Start with Jesus

Are you a spiritual seeker? May I recommend a focus for your seeking? Start with Jesus.

Whatever spiritual path you are on, chances are you will have some desire for Jesus. Several major religions and worldviews today want to claim Jesus in some way: Muslims consider him a prophet, some Buddhists consider him a Buddhist monk, some Hindus consider him an avatar of their god Vishnu, New Age spiritualists consider him an ascended master, and some Atheists consider him a wise mortal teacher.

The problem is that all of these uses of Jesus are based more on imaginative ideas of Jesus rather than upon the Jesus we know from the earliest and most reliable writings about him.

You may not accept that the Bible is the inspired and authoritative word of God as I do. That’s fine at this point. But you must admit that the New Testament writings provide us with the most extensive, early, and coherent record of who Jesus was, what he said and did, and what his earliest followers believed about him.

So, rather than start with an imaginative idea of Jesus that has no basis, we can look to those New Testament texts for information about Jesus. We can also familiarize ourselves with the Old Testament texts in order to have some idea of the motifs (symbolism, prophecies, etc.) that Jesus used and that would have been familiar to Jesus’ contemporary followers.

In that sense, if you are going to start with Jesus, you must start (to some degree or another) with the Bible.

So who was Jesus? A prophet? A spiritual guru? A mortal teacher?

No, Jesus does not fit into any of these categories because according to the early accounts of his own words he was something completely unique, set apart. Consider this parable from the Gospel of Mark, chapter 12.

The basic summary is this: A man builds a vineyard and rents it out to a renter (a “husbandman,” says the King James version). The owner (or “lord”) of the vineyard later sends a servant to go collect the fruit of the vineyard, but the husbandman just beats up the servant and sends him away. The owner sends another servant to collect the fruit, but the husbandman just kills that one. The owner sends several more servants, but each time they are killed or beaten. Finally, Jesus says, the owner switched tactics…

“Having yet therefore one son, his wellbeloved, he [the owner/lord of the vineyard] sent him also last unto them, saying, They will reverence my son.

But those husbandmen said among themselves, This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and the inheritance shall be ours.'

And they took him, and killed him, and cast him out of the vineyard.

What shall therefore the lord of the vineyard do? he will come and destroy the husbandmen, and will give the vineyard unto others.” (Mark 12:6-9)

Here there are two classes of servant that the lord of the vineyard sent out – the regular hired servants, and the owner’s son/heir. Jesus is casting himself in this special latter category – rather than just any old servant (or prophet of God), Jesus is the last servant sent, the heir to the entire vineyard. He clearly did not see himself as just another prophet, just another teacher, just another spiritual guide.

“Who do you say that I am?”

If Jesus was not just another prophet or teacher, who was he? Who is he? This is a question that I suggest you place at the centre of your spiritual search.

It was a question that Jesus himself got his disciples to answer for themselves. That conversation went like this…

“When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am?

And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets.

He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am?

And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.

And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.” (Matthew 16:13-17)

To understand who Jesus is, requires a step beyond a “flesh and blood” understanding. It requires revelation from the Father. As you read the Bible, ask yourself who Jesus is, and also ask God to give you revelation of who Jesus is. The apostle Paul prayed that God would reveal this to the people in his life:

“That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him: The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints…” (Ephesians 1:17)

I believe that God gave me a revelation of himself nearly three years ago, as I describe here: http://eph1-17.blogspot.ca/2013/05/a-journey-to-jesus-part-two.html

The revelation that God gave me is why I am a Christian today. He reached out to me through my unfaithfulness and brought me into a saving relationship with him. Praise God! I believe he will do the same for you, but like every relationship you have to reciprocate. You have to open your heart to the possibility that you can form a relationship, and you have to let him in. The best way to start is by reading about Jesus and trying to understand who he is.

Jesus: “My Lord and my God”

Other passages offer more depth to how Jesus represented himself and how his disciples perceived him.

