal pronouns.

Hamilton continues his description of the baby boomer’s music as “the mediator of emotions, the carrier of dreams, and the marker of social location. It is therefore bound to be an integral part of baby boomers’ connection to the eternal truth of life in God.” But precisely what ‘eternal truth’ are they connecting with in the church’s music? What ‘eternal life in God’ are they experiencing? What ‘God’ is being connected with? These are difficult questions which demand answers if the church is going to present a relevant message to a postmodern culture.

A personal relationship with…who?
 
Years ago distinct, clear, unequivocal altar calls were given in churches for people to receive Jesus Christ as Savior. Today, if an altar call is given, people are often invited to enter into ‘a relationship with God.’ My question is, “What God?”

We attempt to be ‘sensitive’ to people’s feelings and give invitations couched in an apology. Trying to assure those present that we won’t ‘embarrass’ them, everyone is requested to close their eyes and bow their heads so no one will see who is making such an ‘embarrassing decision’ to enter a relationship with ‘God’.

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There seems to be something wrong with the idea that entering a relationship with God publicly would be humiliating. Instead, it would seem more appropriate, for a truly repentant person, who wanted to enter a relationship with God, to run toward Him and plead for His acceptance! And there, I believe, is the problem; the decisions people are making today are intellectual decisions to accept a nameless, faceless, ‘god’ whose presence they enter with impunity.

Gone, in many churches, is the concept of coming to God with tears of repentance, and a heart filled with sorrow for the heavy weight of sin that the individual is carrying, to a loving Savior pleading for forgiveness. It is difficult for me to understand how we can even imply that coming to Jesus publicly is somehow an embarrassment; especially when Jesus hung on a cross in full view of everyone, stripped naked and bleeding; spit at and mocked; the epitome of humiliation to purchase our salvation.

I hear an increasing number of people giving testimonies about accepting ‘God’ as their savior. One church elder following a short term missions trip to a foreign country shared a testimony that five men accepted ‘God into their hearts’ during an evening worship service. The thought occurred to me, What ‘God’ did they accept - Buddha, Allah, Krishna, or Jesus? I knew the answer to the question, but I failed to understand the need to replace references to Jesus with ‘God.’ If I were a non-Christian visitor I would have been confused; the testimony was not clear.

Similarly, I hear pastors referring to our spiritual relationship with ‘God’ and that that relationship is entered into ‘through’ Jesus Christ. On the surface this sounds perfectly acceptable; but combined with the other trends I am observing, a troubling pattern seems to be emerging. It is beginning to sound as if we are relegating Jesus Christ simply to the status of a threshold and doorway; and once a person enters through this ‘doorway’ it is left behind, no longer necessary.

I don’t think this shift in focus has necessarily been a conscious one; but rather a subtle and almost unnoticed shift. As my wife and I discuss this she tells me her practice is often to mentally think of Jesus when she sings songs about ‘God.’ My concern is in the message this sends to the youth of the church and to the non-believer or seeker we are trying to win to Christ. This is playing directly into the postmodern mindset of moving away from the reality and toward the virtual or individually defined ‘god.’ If the Christian church is to have a credible witness in this postmodern culture it must remain firmly connected to Jesus Christ in all aspects of our divine relationship. If we continue this move toward relationship with ‘god’ and away from Jesus, I believe we are in great danger of allowing each individual to define who that ‘god’ is for themselves; and it may not be Jesus!

The confusion created by the exchange of the word ‘God’ for ‘Jesus’ is evident not only in the minds of non-believers and seekers but also with worship leaders. I frequently hear worship leaders say, “Father I thank you for dying on the cross…” and “Oh God, our Father, thank you for shedding your blood for us…” This is wrong! The ‘Father’ did not die on the cross; nor did He shed His blood for us. At first I thought this might simply be misspeaking on the part of the individuals involved, but the occurrences are becoming too prevalent for this to be the case. This may sound like verbal hair splitting, but I assure you it is not. If we are to present a clear ‘Christian’ message to a postmodern world, we must get our focus back on Jesus Christ and get our terminology straight!

