Ever meet a fellow Christian for the first time?
There’s always that thing. That thing they are jazzed about. That thing that drives them. That thing that turns them on and sets them aglow.
That thing that manifests itself quickly after they start speaking.
Here are some of the many “things” that the Christians I’ve met throughout the years were stuck on, obsessed with, fascinated by, and well, just plain in love with.
Evangelism.
Theology.
Pacifism (war, guns, the military, et. al are evil and unchristian).
Discipleship (are you making disciples? Do you have more than your peers? – cough).
Raising perfect children.
Having a perfect marriage.
Health and nutrition (God wants us to take care of our bodies you know. It’s the temple).
Sin (stop doing it).
Bible study (yes, memorize those verses).
The inerrancy of the Bible.
The non-inerrancy of the Bible.
How the gays are destroying our country.
How Christians must stop oppressing gays.
The nation of Israel.
Keeping the Old Testament festivals and dietary laws.
Freedom from the Law.
Obedience to the Law.
Calvinism.
Spiritual gifts.
Speaking in tongues.
The Baptism of the Spirit (or “Holy Ghost”)
Eschatology, the end times, the mark of the beast, the antichrist, and Jesus is coming soon.
The culture war.
Miracles.
Leadership.
Leadership principles.
Church planting.
House Church.
Organic Church.
Liturgical Church.
Prosperity.
Once saved always saved.
Grace, grace, grace.
Worship.
Worship music.
The environment (God made it – so take care of it!).
Those are just a sampling of the countless “things” that Christians have majored in today.
And yet, when you bring up Jesus Christ, the response is usually . . .
“Oh yea, Jesus, sure. Umm . . . He’s cool. Met Him, love Him, He’s my Savior, Lord, etc. . . . got the T-shirt. But I’ve moved on to other things.”
Other things . . . ?
Really?
You’ve gone on to other “things” and advanced beyond HIM?
Hmmm . . .
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: If you believe you’ve gone beyond Jesus Christ, then you’ve never met the Christ of Colossians, or the Christ of Ephesians, or the Christ of John’s gospel.
Jesus Christ is ALL, everything else is commentary.
I talked about the cures for this problem in Jesus Manifesto.
In One Man’s Journey into a Deep Ecclesiology (where I listed some of the “things” I myself chased as a young believer).
And in Epic Jesus.
I’ve known many pastors and teachers in my life, and ironically, only a handful were interested in talking about Jesus Christ. They were more interested in one of the above “things.”
This, then, is the tragedy of our times.
On this score, there is a request I receive pretty often from my readers. Here’s one example of that request.
Frank, my eyes have opened to the Lord like never before. Your books, blog and podcast have been life-changing for my wife and I. Your recent conference audio Rethinking Discipleship blew our minds! Our problem though is that we can’t find anyone our age who is interested in the deeper journey. Would you do something so we can connect with other people in our age group who are also being helped by your ministry and are on the same journey? We are both in our 30s. Thank you!
Here’s another . . .
Your books and blog have been life changing. My wife and I are in our 40s and we can’t find anyone who is interested in going deeper with Jesus. Christian Facebook groups are toxic and there’s no one where we live who just want to talk about Jesus. Can you help to connect us with your other readers?
And still another . . .
Frank, my wife and I are in our 50s and we can’t find anyone who is interested in talking about Jesus and wanting to go deeper. Can you help?
The answer is yes. My team and I have just created something to do just that. (I’ve mentioned it before here, so I won’t repeat it. But if you’re new to the blog and interested, leave a comment asking about it and I’ll respond.)
But I want to know this . . . why are those who really want to know HIM so hard to find today?
At one time, I thought my “thing” would be a special relationship with the Holy Spirit. I prayed & asked the Spirit to tell me something about Himself. He said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” I protested: “But Jesus said that!” I was annoyed, & just as quickly, I was convicted. If Jesus bothered me, I knew I had a big problem! Thanks.
Frank, I think you make a good point… It’s so easy to allow our mission or calling to become more important that Jesus himself. Without even thinking about it or noticing it, we can begin to find fulfillment in what we can accomplish FOR Christ instead of in our relationship WITH Christ. Our calling/ministry can become an idol.
Thank you for another excellent post. A great list and I think most of us would have to admit we have “been there”.
wonderful message. Interested in materials
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