If you were to ask me today who Jesus is, I would answer the way that the disciple Thomas did. Following Jesus’ crucifixion, the disciples were disheartened (to say the least). When some of the disciples claimed to have seen Jesus resurrected from the dead, Thomas was understandably skeptical.

Jesus showed himself to Thomas, giving him the proof he needed. Thomas’s response is what stands out to me: “Then saith he [Jesus] to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing.

And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God.” (John 20:27-28)

It is clear that the early disciples believed that Jesus was God. The Gospel of John is most explicit about this, but it is found throughout the New Testament. Just as a sampling, Jesus is described as the creator (Colossians 1:16, John 1:1-3, 14), the alpha and omega (Revelation 1:8), king of kings and lord of lords (1 Timothy 6:15), the judge of mankind (Romans 2:16), and our great high priest (Hebrews 4:14).

As you get to know Jesus through his word, you will discover how just how much he means to you. As much as I love teachers, Jesus is far more than a teacher. As much as I love the prophets, they only pointed toward the time when Jesus would come (Hebrews 1:1-2). My prayer to God for you is that you will one day be able to kneel before Jesus and exclaim in absolute wonder, “My Lord and my God!”

Concluding Thoughts

Jesus was not just a teacher, a prophet, or a guru. He cannot simply fit into some other pantheon of gods or saints. He (and his disciples) claimed that he is THE almighty God, THE creator of the universe who was incarnated as a man. You can either dismiss their testimony or accept it. But please do not pretend that Jesus can be anything that he did not claim to be.

I hope you can appreciate that the consequences are profound. Who Jesus is changes what it means to become a Christian. Because Jesus is the holy eternal God, to become a Christian is not simply to tack on a “Jesus” button to your shirt just for funzies. To become a Christian is not just to follow the rules and good advice of some ancient wise guy. To become a Christian is not to incorporate Jesus some regime of rituals, or to place Jesus’ picture next to a bunch of other special people.

To become a Christian is to be born again as a new creation, changed from the inside out (2 Corinthians 5:17, John 3:3-8). To become a Christian is to be redeemed and reconciled to God by virtue of what he accomplished for us on the cross (Ephesians 2:8-16). To become a Christian is to take up your cross daily and follow him (Luke 9:23). To become a Christian is to be adopted by God, to receive his spirit into yourself, whereby you can cry unto him as your father! (Romans 8:15)

To become a Christian is not of little consequence, because Jesus is not of little consequence. I hope and pray that Jesus will come to mean to you what he means to me!

God bless you.

You have 1 missed call - from God - please respond ASAP!

God is trying to get in touch with you. This is a friendly reminder to answer the call!

How do I know that God is “calling” you? God tells us so in the Bible (and certainly this has been many people’s experience who have come out of something else into Christianity). Even though my telephone analogy is obviously a new way of conceptualizing the biblical “call,” the idea that God is “calling” you is found in scripture.

“Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.” (Revelation 3:20)

A call to relationship with God

God’s call is first and foremost a call to relationship! Whatever previous image you had in your mind about God, perhaps as a distant authority figure who demands money and worship and correct adherence to rituals, I want you to put that all away and see what the Bible reveals of God’s character. The true and living God who created you and me is personal and relational.

God is calling you because he wants to have a relationship with you. The Bible uses a number of relationship metaphors to help us understand our interactions with God. For example, the Bible describes God as relating to us similar to a parent who adopts a child (Romans 8:15), a close friend (John 15:15), and a loving spouse (Ephesians 5:25).   

Indeed, in a sense you could say the whole purpose of life is relationship – with God and with our fellow people. Jesus explained that the first great commandment is to love God, and the second is to love our neighbours as ourselves (Matthew 22:36-40). God’s law is simply a revealed blueprint for perfect relationships with God and with each other (think of the 10 commandments each falling into one of these two categories), and sin is simply the violation of those laws (1 John 3:4) and thus a disruption of relationships.

