I was thinking about our relationship with Christ - who we are in Him. Youth in the church are taught to be a part of a youth group – other like-minded believers. Then they are thrust out into the world – college, jobs, or other things.
The world is littered with ‘religious’ kids who threw off their parents ‘religion’ to experience life apart from ‘religion.’ There are those who have shaken off Christianity, because they don’t think it ‘works.’ They consider it just another ‘religion’ among all the other ‘religions.’ They haven’t experienced a relationship with Jesus.
Why is that? Are we grounding our youth in Christ or just teaching them the rules and regulations of our religion/faith? Are we sharing Jesus with them in more than just our facts and traditions? Is Jesus a living reality to them or is He just a figure from history?
I think sometimes the adults running the show aren’t even aware of what they believe? We concern ourselves with the organizational elements of our ‘faith’ instead of our relationship with Christ. Our ‘religion’ becomes a ‘business’ and we are more concerned with using people that will make our ‘business’ more profitable. We don’t disciple people into a deeper relationship with Christ. We teach them the rules and regulations of our ‘organization’ so they don’t embarrass the ‘ministry.’ Instead of teaching our young people how to be real in the eyes of God, we teach them how to ‘act’ in the eyes of man.
I’ve talked with some who have shed tears because those they are teaching just don’t seem to understand or ‘get it,’ the relationship with Christ, that love the Father has for His children. They grieve over the realization of how much others miss because of a lack of a relationship with Jesus. We are taught the theology of Jesus, but we miss the awesome, wonderful, sweet reality of Jesus.
I sometimes wonder when talking to people who are supposed to be the church (living stones) why they are more interested in the organization of an institution rather than the reality of Christ. Why are they stuck on the rules and regulations rather than the love that the Father has for His children, and the Grace that He has so freely bestowed upon us through His Son, Jesus? I would rather talk about how Great Jesus was, is and evermore shall be, rather than how much the ‘ministry’ is making, or how big our ‘church’ building is, or how much more ‘righteous’ we are than they are.
I've been looking at things more from the Jesus "The Reality" rather than Jesus "the theology." It's no longer stories to learn from but Jesus to see - His character, His grace, His mercy, His love, His forgiveness. You can see the history behind that and see how religion reacts as opposed to how God in human form reacts. Too many years I've spent looking at the nice stories instead of the reality of Jesus and how He wants so much to be close to us. We are told in scriptures to "Draw near to me and I will draw near to you." I sometime wonder if we miss the point of Christ because we focus on what lesson can we learn about how we should act, instead of learning of the character of Christ. We look for lessons instead of looking for Christ. There is a subtle shift towards learning how I should behave or how this applies to me, instead of drawing closer to Jesus. As John once said, "He must increase and I must decrease." We leave behind our first love because we think we need to ‘prove’ our love.
Jesus said, “Love God, love your neighbor. On these two laws hang all the law and the prophets.” He also said, “They will know that the Father has sent Me, by the love you have, one for another.”
James said, “If you love, you do well.”
Let us drawn near to Jesus and we will learn of Love.
Blessings and Grace,
DJ GlenMC
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
4 comments:
Amen Glen! Living with Jesus IS life. I'm amazed when people don't seem to understand that Jesus did not stay dead on the cross. He really is ALIVE and is more real than anything we can see, touch, taste, smell, or hear.
Oh how I pray for the saints of the Most High that they would embrace the personhood of Christ and seek after Him. They will not be disappointed. Jesus is glorious and His love is abounding to all who will receive it....personally.
Oh my gosh Glen! Way too deep for me too early in the morning (of course others' late morning).
This is so true. It is cool that Jesus is showing you some of these things too.
Have you ever thought about how Jesus voluntarily gave up His power and authority (which are rightfully His), so He could come down to earth and truly be as men. Weak. He did not have the Holy Spirit until baptism, though it is His own Spirit, but He for go"ed" the power of the Spirit, so that He could truly stand for us, as one of us. He was baptized, not nearly as a matter of technically to set an example for us (though functions as that as well), but He needed the infilling of the Holy Spirit(His, but now with the power of the Spirit), to do the works that He was sent here to do. That is the same for us, we must be filled with the Holy Spirit, and allow Him to manifest in us as He wills, to do the work that He has, not what we think we should do.
Kind of weird, but I truly believed, that though Jesus is the Son of God, when He made Himself as man, He was as weak as we are. He had to pray often, and spend time with His Father, because He needed that spiritual manna to keep Him strong, and keep Him at a place where He was able to allow (His) the Holy Spirit to work. That is just has it is for us. Jesus did not come to earth to do His will, as He saw fit (though He is God, He allowed Himself to be weak and short sighed as man, and thus was just as needy of the Power of the Holy Spirit and relationship with the Father as each of us), but He willingly surrendered His will to the will of the Father, and allowed the Holy Spirit to guide and empower Him as He (Spirit - Father) saw fit. He really was as a man, just like us, and He stood for us, taking our punishment (all of ours) on Himself has a man (though He was only capable by the empowerment of the Holy Spirit).
Just some food for thought. But I think that if more lovers of Christ saw how He too surrendered Himself to the Holy Spirit, not choosing His will, but His Fathers (our Fathers) will, we might understand to take our eyes off ourselves, stop trying, and look to Jesus, surrender our lives to Him completely (efforts, understandings, will), then that is when we allow Him to fill us overflowing, and His works are accomplished through us by His will, strength, wisdom. And many times, I don't think we are even fully (or at all) aware that He has used us to accomplish His work at all (which helps keep us from the temptation of pride).
Again, just some cud to chew on. I really don't think as most, and don't really follow the crowed just to be following.
Love Always,
Carrie
Well said both of you. Not I, but Christ in Me. What more can I say?
Just a fool for Jesus.
Blessings ladies.
DJ GlenMC
See you at the picnic!!!
Stop by and say "HI!"
Will do, I'm bring friends. So I am REALLY excited (frequent state for me).
Post a Comment