"For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified." (1 Corinthians 2:2)
I broke one of my cardinal rules the other day. I engaged in a political debate on social media. My reasons for never getting involved in these debates are two fold. One is that, while I have definite ideas and impressions about political candidates, I have to pastor everyone in the church. I 've seen far to many good relationships turn sour over such arguements, so I tend not to get into them. I don 't mind supporting ideas and causes, but not a candidate, at least publically. The other reason is that arguing political candidates on social media is a huge waste of time. I 've followed many threads and not once have I …show more content…
There is some truth to that. My counter arguement was if indeed this person was a follower of Christ, wouldn 't we see more of Jesus in them? While one may not be able to judge what a person believes from a distance, one can discern their proximity to Jesus by their behavior. I wasn 't arguing if they believed in Jesus. I was arguing that to be called a Christ follower, what we might call a disciple, ought to involve more than belief. It ought to bring a radical transformation of heart and life. And that 's where many of us struggle. We are fine with belief. We believe things about Jesus and Christianity. We can stand up on any given Sunday, recite the Aposlte 's Creed with polygraphic assurance. But, as James would remind us, the devil can do the exact same thing. (James 2:19). Belief is not enough. To truly be a disciple of Jesus means we allow Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit to do the difficult, often painful work of transforming us into the shape and image of …show more content…
Many of us want belief and assurance of heaven without radical transformation now. So we follow Jesus but we follow from a distance less something might happen to us.
The people in Corinth had the same problem. while they believed, the way they lived and treated one another clearly demonstrated a lack of transformation. This is why Paul reminds them that when he came he told them of one thing, and one thing only. Christ. and Him crucified. Paul says I came to bring you the only thing that matters. Jesus the Son of God was crucified for your sins rose from the dead and defeated all the powers of hell destroying both sin and death. Because of Jesus you can live a different life.
This is the message of John Wesley, who went into the fields and the coal mining camps looking at the forgotten of the world, the refuse of society and preached to them a new life. Wesley truly believed that the grace of Jesus Christ could transform anyone into the image of Jesus. He championed more than belief. He championed
I broke one of my cardinal rules the other day. I engaged in a political debate on social media. My reasons for never getting involved in these debates are two fold. One is that, while I have definite ideas and impressions about political candidates, I have to pastor everyone in the church. I 've seen far to many good relationships turn sour over such arguements, so I tend not to get into them. I don 't mind supporting ideas and causes, but not a candidate, at least publically. The other reason is that arguing political candidates on social media is a huge waste of time. I 've followed many threads and not once have I …show more content…
There is some truth to that. My counter arguement was if indeed this person was a follower of Christ, wouldn 't we see more of Jesus in them? While one may not be able to judge what a person believes from a distance, one can discern their proximity to Jesus by their behavior. I wasn 't arguing if they believed in Jesus. I was arguing that to be called a Christ follower, what we might call a disciple, ought to involve more than belief. It ought to bring a radical transformation of heart and life. And that 's where many of us struggle. We are fine with belief. We believe things about Jesus and Christianity. We can stand up on any given Sunday, recite the Aposlte 's Creed with polygraphic assurance. But, as James would remind us, the devil can do the exact same thing. (James 2:19). Belief is not enough. To truly be a disciple of Jesus means we allow Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit to do the difficult, often painful work of transforming us into the shape and image of …show more content…
Many of us want belief and assurance of heaven without radical transformation now. So we follow Jesus but we follow from a distance less something might happen to us.
The people in Corinth had the same problem. while they believed, the way they lived and treated one another clearly demonstrated a lack of transformation. This is why Paul reminds them that when he came he told them of one thing, and one thing only. Christ. and Him crucified. Paul says I came to bring you the only thing that matters. Jesus the Son of God was crucified for your sins rose from the dead and defeated all the powers of hell destroying both sin and death. Because of Jesus you can live a different life.
This is the message of John Wesley, who went into the fields and the coal mining camps looking at the forgotten of the world, the refuse of society and preached to them a new life. Wesley truly believed that the grace of Jesus Christ could transform anyone into the image of Jesus. He championed more than belief. He championed