If you look at the Bible as a grand narrative from creation to the defeat of evil, you can see God’s desire for relationship with you! It was there in the Garden of Eden when God walked and talked with his creation – that is, before we disobeyed God and hid from his presence (Genesis 3:8). It was there throughout the chronicles of ancient Israel when God led his people out of bondage and through a number of trials. It was there when God dwelt among us as a man in the form of Jesus Christ (John 1:14). And it is there in Revelation’s depiction of the eternities when God restores his kingdom and dwells among us in the heavenly city:

“And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.” (Revelation 21:3)

A call of grace

You do not have to be perfect to enter into a relationship with God. You don’t even have to be good. In fact, God knows that you and I are rebellious, filthy, and broken. And he loves us anyway. As I’ve said before, Christianity is not about joining a holy club where everyone can dress nice, behave properly, and look down their noses at everyone else. People who think that are missing the whole point of the Christian message: “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8)

Jesus said, “They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” (Mark 2:17)

The amazing news is that God is calling you regardless of what you’ve done. In fact, he called you before he even created you. As the Bible says, God “hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began…” (2 Timothy 1:9)

Don’t ever think that one day you’ll clean yourself up, turn yourself around, and maybe be good enough for God. Just stop it. You don’t ever have to be good enough for God! God is good enough for you. No self-righteousness required, only the righteousness of God (Romans 10:3-4).

A call to come out of darkness into light

You may not think of yourself as living in darkness. Saul of Tarsus certainly thought he had his life all together – he was a religious man, perfect at keeping the law, born into a decent social standing. But when he came to know Jesus he said that was all DUNG (Philippians 3:3-9). Religion! Rule-keeping! Social status! Appearing like you’ve got it all together! All of it is worthless.

It didn’t matter what he looked like to the outside world. He was still a sinner. He still had a filthy heart. After he finally heard God’s call and became a Christian, Saul of Tarsus (now going by Paul) testified that “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.” (1 Timothy 1:15) Incidentally, you can read of Paul’s amazing conversion story in the Book of Acts, chapter 9 (if you don’t have a Bible, use a free online one like biblegateway.com).

And so, regardless of your social status, religion, ability to keep rules, or how good you look to everyone around you, I want to suggest that you may be just like Saul of Tarsus, myself, and every other sinner who has fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). And like all of us before encountering the transforming light of Jesus Christ, you may be in darkness.

The good news is that God is calling you out of that darkness (1 Peter 2:9), whatever it may be. You don’t have to fix what’s broken about you (you can’t, only God can) – all you need to do is surrender it to God. Drop your old idols on the ground right now and walk away. Renounce your old sins, addictions, secret rituals, and even your church if it keeps you from a saving relationship with Jesus Christ. God has so much more planned for you.

“Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you. And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.” (2 Corinthians 6:17-18)

“And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her [spiritual Babylon], my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.” (Revelation 18:4)

“For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light… And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them. For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret. But all things that are reproved are made manifest by the light: for whatsoever doth make manifest is light.” (Ephesians 5:8-13)

Conclusion: Answer the call

God’s call for you will be individual and personal, suited to your particular situation. But the basic pattern is the same, and is emphasized throughout the Bible. Answering God’s call is not like picking up a badge and putting it on your Boy Scout sash next to all your worldly accomplishments – it’s like picking up a cross, dying to your old self, and following Jesus Christ. This is hardly a flashy commercial for a Boxing Week sale – but it is better than that. It is Jesus’ offer of life eternal.

“He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal.” (John 12:25)

“I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.” (Galatians 2:20)

“Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light.” (Ephesians 5:14)

“That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Romans 5:21)

“And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.” (John 17:3)

God bless you!

