TRUTH BE TOLD

Truth be told, people often think of Jesus as a pasty white, passive, happy-go-lucky chap. Just look at the fictional portrayals of Him in extra-biblical art (film, paintings, etc.). The idea of a stern, intense, abrasive, rugged, and offensive Savior doesn’t jive with our (mis)conceptions about Him. Pasty and passive is not the Christ of Scripture. Consider the story of Jesus teaching at a synagogue in John 6. They asked Him, “What must we do to accomplish the works of God?” Jesus’ reply was (literally) tough to swallow. “Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.” Many were outraged and said, “This is a difficult teaching. Who can accept it?” So Jesus asked them, “Does this offend you?”

Many will likely find this offensive, but, truth be told, the average Christian today is unrecognized in Scripture. There is no such thing as an average Christian. A pastor once told me, “Not everything in the Bible was written to us, but everything in the Bible is written for us.” I don’t think many Christians believe that. The idea of taking the Bible at face value or being sold out for the King of Kings is distasteful, offensive, and fanatical. We prefer the milder, more “user-friendly” (pasty and passive) version of Jesus, i.e. the One who saves us from Hell and then leaves us to get on with our self-absorbed lives. Besides, “Jesus ain’t the One payin’ my mortgage!” Offensive - I warned you.

The fullness of life in Christ will NEVER be experienced on Sunday morning, whether dabbling on the fringe or as professional clergy. That would be like building a race car and never taking it out of the garage to the track. The real driver is the one with oil and grease under his fingernails, scars, and bruises, and an intimate knowledge of racing. There’s a rich and profound joy in that; the kind of joy that no press box owner or spectator will ever know.

Sadly, the "average" Christian is one who meanders in and out of services like a spectator, in and out of serving like a consumer, and in and out of community with no real commitment to anyone or anything - including Christ. We’re not really interested in getting our hands dirty or getting to the track. We’re good with someone else’s stories, content with short magazine articles, daily devos, and postcards from the track. We’re happy with the sterility of shows about the garage. We’re less interested in what Jesus actually had to say and primarily interested in fitting in, being liked, getting filled, or feeling good about the worship “experience.” I’m confident in my statements because Jesus painted a very clear and beautiful picture of what His “true” followers look like:

Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends… I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.

-John 15:13;15

Jesus has revealed everything we need to know through Scripture. The only thing He didn’t reveal is the time. So what do we obsess over? Exactly! The “when.” He has revealed His vision, His mission, His values, His methodology, His expectations, and His power through His Word. Yet if one were to ask the hypothetical “average” Christian about those things the common response would be something like, “I didn’t go to seminary school,” or “I don’t feel equipped to answer ‘those kinds’ of questions,” or “That’s what pastors, preachers, and churches are for.”

Wrong. That’s what Christians are for. Read Matthew 5:13-16. Jesus doesn’t tell His followers to “be” salt and light. Instead, He tells us that His followers “are.”

You are the salt of the earth. But what good is salt if it has lost its flavor? Can you make it salty again? It will be thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless.

-Matthew 5:13

Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it.

-Matthew 16:24-25

We look at statements like those from Jesus as hyperbole, exaggeration, or something reserved for “special” Christians called to missionary work. According to the Bible, isn't that all of us? That’s what the Bible says the Priesthood of Believers is about. In all honesty, we think of the Apostle Paul as some kind of nutjob or freak. Nobody really gives up everything and endures beatings, shipwrecks, hunger, famine, prison… for religion. That’s exactly right. But Christians (like the Ronshausens, Purvises, Griffiths, and Harrises) do it all the time for Jesus, for the Good News, and the conviction, confidence, and contentment, which divine friendship provides! That’s exactly what inspired Paul to write:

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?... For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor principalities, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

-Romans 8:35-39

But the “average” Christian is easily discouraged by weather, traffic, music style, time, and the worst hindrance of all… other people!

Truth be told, I’m 100% confident that Jesus knew exactly what He was talking about. There are skeptics and naysayers. There are the Bart Ehrmans of the world who would take biblical references out of context and call them inaccuracies, contradictions, or even “proof” that Jesus was a fictional character, religious nut, or merely a historical figure. There are also the Dan Browns of the world who would masterfully intertwine fiction and fact, leaving people confused or floundering in their faith.

Jesus wasn’t intimidated by Satan, death, and certainly not the Cross of Calvary. He knew what He was getting into (Rev 13:8). He ran head first into the meat grinder waiting in Jerusalem (John 9:51). I’m confident that the Ehrmans and Browns of history have never caused Him a moment of worry or restlessness - and never will. Truth be told, I’m confident that Jesus’ struggle in Gethsemane had everything to do with anticipating separation from the Father and nothing whatever to do with fear of death or anxiety regarding any sort of physical suffering.

Who we are as “the church” amounts to our individual faith and collective unity in Christ. That’s what Jesus said would fulfill His mission of bringing the gospel to the ends of the earth. In John 17 Jesus said:

I pray not only for these,

but also for those who believe in Me

through their message.

May they all be one,

as You, Father, are in Me and I am in You.

May they also be one in Us,

so the world may believe You sent Me.

Jesus prayed that you (yes YOU reading this) would believe in Him, the Bread of Life, through the witness, testimony, and message of His followers. He prayed that all of us who follow Him would be one in purpose and spirit so that the world would believe Jesus was sent by the Father - and be so convicted, confident, and content that we'd become an active and intimate part of the Salvation narrative!

So what’s the testimony and message of God’s faithfulness in your life? Deliverance from abuse, drugs, poverty, shame... or protection from it? The power of God's testimony of grace and love is mighty and evident in both deliverance and protection. That's our testimony. That's your testimony.

Jesus prayed to the Father for those who would come to believe because of “their message.” That’s not the reserved for professional pastors, evangelists, or missionaries. That’s the fundamental role and privilege of everyone born-again by grace through faith. That includes you. Those people in your life... God blessed you with all of them - even the crazy, unkind, obnoxious, abrasive ones - to be salt and light to them.

If you truly are redeemed in Christ, then you are a salty and illuminating testimony of grace and love. Jesus said so. And, truth be told, I’m confident He’s 100% correct - being that He’s God and all.

He said we’d have a testimony of unity with fellow believers. That doesn't necessarily mean we all hold hands and sing kumbaya by the campfire. It means we're unified in our salty and illuminating testimony of His gracious, indwelling, transformative, and glorious love. He said that we’d literally have an irresistible message that would inspire conviction, radiate confidence, and ooze contentment.

Truth be told, Jesus said that would be true of His friends.

Is it true of you?

Blessings,

-Kevin M. Kelley

aMostUnlikelyDisciple.com