The Gospel is more than a little ‘Jesus therapy’

Knowing how our emotions work, understanding the ongoing effect of past experiences, learning about our personality can be quite useful. Therapists give us tools that aid in overcoming self-destructive ways and addictions. But, Freud is no replacement for Jesus Christ! At the core of the Gospel is the promise of our transformation. A religion focused on self-help is not Christianity.

The true Gospel offers spiritual transformation. If we turn Jesus into the Great Therapist instead of the Great Savior, we are stealing His power, exchanging the truth for a half-truth; yes, in essence a lie. People broken by the evil of this world need more than someone who soothes. They want to be healed! Our Savior reveals the deceptions. He is the Light that shows us the Way, to life and to the love of our Father. Psychology is a tool for dealing with dysfunctional human behaviors but it has its limits. At the end of the road of counseling, we kneel and accept the Lord Jesus.  The Word promises that "anyone united with the Messiah gets a fresh start, is created new. The old life is gone; a new life burgeons! Look at it!" (2 Corinthians 5:17, The Message)

The Therapeutic Jesus is a Friend that we talk to, sharing our burdens, finding love and understanding. He is more than a Friend. He is the Lord, the Savior, the Mediator who bridges the wide gap between us and our Creator! He not only listens with empathy, He is able to change us and heal us by giving us the Spirit to live in us! The Word says, "He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him." (Hebrews 7:25, NKJV) Another version states the wonderful promise like this - "Jesus is the one who guarantees this better covenant with God. ... Jesus lives forever, his priesthood lasts forever. Therefore he is able, once and forever, to save those who come to God through him. He lives forever to intercede with God on their behalf. He is the kind of high priest we need because he is holy and blameless, unstained by sin. He has been set apart from sinners and has been given the highest place of honor in heaven. ... he offered himself as the sacrifice for the people's sins." (Hebrews  7:22-27, NLT)

Have you 'psychologized' Jesus?

Have you made Him a kind of super "Dr. Phil" without really realizing it?

Do you talk over your fears, problems, failures, and sins with Him but without the expectation that He can do more than just listen and advise?

He is the Lord of Glory who came to 'save us from our sins.'

When you discover why you act in ways that are harmful, why you cannot trust others, why you are full of rage; learn and understand. Tell Him you want forgiveness, that you want to be healed, that you want to overcome fear, doubt, and dysfunction. Expect the power of the Spirit to begin working deeply in you, not just to comfort, but to change you from the inside out.  He can, and He will.  Receive Him with new faith. Follow Him to the Cross, into suffering and death, and into a new life marked by the Eternal Life of the Spirit.

The word from the Word is full of promise of inner change- "Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ. .... I want to know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised him from the dead. I want to suffer with him, sharing in his death, so that one way or another I will experience the resurrection from the dead!" (Philippians 3:10-11, NLT)

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"Ye chosen seed of Israel's race,

Ye ransomed from the Fall,

Hail Him who saves you by His grace,

and crown Him, Lord of All.

All Hail the pow'r of Jesus' Name,

let angels prostrate fall,

bring forth the royal diadem,

and crown Him, Lord of All!"

The Best News

What’s the best news that you have heard?  Near the top of the list are things like the birth of a child, the discovery of love, or a recovery of a very ill person.  Somewhat further down are moments of success; a new business, a windfall profit, a new home. I love to share good news, don’t you?

We who know Christ are entrusted with the Best News. What is it? If you say, “Jesus died on the cross for my sins,” I’ll disagree. Now you are wondering about my Christianity, aren’t you? 

Listen to what Jesus told His disciples to tell others: "After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. “The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!” (Mark 1:14-15, NIV)  "When Jesus had called the Twelve together, he gave them power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases, and he sent them out to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick." (Luke 9:1-2, NIV)

Telling others that they are ‘sinners,’ is not good news. It is true that apart from Christ, we all will miss God’s plan, we are hopelessly corrupted by evil, and we are spiritually dead.  But, how can we ever reach others if the first thing we tell them is that they are miserable, sinful wretches destined for destruction?  We must announce Good News.  We are messengers of a glorious Kingdom.  We declare: “God loves you. He has a destiny that you can discover through faith. He is greater than the evil so prevalent in this world. Would you like to know Him?”   The Gospel is that "to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. They are reborn—not with a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan, but a birth that comes from God. So the Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son." (John 1:12-14, NLT)

When the Spirit has awakened a desire, then we can turn attention to the Cross of Christ, where the guilt is erased, where atonement (at-one-ment) replaces alienation!  The best news for people is that there is something better than can be found in pleasure, money, sex, or power.  Jesus calls it the abundant life or life to the full.  We can know a life of love, become people with purpose, and take hold of the promise of eternal life right now.  That is Great News.

