Ah, yes. Jesus. Is it hard for you to say the name Jesus out loud? It was for me. Still is, if I'm really honest. I definitely use the word God more than Jesus. Why? Is it because of all the "Jesus Freaks" out there who stop you on the street and ask if Jesus is your Lord and Savior and so people are just leery of those who name drop Jesus all the time? Or is it our own sense of guilt creeping in on us and reminding of us of our disassociation with him? I really don't know for sure why the name Jesus makes the hair on people's back stand up, but I bet if you asked 100 people only 20 of them would say they adore hearing and saying the name of Jesus. Most of us just don't like it.
I have a theory that it's the exclusivity of Jesus being the only way into Heaven that makes people uncomfortable. Christians have a bad reputation for reminding people that if they don't choose Jesus, they go to Hell. Meaning all other religions are doomed. Why is it a bad reputation if it's true? And is it true? Well, the Bible says Jesus is the only way.
"I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but through me" (John 14:6). "For unless you believe that I am He, you will die in your sins" (John 8:24).
Christians didn't make it up that Jesus is the only way to Heaven. They didn't decide their religion was best and to hell with all others, literally. Jesus, himself said it. And like I mentioned in the last post....since He created the whole Universe and all, He sorta gets to make up the rules. We don't have to like it. We don't have to agree with it. But the truth is the thing that actually is. There can only be one truth. You can disagree with the law of gravity, but if you jump off a cliff, it will still affect you.
And lots of other religions say there is only one way to Heaven too. We aren't the only ones. It's your job to investigate and find out which one is right. If I truly believe Jesus is the only way, then I can't also agree that maybe for you, Buddhism is the right path. I can respect your right in this country to make that choice, but I have to believe your choice is a poor one in order to believe that mine is correct. It's okay to disagree. But the truth should be presented in love, not condemnation. If someone gently hands you a gift wrapped in a pretty box with a lovely ribbon, you're far more likely to open it than if someone throws a flaming, paper bag covered "gift" at you....you're more likely to think it's a bomb, not a present!
So who do you think Jesus was or is? Common answers are that he was a great teacher. I agree. He was a prophet. I agree. Was he the son of God? Was he fully God and fully Man?
John 1:1 says "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
The word "Word" means Jesus. He had lots of names, as I'm sure you know. If you replace Word with Jesus, it's easy to see his claim that he WAS God.
So, if you're a stripper who already believes in Jesus and God, what difference does any of this make? Isn't it enough to simply believe that Jesus was God? Believe that he was the Son of God and that he died for our sins? Maybe you have always believed Jesus was the ticket to Heaven ever since you were a child and you've never thought to question it. Great. But that isn't enough. Simply believing in who Jesus claimed he was and that he died for your sins is only intellectually agreeing with the truth. We are called to TRUST in him, not just accept his claims.
A lot of people will miss the boat to Heaven because of 18 inches. The difference between their head and their heart.
Next time, we'll look at what it means to TRUST in Jesus.
And I promise to have more stripper related stories next time. This one had to be all about brass tacks, baby! We gotta get some things straight before the rest makes sense.
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