The One who died on the cross and shed His blood for the purchase of our salvation was Jesus Christ. It is this same Jesus we invite into our hearts and lives. And it is Jesus with whom we have a personal relationship and who dramatically changes our lives from within. It is as we enter into, develop, and maintain a loving relationship with Jesus Christ that we glorify and please the Father; for without such a vital, ongoing relationship with Jesus we cannot have a relationship with the Father.

Evangelism

The disciples, and by extension the Christian Church, were commanded by Jesus in the Great Commission as recorded in Matthew 28:19-20, to make disciples of all peoples. In Acts 1:8 we are told that the purpose of the baptism in the Holy Spirit is for the impartation of power to be Jesus’ witnesses. Postmodern thinking disputes the necessity of this and says no one has the right to try to persuade anyone else to believe anything other than what they already believe. There is ever increasing pressure applied on Christians to keep their faith to themselves; whether at work or at school; socially or politically.

I find it disconcerting that an increasing number of highly respected Christian leaders, writing about believers
exercising their ‘spiritual gifts’, actually play into this postmodern mind set by saying it isn’t necessary for every Christian to be a soul winner. In one book I read recently, the author said individual believers do not need to be soul winners because:

    “The individual believer's responsibility is first of all to the Christian community and to its head, Jesus Christ. The first task of every Christian is the edification of the community of believers. If we say that evangelism or soul winning is the first task of the believer, we do violence to the New Testament and place a burden on the backs of some believers that they are not able to bear. The idea that every Christian’s first responsibility is to be a soul winner ignores the biblical teachings about spiritual gifts. Further, it puts all the emphasis at the one point of conversion and undervalues the upbuilding of the Church which is essential for effective evangelism and church growth.”3

I disagree with this writer; the church has been concerned about itself and focused inward long enough! Everyone being a soul winner does not ignore the biblical teachings about spiritual gifts nor undervalues the building up of the Church; if a Christian is properly trained in soul winning and discipleship it actually has the opposite effect. It builds up the believer's spiritual understanding and strengthens him or her as they teach others. It also removes the artificial concept that it is the pastor's responsibility to reproduce and disciple all new believers.

However, another author echoed these sentiments when he said:

    "Not all Christians are gifted evangelists. Certainly, God expects us all to be able to tell others what He has done in their lives...But too many Christians have suffered too long from the implication that they should be tremendously gifted evangelists, seeing people "make decisions" all the time. That simply isn't the case. And to continue to foster that attitude robs individuals of their ability to evangelize in the way God intended, according to the gifts He gave them."4

The concept presented by these and other writers, rather than enhancing the cause of the church actually undermine it; by giving people who may be timid or reluctant to share their faith with others an excuse to not do so.

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When I read the missions statements of many churches the first priority is ‘to glorify God,’ or ‘to worship God,’ followed by a reference to being a community of believers. Most frequently evangelism is near the bottom of the priority list. This is a reversal of the Bible’s emphasis on the centrality of the redemption of mankind. The Scriptures say that God the Father loved the world so much that He sent His Son – Jesus to purchase our salvation. Jesus acknowledged that He came to ‘seek and to save that which was lost.’ Before His departure He commissioned His followers to go into all the world to make disciples; and gave the Holy Spirit to impart power for them to bear witness about Him.

Too often today when people do make decisions to enter a relationship with ‘God’ the decision essentially remains a secret. There is more celebration over the birth of a human baby than over a person being born spiritually into the family of God. Something is wrong with this when the Scriptures say the angels in heaven rejoice over one sinner who repents! If the angels in heaven are rejoicing, why aren’t we? I can’t help but think it may be directly related with the earlier concept that the original decision was an ‘embarrassing’ one; and once having been made it would be embarrassing to acknowledge it publicly.

So, do I think that Jesus is being marginalized in the church today? Yes, I believe He is; and therein lies the reason George Barna, the pollster, can say his research shows there is essentially no attitudinal difference between the Christian and the non-believer on a wide variety of issues. Is there a solution to this problem or is it too late?