Paul, a man who knew first-hand the disappointment of religiosity, celebrates the love of God and the possibilities that His Kingdom creates for those who enter it through faith in the Savior. "All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ. Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure." (Ephesians 1:3-5, NLT)  "May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God. Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. Glory to him in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations forever and ever! Amen." (Ephesians 3:19-21, NLT)  That is the BEST News.

As you pray for friends and family members who are not yet disciples of Christ Jesus, begin to pray for their hearts and minds to desire more than they can find in the daily scramble of existence. Ask the Spirit to speak to them of a better kingdom.  Take the opportunity to speak boldly of the new way that God has prepared.

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Satisfied

All my lifelong I had panted

For a draught from some cool spring

That I hoped would quench the burning

Of the thirst I felt within.

Poor I was and sought for riches,

Something that would satisfy,

But the dust I gathered 'round me

Only mocked my soul's sad cry.

Well of water ever springing,

Bread of life, so rich and free.

Untold wealth that never faileth,

My Redeemer is to me.

Hallelujah! I have found Him

Whom my soul so long has craved.

Jesus satisfies my longings

Thro' His blood I now am saved!

Clara Tear Williams | Ralph E. Hudson

© Words: Public Domain

Music: Public Domain

This Little Light of Mine

Dad loved bright rooms!  I don’t think he ever bought a light bulb that was not a 100 watt. When I visited his house I found every light in the room switched on.  The idea of accent lighting was lost on him.  Apparently that gene resides in me.  I’m not much on having dinner in semi-darkness!  I like to turn on the ceiling lights; Bev to use lamps that she says make the room ‘cozy.’  What about you? Are you a make it brighter or a mood lighting kind of person? Light is amazing. A sunny day makes us more cheerful.  A tiny nightlight chases away the monsters that terrifies a little boy. A flashlight gives us confidence to walk across the yard in the middle of the night.

Are you a bright light in your world? Jesus said, "You are like light for the whole world. A city built on top of a hill cannot be hidden, and no one would light a lamp and put it under a clay pot. A lamp is placed on a lampstand, where it can give light to everyone in the house. Make your light shine, so that others will see the good that you do and will praise your Father in heaven." (Matthew 5:14-16, CEV)  In His time, there were no street lights along the roads or pathways.  If a traveler was trying to make it home, he looked for the light that spilled from the windows of the town. If a town was built on a hilltop, those lights guided travelers to home by shining for miles!

The prophet Isaiah, moved by the Spirit, spoke of God’s glory (a holy glow!) that spills from His people “Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD rises upon you. See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples, but the LORD rises upon you and his glory appears over you. Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn." (Isaiah 60:1-3, NIV)  What does this mean?

When Christ comes to us, by the Holy Spirit we are made alive to God and we begin to see clearly.  We understand right and wrong, we see through the deceptions of evil. Our lives are not wasted wandering in confusion or chasing shadows. Instead we live with purpose. We love in a hate-filled world. We are people of integrity in a world where lies abound. We are ready to care for the weak, to give dignity to those who are outcast, to seek justice for those who are downtrodden.  By the Spirit, we bring lasting joy to a world that chases momentary happiness.  And yes, we know where our true home is and we show others the way. "It started when God said, “Light up the darkness!” and our lives filled up with light as we saw and understood God in the face of Christ, all bright and beautiful." (2 Corinthians 4:6, The Message)

Has the Light shined into your life? If not, invite Him to come and dispel the darkness.  If so, let Him shine brightly.

Here’s the word from the Word.
"We know that we have come to know him if we obey his commands. The man who says, “I know him,” but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But if anyone obeys his word, God’s love is truly made complete in him. This is how we know we are in him: Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did. … the darkness is passing and the true light is already shining.

Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates his brother is still in the darkness. Whoever loves his brother lives in the light, and there is nothing in him to make him stumble. But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks around in the darkness; he does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded him." (1 John 2:2-11, NIV)

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This little light of mine,

I’m gonna let it shine.

This little light of mine,

I’m gonna let it shine.

Let it shine,

Let it shine,

Let it shine!

Meet my Friend

Let me ask you an ‘in your face’ kind of question. Have you ever been instrumental in bringing a person to a living relationship with Christ Jesus?  It is not my intent or motive to create guilt, but I am aiming to renew a sense of urgent commitment to the work of ‘evangelism.’  Jesus gave a universal directive to all of His followers – “Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation." (Mark 16:15, NIV)  Due to the excesses of a previous generation when Jesus appeared to be product to be marketed, where morality convictions and cultural issues got tangled up with the Good News about Life, some (might I say most?) American Christians seldom do the work of an evangelist.

“Well, Jerry, I’m just not comfortable shoving my religion down somebody’s throat.”  Well, that’s a relief. Neither am I!  When I was a teen, my local church handed me some literature, pointed me to streets in our town, and told me to go knock on doors to ‘witness.’ I hated it then and still do. In my youth,  I absorbed the idea that it was my duty as a Christian to take on what I saw as ‘sin.’  I became adept at condemnation of all manner of social ills and in all the noise, Jesus’ loving voice of invitation got lost. Somehow I sensed that the emphasis was on the wrong things, but the Moral Majority (what an arrogant name) was in vogue. Evangelical Christians were forming voting blocks and we were going to save America from all those godless people (i.e.- people not like us).

We fulfill Jesus’ command to preach the good news by making an introduction.  We do not need to sell Jesus! We do not need to beat people over the head with the Bible.  We do not need to draw attention to sin with flamboyant denunciations.  By our life and words we say, “meet my Friend.”   Christians are peace-makers, bridge builders.  Our work is not to tell people to ‘go to Hell.’ We invite them to come with us to Heaven.  "Christ’s love controls us. Since we believe that Christ died for all, we also believe that we have all died to our old life. He died for everyone so that those who receive his new life will no longer live for themselves. … The old life is gone; a new life has begun! And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ. And God has given us this task of reconciling people to him. For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation. So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, “Come back to God!” For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ." (2 Corinthians 5:14-21, NLT)

When our lives are completely devoted to Him there will be a kind of beauty that radiates from us. No, it’s not perfection. We are still flawed individuals and we fail.  The radiance is Christ in us, who removes our pride, destroys the power of sin and guilt, and fills us with unquenchable hope. The message is never about me, always about Him.  Does this mean that no one will ever be offended by our message?  Jesus answers that. “If the world hates you, remember that it hated me first. The world would love you as one of its own if you belonged to it, but you are no longer part of the world. I chose you to come out of the world, so it hates you. Do you remember what I told you? ‘A slave is not greater than the master.’ Since they persecuted me, naturally they will persecute you. And if they had listened to me, they would listen to you. They will do all this to you because of me, for they have rejected the One who sent me." (John 15:18-21, NLT)  

The Gospel cuts both ways.  It invites, and when rejected, it judges!  (Remember, the Gospel does that, not us.)  If others hate me for my projected spiritual superiority, my religious arrogance, or my refusal to show compassion, shame on me. If they hate me because I love Jesus, because I refuse to participate in their schemes, or because the Spirit in me makes them aware that they are not who God desires them to be, I will gladly endure their rejection.

Evangelism (the work of bringing the Gospel to others) is intentional, not passive.  Jesus said, "You know the saying, ‘Four months between planting and harvest.’ But I say, wake up and look around. The fields are already ripe for harvest." (John 4:35, NLT)  Let’s pray to see our friends who are without faith in God like Jesus does; compassionately, in need of life and light.  Let’s pray for wisdom, learn the Scripture, be authentic in our faith and then say, “Meet my Friend!”   The joy of seeing someone come to faith, understanding the love of the Father, and gaining eternal life is incomparable.

Here’s the word from the Word. “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him." (John 3:16-17, NIV)  I believe that, do you?

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