Authentic Jesus

3Let not him who eats despise him who does not eat, and let not him who does not eat judge him who eats; for God has received him. 4Who are you to judge another’s servant? To his own master he stands or falls. Indeed, he will be made to stand, for God is able to make him stand. 5One person esteems one day above another; another esteems every day alike. Let each be fully convinced in his own mind.6He who observes the day, observes it to the Lord; 1and he who does not observe the day, to the Lord he does not observe it. He who eats, eats to the Lord, for he gives God thanks; and he who does not eat, to the Lord he does not eat, and gives God thanks.
Romans 14: 3 - 6 NKJV

I've heard a lot recently about authenticity, about being real.  We desire authenticity from those around us.  We seek authenticity from those in government, and rarely receive it.  We also seek authenticity from Jesus.  Tell me, when was the last time that Christ Jesus was not authentic to you?  That's who He is.  There is nothing that isn't authentic about Jesus.  No, what is NOT authentic is the way that we ourselves do Christ.  By this I mean how we tell those around us to commune with Him.  For in order to be in good standing with Christ Jesus you somehow need to be holy, pure, know who He is, know who you are etc.  Excuse me, but I believe this is just another attemp by humans to circumvent who Jesus really is.  Who is Jesus?  Simply put, WE are all that Christ is.  He is the head of our Lords church {Colossions 1:18}.  He also lives through us {Galations 2:20}.  THIS is the authentic Jesus.  It has never been Jesus who has put silly conditions upon coming to know Him.  For it was Christ who desired the will of the Father that we would be one with He and the Father {John 17:23}.  Jesus NEVER claimed that we would be one with He and the Father if we remembered who we are, attended the right church, joined the right ministry or asked the right questions.  These have all been conditions we have placed upon knowing Jesus, and it's crap!  This is NOT Jesus being authentic.  No matter what church I attend, who I know or who I feel that I am inside, I KNOW that Jesus never places conditions on me.  I am His, a loved child of God.  It's really that simple.  Have I forgotten who I am inside?  Not really.  I know who Jesus is, so I know who it is that I am. 

20“I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who 10will believe in Me through their word; 21“that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. 22“And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: 23“I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me."
John 17: 20 - 23 NKJV

I guess that I should introduce you to the fake Jesus huh?  I mean, if I am to talk about Jesus as being authentic then we should know who the opposite, right?  Far from simply being the usual antichrist scapegoat, the fake Jesus I refer to is the one we ourselves have created.  The Jesus who only shows conditional love to those who have proven that they know Him and ask the right questions concerning Him.  Yes, this is indeed the Jesus we have created in our desire to make ourselves good enough for Jesus.  As Jesus is holy and blameless, we needed to make ourselves good, wise and righteous.  Otherwise He might not accept us.  Well, our authentic Jesus accepts us just as we are, without conditions.  Christ Jesus is the very definition of authenticity.  there is nothing about Him that is misleading in any way.  Did He ask the woman at the well if she had forgotten who she really was?  Well, that's jumping the gun a bit, but no He didn't.  What He did not do was condemn her nor put conditions on His love for her.  That would have been the fake Jesus.  I've been falsely accused of "not knowing who I am" in Christ a few times and it isn't fun.  Believe me, I know who Jesus is each day when I look in the mirror.  It is the authentic Jesus who reminds me in lifes stormy moments that He has my back.  Yes, there may be times when my thoughts may wander, but i my heart I know how real Jesus is to me, and He is able to make me stand.

~Scott~