The Solution

I believe the solution to this problem is clear: restore Jesus to His rightful place! I think of the letters to the seven churches in the book of Revelation. The church in Ephesus was charged with forsaking their first love (Rev 2:4). For the Christian, who would that be but Jesus Christ? The church in Pergamum, in spite of major problems within the community and persecution from the outside, is commended with these words: “…you remain true to my name. You did not renounce your faith in me...(Rev 2:13)” The church in Philadelphia, though having little strength, was commended similarly, “…yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name.(Rev 3:” Finally, there is the church in Laodicea which is known as the lukewarm church. Here the picture is the pathetic one where Jesus is standing outside, knocking on the door, asking to be invited back in (Rev 3:20). How could that have happened? How could Jesus end up on the outside of the church requesting to be invited back in?

My heart is heavy and I am worried! I want to sound a warning, but don’t know how many will listen. We must get back to the basics. We must get back to lifting up Jesus. In John 12:32-33 Jesus said, “But I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself.” In Acts 4:12 the disciples, speaking of Jesus said, “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.”And in Philippians 2:9-11 Paul writes about Jesus: “Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

I believe if we want to see the church’s impact in the lives of people in our communities restored, and the lost won to Jesus Christ, we must repent and get back to our first love - Jesus! We must lift up Jesus in everything we do: in our lifestyles, our words, our worship, and our preaching!

Even those who have faithfully upheld the name of Jesus need to carefully rexamine how they articulate their beliefs in Jesus in this postmodern society. More than ever we are entering a time when our testimonies and Christology must be clear! As it was in the books of Acts, for the Christian, it will be Jesus not 'God' who will be the dividing and deciding factor. We must know what we believe and why.
1Bubna, Paul. “What Is The Content Of Our Worship?” Alliance Life: A Journal of Christian Life and Missions, (May 21, 1997): 7.
2Hamilton, Michael S. 1999. "The Triumph of the Praise Songs: How guitars beat out the organ in the worship wars". ChristianityToday.com. http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/9t8/9t8028.html. Internet accessed February 11, 2002.
3Snyder, Howard A. "The Community of the King". Downers Grove, Ill: InterVarsity Press, 1977.
4Foltz, Howard with Ruth Ford. "Healthy Churches in a Sick World". Fairfax, VA: Xulon Press, 2002.

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The Passion of the Christ: A Question

Thousands of people have seen Mel Gibson’s movie The Passion of the Christ. Financially it is approaching mega blockbuster success. The debate that raged in the media prior to the film’s release and subsequently has focused the attention of our nation and the world on Jesus, the Christ. The message of the movie was clear and undeniable; Jesus died for the sins of the world – yours and mine! If you saw the movie, my question to you is: What will you do with the man you saw brutalized in the film?

The Bible says in Romans 3:23 “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Every one of us are sinners! Many people don’t like to hear that and choose to ignore it. They choose instead to use euphemisms for their sinful behavior such as mistakes, faults, shortcomings, and the like. However, the Bible calls a spade a spade. We’ve all sinned!

Jesus took our sins on Himself, willingly, so that you and I could be forgiven. Romans 5:8 says, “But God demonstrated His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Jesus the Christ, who committed no sins, and who did nothing wrong, suffered and died for your sins and mine. Think about that; and think about my question: What will you do with the man who suffered for you like that?

The Bible also says, in Romans 6:23, “the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” What we earn for our sins is a death sentence. But because of what Jesus did; what you watched Him do in Mel Gibson’s movie; you and I can receive eternal life. We had our death sentence commuted because it was fulfilled by Jesus. But, my friend, simply watching that and knowing that, isn’t enough! It isn’t intellectual knowledge, nor an emotional reaction to a visually stimulating movie that will make what Jesus did a reality in you life. There is another requirement.

In John 1:12 the Bible says: “to all who received Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God – children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.” You and I have to individually believe that what Jesus did on the cross was for us as a person, as a sinful human being. Our sins, yours and mine put Jesus to death and we need to be sorry for that; and ask Him to forgive us.

