What does your Jesus look like? If you had to draw a picture of Jesus based upon your understanding of what His actions are like in your life, what would He look like?
There are so many different pictures of Jesus within our culture how do we know what is an accurate picture. Sadly, most of our pictures of Jesus seem to be contrary to who Jesus is and who He desires us to be and more of the same egocentric, iso-centric pictures of our culture.
The majority of churches in our culture spend their time communicating a message that God sent Jesus to “do” for us; that we are to “receive” from Jesus. Jesus becomes nothing more then a AAA card that should make our lives more like the way we want them to be. The message we most hear in our culture today is to be a Christian is to be a “receiver” of Jesus Christ. We don’t explicitly say that but its what we most often communicate. This is the message that puts bodies in seats and money in the offering; this is the message that looks exactly like our culture and world.
This is the message that 2 Peter 2:21 is warning us against. In fact, this message (to be receivers) is like a “dog turning back to its own vomit.” 2 Peter warns us that it would be better never to have heard the message of Jesus then to hear the message and turn it into a message where we are “receivers” of Jesus.
On the contrary, Jesus calls us to be “followers of Him” not “receivers of Him.” Does your picture of Jesus show a Jesus that serves you or a Jesus that is using you as a tool to serve the world. To be a follower of Jesus means to be an instrument (through Grace) that Jesus uses to serve the world. That’s what it means to be a disciple; I am a creation that Jesus has where He serves the world through me. It has nothing to do with my life being easier, happier, more comfortable, etc. It has to do with being a tool Jesus uses to serve the world He came to save.
Jesus came into the world, died on the cross, and rose from the dead not that you could become a receiver of Him but so you could become a follower of Him and be a part of God’s mission and vision in the world. Any other message is not the message of Jesus and it would be better for you not to hear the message at all then to hear a message that Jesus came so you could be a receiver.
Frankly, I don’t want you to be like a dog that licks its own vomit. I desire for you to be a follower of Jesus; to be a tool of the living God that Jesus uses to serve the world that He came to save.
For it would have better for them never to have known the way of righteousness, than, after knowing it, to turn back from the holy commandment that was passed on to them.
Peace,
Pastor P
chadpullins@connect2crossroads.com; www.wedesiremore.com
