― William P. Young, The Shack
I recently had the experience to spend some time with a few friends as we talked about the impact of Christ in our lives. However, I noticed that it wasn't long beofre our discussion morphed into a debate as if each point of view was struggling to prove just who Jesus is. The sad part is, both outlooks missed the mark as far as who Christ truly is in our own lives. It should tear at the heart of each and every christian when we find ourselves feeling as if we have some need to defend Christ before men. It is a place I've found myself a lot lately. Does Jesus really need me to defend Him? Remember that it is Jesus who restored His beloved apostle Peter despite Peter's denials of Jesus. I'm pretty confident that Jesus is more than capable of defending Himself in any situation. Yet we continue to debate, argue and shout from the rooftops why our own renditions of Christ are the best things since sliced bread. My Jesus is the one and only and everyone elses Christ is but a blasphemous imposter! Time and again, we dig through the scriptures to find the verses to solidify our own viewpoint. When we can back up our beleifs with appropriate scripture, then we've won the argument. However, the price of our victory may well be the loss of our relationships with others. In my own experience, arguing Jesus is a fruitless endevour. See, no matter how righteous we beleive our argument to be, what do we win in the end? Bragging rights to knowing more about Jesus than the next guy? Fine, good luck with that. For all of those believers out there who have tried to twist my arm to get me to adhere to their point of view of Jesus...my view of Christ has not changed. What changed were the friendships I've lost along the way. Those other christians who debated their own beliefs with me still adhere to their own views. So, tell me again, who won the argument? What is it that dwells in the heart of christians where we feel the need to defend our own view of who Jesus is? Competitive nature? The need to be right? Whatever it is, it's a thousand miles away from what it is Christ wants for His children. Then again, when we place our own needs over Christ, that's what we get.
This couldn't be real. How could God ask him to choose among his own children? Even if Katie or Josh, or Jon or Tyler committed some heinous crime, he still wouldn't do it. He couldn't! For him, it wasn't about their performance; it was about his love for them.
Mack: "I can't, I can't....Could I go instead?....I'll go in their place...Could I do that?" He fell at her feet crying and begging now. "Please let me go for my children..I am begging you. Please...Please..."
-"Now you sound like Jesus.....That is how Jesus loves.”
― Wm. Paul Young, The Shack
One of the heavy weapons we use against others in our defense of Jesus are His own words. I mean, who can argue with Gods word, right? If we can establish the defense for our own view of Christ through the scriptures, then we've somehow won the debate. This is where we often lose our way, for the bible was never intended to be used for the purpose of defending Jesus. On the contrary, the scriptures were given to us to tell the story of Christ for us. How would we know of Jesus if not for His words in a book? Despite the fact that Jesus has always been there, it is only by the printed word by which we believe. If the bible says it, I believe it! How about this, if our hearts tell us Jesus is with us, then we believe it! I get sick and tired of every Tom, Dick and Harry using the scriptures to somehow prove their own views on religion when they were never meant to be used in this way. How do we demonstrate the love of Christ by beating someone over the head with scripture? By doing this we become more like those Jewish Pharisees which Jesus condemned. Jesus was never about the structure and traditions of organized religion. If that were the case then you would have found He and His disciples in the temples faithfully each week. Jesus was more about relationships than He was about formalities. Jesus never needed to debate His own view of the Father...He WAS the Father! In valuing relationship over religion, Jesus spoke to the hearts of all who listened to Him. See, religion hasn't changed all that much from the time of Christ until now. We still see the same traditions and formalities that those who assembled in the temples observed. My question is this, how does Religion produce those relationships which Jesus treasured so much? Why did Jesus treasure relationship over religion? Well, for one thing, it is only through our own relationship with Christ where we will truly come to know Him. That's right, we can attend countless communions, masses and easter services and never once come close to even knowing the man Christ Jesus. I never knew Jesus on a personal level until He was revealed to me in my own heart. No sunday sermon taught ever taught me that. What I have learned is that my own relationship with Jesus begins with knowing who He truly is. In fact, He...is me {Galations 2:20}. Every time I look in the mirror I am assured that I am seeing Christ. This is how Jesus loves.
7Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. 8He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.
1 John 4: 7 - 8 NKJV
~Scott~
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