Jesus said in Revelation 3:20 “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.” You need to invite Jesus into your life today. If you watched the very last scene in the movie you saw that Jesus came back to life! He is alive today. He stands at the door to your heart and life, knocking. Knocking on your heart’s door, waiting for you to open that door and invite Him in. What will you do with the Jesus you saw in the movie? Will you walk out of the theater and forget about the images you saw, as with so many other films you’ve seen? Or will you invite the Jesus you saw in the movie come into your life?

There is nothing you've done, no sin you’ve committed that Jesus will not forgive. He loved you enough to die for you; will you love Him enough in return to live for Him? If you have never invited Jesus into your life, and would like to do so now, invite Jesus into your heart and life by simply talking to Him like you would talk to a friend and say something like this:

     
    “Dear Jesus, I thank you for suffering and dying on the cross for me. I’m sorry for all of the sinful things I’ve done in my life that put you on that cross. Please forgive me for (if specific sins come to mind, mention them to Him) them and help me not to do them again. Come into my heart and life. I willingly commit myself to follow you. I yield control of my life to you. Help me learn how to love you. Amen.”

If you have prayed a prayer like that in the past and consider yourself a Christian I have a question for you as well. What will you do with the Jesus you saw brutalized in the movie?

Have you yielded control of your life to Him? Is He the Lord of your life? Or did you just pray a prayer and continue living your life as you always had? When you make decisions in your life, big or small, do you ask Jesus what He would want you to do? Do you go to the Bible and check to see if what you are doing is pleasing to Him or not? Does it make any difference to you?

You see, my friend, if you do not make Jesus Lord of your life then what He did on the cross for you does you no good. If Jesus being in your life does not impact the way you live and the decisions you make, then you need to really consider whether you truly invited Him into your life, or if you just 'prayed a prayer.'

If you've asked Jesus into your heart and life before, but have never yielded control of your life to Him or asked Him to be the Lord of your life, and would like to now, talk to Him like you would to a friend and say something like this:
 
"Dear Jesus, I've asked you into my life before, but I've never really yielded control of my life over to you. I've never really made you Lord of my life. I'm sorry for that. Please forgive me and be the Lord of my life. I yield control of my life to you right now. Help me make my decisions and live my life the way you want me to. I want you to make a real difference in my life every day. Amen."

[ibTina]

Beautiful...............    and like I always say.... "keep your eyes on Jesus" 

[nChrist]

AMEN PASTOR ROGER!

Brother, YES your posts were beautiful, and they expressed a GREAT TRUTH that a lost and dying world needs desperately. JESUS CHRIST is the answer and the only cure for what torments the lost in this increasingly evil world. Brother, I thought about a portion of Scripture by the Apostle Paul while reading your beautiful posts:

1 Corinthians 2:1 NASB  And when I came to you, brethren, I did not come with superiority of speech or of wisdom, proclaiming to you the testimony of God.

1 Corinthians 2:2 NASB  For I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified.

This is the GOOD NEWS that the lost need so desperately, and GOD'S plan of Salvation is simple enough that a child can understand. God's children don't need to be preachers or have degrees to share the Precious Truth of JESUS and the CROSS. There are two words that the devil hates the worst, and those same two words are the cure for the misery of lost sinners:  JESUS CHRIST. JESUS CHRIST is the ONLY answer, and HE is the only way to be rescued from the curse of sin and death.

Brother Roger, I received a blessing from your posts, and I know they were from the heart. Every Christian will be given opportunities to share the GOOD NEWS with the lost, and we should know it is cruel to withhold the Precious TRUTH of JESUS CHRIST from the lost. We should say "YES LORD" when HE gives us the opportunity to share CHRIST. We need to forget about excellency of speech or anything else that is holding us back from sharing CHRIST. The HOLY SPIRIT OF GOD living within us will even help us with the words when the opportunity is given to us to share CHRIST.

Thanks be unto GOD for HIS unspeakable GIFT!, JESUS CHRIST, our Lord and Saviour forever!

Brother Roger, thank you for sharing with us from your heart. This is a message that all Christians need to read.

Love In Christ,
Tom

Ephesians 1:18-23 NASB  I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe. These are in accordance with the working of the strength of His might which He brought about in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. And He put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.