It seems most of us are so fond of our small pleasures in life that we have developed stomachs that would rather munch on cheap candies even though we are offered the chance to eat at a rich and elegant gourmet feast. If you find yourself sitting in church thinking about the football game you’d like to be watching, or wondering when Bible study will be over so that you can watch that new movie you want to see…
I remember when I first became a Christian, I was bumping heads with all kinds of people. I had a passion for Christ and I wanted to let everyone know the truth and what they needed to change their life and make themselves right with God. I was on fire for the Lord but I had no sense of how to handle this new found life, energy and passion in my soul. I had no idea how to love others in Christ, I had no sense of listening, offering grace and mercy or just praying for those who did not want to listen to the Gospel.
I knew I was going to be late for my train if I didn’t move quicker. I passed a man who had a loudspeaker telling people they were going to hell. Without pause, I kept walking; he was always on the same street. Many city blocks later, two men were trying to hand me a tract asking me if I had Jesus. They weren’t always there. I figured I had probably already missed my train, so I stopped to talk to them. I found out they were from Milwaukee and were down here in Chicago trying do some “outreach.”
There are a number of jokes that have been circulating the internet and are in little gift books. They are always titled something like, “You know you’re _______ if you’ve ever…”, “You know you’re a pastor if…”, or “You know you’re from Chicago if…” or even, “You know you’re a redneck if…” One of my favorites talks about how you can identify where a driver is from.
I know right now that we exist in a world where there is much that has gone wrong. There is poverty, starvation, rape, murder, war, disaster and disease that is ripping through the entire world pulling it apart, atom by atom. I understand that this world will never be as it was originally made—as it was intended.
There are a lot of people who have opinions on who Jesus was. Some say that He is a good teacher, others say that He is a prophet or a profound philosopher. There are those who state that Jesus is God. One way or another Jesus has been the most talked about man who has ever lived. There are more debates on who Jesus really was, more books written revolving around His life than any other man who has ever lived. Jesus Himself stated He was one with the Father and that He is one with God Himself.