" Going, then, disciple all the nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the holy spirit, teaching them to be keeping all, whatever I direct you, and Lo! I am with you all the days till the conclusion of the eon! Amen!"
Matthews Account 28: 19-20, Concordant New Testament
Have you ever found yourself looking for Jesus? I have. I usually find myself in this predicament when I am facing a time of uncertainty or discomfort. When everything I know has failed, I turn to the Lord and ask Him, where are you, Lord? Back in my formative years of being a believer, when everything I knew about God I learned from my time in the church, I often found myself wondering if Jesus was even there as He had promised me in the scripture {Matthews Account 28:20}. And it's not just me, either, I have had many discussions with other believers who have at times felt that same way. For their part, the church taught me that I had become separated from God through my own sin. So, is it any wonder, then, that I would have difficulty in seeing Jesus in my life? I had been born into the world a sinner, and it seemed that I was destined to always be looking for Jesus no matter where I went. Had Jesus lied to me? Had He promised me that He would be with me always only to remain apart from me as the church proclaimed? If there is one thing that I understood about Jesus is that He keeps His promises. If Jesus has said that He will be with us always, He will do just that. Then I began to wonder, maybe the this isn't a Jesus issue, but a me issue. Was it entirely possible that Jesus had been there all along and I had not realized it? Not only is this possible, but it is the basis of the evangel rarely preached within the mainstream church. For some time, I have viewed the church belief that it is my sin which has kept me separated from God as one of the lies the church has told me. I have also received a lot of resistance for speaking this belief to others who claim to know Jesus. Yet there is definitely scripture that I can point to which supports my belief. Jesus Himself has spoken that we live in union with He and the Father {Johns Account 14:20, Johns Account 17:21}. In our search for Christ Jesus, we should start by looking within ourselves.
To whom God wills to make known what are the glorious riches of this secret among the nations, which is: Christ among you, the expectation of glory
Paul to the Colossians 1: 27, Concordant New Testament
I believe that the major issue which prevents us from seeing Jesus in our life is our own view of Him. Do we adhere to thousands of years of church teachings which proclaim that it is our sin which has separated us from God? Or, as I have, do we realize that revelation which the Father has revealed unto our heart? The revelation that not only has Jesus provided for the forgiveness of ALL sin, but that it is He in Whom we now live {Paul to the Galatians 2:20, Paul to the Romans 6:8}. Not only that, but the apostle Paul speaks to the truth that Christ Jesus has died to sin "Once for all time" {Paul to the Romans 6:10}. Knowing this, what is left which Jesus needs to forgive us for? That debt has been paid in full by Christ Jesus on the cross. Another lie which the mainstream church has taught me was that, as a sinner, that I could never be in the presence of the Lord. The church continues to drive home this point by proclaiming that all have sinned and that all are in need of the forgiveness of God. Yes, that is true, but the truth is that the Father HAS forgiven us! It is through His Son that we are no longer slaves to the bondage of sin {Paul to the Romans 6:6}. It is also through Christ that God has once again been reconciled to His own {Paul to the Colossians 1:20}. The church is correct in speaking that all have sinned, but that is where their truthful belief ends. For they continue to speak of our search for Jesus, when what they should be speaking is that our life now rests in Him.
~Scott~
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