The Urgency of the Christian Gospel

“How long halt ye between two opinions? if the Lord be God, follow him...” (1 Kings 18:21)

Most people in North America know a little bit about Jesus, some of his famous sayings, and some of the main themes of the Bible. Today I want to talk about one of the themes which Jesus emphasized repeatedly: the message of salvation is URGENT, and you should not delay your response to it.

If you are familiar with the words of Jesus, but you have been waffling between two opinions on him, I want to challenge you to commit your life to Jesus Christ today.

If Jesus stuff is all foreign to you, I want to encourage you to give Christianity a fair chance, and soon. I don’t care if you never set foot in a church. I just want you to be saved.

Time is short. You may not have several more decades to hum and haw over whether or not to become a Christian. As much as it’s unpleasant to think about, you could die walking out of your house tomorrow morning for all we know. Then your chances are gone.

Look, I didn’t always have this opinion on Christianity – only a few years ago I would have rolled my eyes if I read something like this. But after that, God stepped into my life in ways I had not expected or imagined. And he opened my eyes to the good news in his word, the Bible. Now that I believe eternal life is possible through Jesus Christ, I would be an absolute idiot not to share that with everyone I know. You may still think I’m an idiot – that’s fine. I’ll still put my neck out and tell you about Jesus because I love you anyway – because I know God, and I know that HE loves you anyway.

To the Noncommittal

Maybe you like a lot of what Jesus says but you have bought into the caricatures of “fundamentalist” Christianity touted by popular public figures. Maybe you think of yourself as too intelligent or progressive to believe in Jesus in a literal way. Maybe you have even gone to church your whole life but have never taken that leap of faith to accept Jesus as your lord and saviour. Maybe you want to have your church life but you don’t want to embarrass yourself by actually surrendering your life to Jesus. Maybe you think you have too much to lose.

Jesus has some important things to say to you, and I pray that you’ll listen to him.

“For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it. For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?” (Matthew 16:25-26)

“I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth. Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked…” (Revelation 3:15-17)

You think you have a lot to lose, but you don’t… You look around you and see what you think is wealth, security, happiness, even righteousness – all of it is temporary if it’s not built on the Rock of Jesus Christ. All of it could vanish and will vanish. Once you realize that, you realize how much you need God.

To the Scholar

You want to know everything, test everything, and most importantly, appear to the world as a rational scientific mind. I get it. You’re afraid that would all disappear if you gave your life to Jesus Christ. I get it. First, that’s not entirely true – see my last blog post. Second, don’t let that stand between you and Jesus Christ because in the end even your degrees and scholarly persona are temporary.

Be careful that you are not like those the Bible described as “Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.” (2 Timothy 3:7)

Rather, use your scholarly abilities to find the capital “T” Truth.

Jesus said, “[You] Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me. And ye will not come to me, that ye might have life.”

(John 5:39-40)

Don’t put your trust in something that doesn’t last. Put your trust in Jesus Christ.

Choose Soon

Among the themes of the New Testament is the notion that Jesus is coming back at a time we will not expect. The Second Coming of Jesus is something that has been misappropriated by false teachers, mocked by popular culture, and ignored by the people who want to have some words of Jesus but not the bits that would make them sound like weirdos. Let’s hear what Jesus said about his Second Coming:

“But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.

For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark,

And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.

Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left.

Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left.

Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.

But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up.

Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.”

(Matthew 24:37-44)

This sounds like an urgent message to me. Even when normal day-to-day life goes on all around us, people getting married, people doing their jobs, Jesus is going to come back to rescue his sheep. You want your salvation to be assured by this time, otherwise you will not be safe when the (metaphorical) floods come. We don’t know if another millennium will pass or if this will happen today, so Jesus says to be ready!

Concluding thoughts

Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life, my friends. He’s standing at the door and knocking, and you just need to hear him and let him in. (Revelation 3:20)

You don’t have forever to make this decision. It’s a decision that you should not take lightly, and the Bible says you should count the cost of discipleship (Luke 14:27-33). But do not delay.

I love you. God loves you. Please pick up a Bible and see what Jesus is all about. Start with the Gospel of John for the most straightforward explanation of who Jesus is and what he’s about. Ask me or another Jesus follower if you have any questions. God bless you!

Do you trust Jesus? Or a church?

Jesus is the way, not churches or temples

Jesus said, “Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem worship the Father… But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.” (John 4:21-23)

With these words, Jesus is taking spirituality “out of the box” so to speak. Before Jesus, the way to get to God was through a system of laws and rituals called ordinances, and it was rooted in a particular place and a particular institution. But when Jesus came into the picture, he said that HE is the way to God (John 14:6; John 10:1, 7). 

So be careful when someone says that there is a different way to God. Maybe they will say that it is through a list of rules and good deeds, a set of rituals, or through membership in a church. Not so! Of course, people who trust in a church or rituals say that they are only doing so because Jesus told them to. Please consult your Bible!

Don’t I have to DO something? Good works?

No. Jesus did all the works required for your salvation!  

“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.” (Eph. 2:8-9)

After you are born again, you will be led to do good works and bring forth good fruit for God. You will also leave behind sinful habits from your old life. But these things do not earn you eternal life! You will never be worthy of God through your actions – only through the mercy of Jesus. For further discussion on this topic, see this previous blog post.

Ordinances?

No. Jesus did the only ordinance necessary for your salvation!

“And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins: But this man [Jesus], after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God.” (Hebrews 10:11-12)

“Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross.” (Colossians 2:14)

What about baptism or the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper? These are not ordinances in the sense that they get you closer to salvation. They are out outward actions which are merely symbolic of the real works accomplished by Jesus! Baptism represents Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection, and likewise the death of your old life and resurrection to a new life in Jesus – it is a public profession of faith in Jesus. The Lord’s Supper is a reminder of his sacrifice for us.

What about all the ordinances in the Old Testament? The Jewish temple ritual was only meant to happen for a short time, to point to Jesus, to teach us about Jesus: “Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.” (Galatians 3:24-25; see also Hebrews 10:1)

Membership in a church? Jesus did found a church, didn’t he?

Jesus does have a church, of which every true believer becomes part by virtue of their adoption into the family of God. But please understand what that means! It doesn’t mean you have to be a card-carrying member of a modern 501c-3 organization, or have been baptized in just the right building by just the right person. The church is the body of true believers, and they could be in any number of places or denominations around the world. In fact, Jesus said that the saved (read: his true church) and unsaved would be all mixed together until he returns. See Matthew 13:24-30.

The church is meant to celebrate, defend, and proclaim the gospel – but it is not the gospel itself! 

Do not box God into a denomination or a building. “God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands.” (Acts 17:24)

Which will you trust: Jesus or a church?

A word of warning to you. If you stand before God on judgement day and try to tell him that you should go to heaven because you were a member of a certain church or performed certain ordinances, he will refuse you: “Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.” (Matthew 7:22-23)

Paul issued an equally chilling warning: “Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace.” (Galatians 5:4)

Be careful who you trust for your salvation. Are you trusting yourself? Your ability to keep the law? The ordinances you’ve done? The church you’re part of?

Or will you trust Jesus alone?

You can’t have it both ways. If salvation is by grace then it is no more of works (Romans 11:6). If you are justified by the law, then Jesus is OF NO EFFECT UNTO YOU. You either have to trust yourself or trust Jesus – it’s very simple. Jesus illustrates this concept in parable form here.

Don’t miss what God is telling you in his Word. You must be born again.

Please pray about this. Go to the Bible and ask God to open your eyes to his true gospel. The stakes are too high to be comfortable where you are currently sitting. Forget what’s on TV. Forget the nice tie you’re wearing or the façade you put on for the world. Forget your day-to-day cares for a minute and just think about what Jesus is saying here.

Feel free to ask me any questions and I would love to explore God’s Word together with you. God bless you!