Wednesday, April 23, 2014

 

A Pretend Jesus

I am guessing you've heard of Jack and the Beanstalk, Paul Bunyan, Santa Claus and Superman.  I am hoping you know they were not real.  They were inventions, as were Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella and Cat Woman. Perhaps these imaginary heroes serve a purpose in our lives, but they do not ever truly intersect with reality. They are a part of the pretend world. Pretending is something we do to escape reality.  Pretending helps us feel better about ourselves - for a few minutes. But we dare not live there.

Unfortunately, in order to make sense of life, we can fall into the trap of inventing gods and religion.  Man-made religion may feel good, but it does not do us any good.  A side effect of this tendency is that many people have been introduced to an unauthentic version of God and His principles, so they believe in God the same way they believe in Santa Claus or Cinderella.  Since they never encounter the real Jesus, real miracles or real power, they can understandably become completely disenchanted with anything that has to do with God. 

The problem starts with our willingness to define God in our image. In his book "Jesus", Chuck Swindoll put it this way, "Interpretations of Jesus are fraught with bias.  He's a powerful figure that people want on their side, and they are willing to recreate Him in their image to enlist his support... Frankly, it's hard to escape the feeling that our culture has taken Jesus' question, "Who do you say that I am?" and changed it to, "who do you want me to be?" 

Jesus was not and is not pretend. It is dangerous to make up a Jesus that suits our fancy; that kind of theology essentially reduces Him to a fairy tale character.  Life demands the real deal. Jesus didn't come to the real world only to have us use Him as an ally by making up our own version of Him.  Jesus came into a real world to lead us to a real relationship with Him. He was born into real poverty.  He was raised in real obscurity.  He was an real carpenter who could talk shop with guys in flannel shirts and work boots. He encountered real opposition from politicians and professional theologians.  He was really abused and illegally executed. But in the face of all of that He demonstrated His love and power and changed history for all time.

Jesus didn't just talk about love, power and goodness.  He didn't just theorize and sermonize. He healed the sick, raised the dead and laid down his life for those who will stop pretending and get honest with Him.  He gave us a faith that can handle unfairness, adversity and disappointment. 

If you are in a difficult time - if life has been particularly brutal to you - you don't need a pretend hero or an invented theology, you need the real Jesus.  Seek out a church where they believe in a real God who truly came and lived among us.  Find someplace where they still believe in forgiveness, integrity, honesty, and morality.  Worship with folks who still commit everything to God and who still see the same kinds of miracles that Jesus performed while on earth.  Life is too harsh to try to navigate it with a pretend version of Jesus, we need the real thing!

# posted by John W. Hanson @ Wednesday, April 23, 2014
 

Easter is "Exhibit A"

Many times a court case succeeds or fails based on a physical piece of evidence or a documented incident that conclusively proves guilt or innocence.  If it is the first piece of evidence and it can be shown to the court,  it is sometimes referred to as "Exhibit A".  The phrase has come to represent something that clearly proves a point.  In my opinion, Easter is the epitome of an "Exhibit A".

Christianity is unique in that it is the only faith who's founder:
·         Had his birth, death and resurrection foretold by multiple sources over thousands of years
·         Predicted his own death and resurrection
·         Publically predicted how long he would be dead
·         Disappeared from a heavily guarded tomb
·         Appeared to hundreds of people for  forty days after his resurrection
·         Ascended into the sky in front of 500 witnesses - just as he had predicted

When comparing faiths, please consider "Exhibit A" - the true, historical Easter story.  If Jesus had just been a great teacher we could relegate him to the teachers hall of fame, but he proved He was much more than that.  He claimed to be a Creator, Savior, the Son of God and the great I Am.  Then He proved it to those who are willing to keep their eyes open.  Easter was designed to clinch the deal and help even the faint-hearted believe.

Many have noted that even Jesus disciples needed Easter to become true believers.  They had seen Jesus do miracles but when He was arrested and crucified their faith wavered and they forsook him and fled.  Most of us would have done the same thing.  Yet within a few short months these same people  were willing to die for their  faith.  What caused such a drastic courage?  Exhibit A.  They had personally witnessed that Jesus will do what He promises to do.

To this day people are willing to die for Christ.  They stand their ground in the face of discrimination and bigotry.  Why? Because His death and resurrection have proven that He really does have all power, that there is life after death and that a real heaven has been prepared for those who believe and obey.  Christians can look at "Exhibit A" and be reassured that God is able to keep His promises. What kind of promises can they count on?
 
·         His promise to forgive those who confess their sins to Him and ask forgiveness.  1 John 1:9
·         His promise to wash their sins away when they are Baptized in His Name.  Acts 2:38
·         His promise to give the power of the Holy Spirit if they obey Him and invite Him into their heart. The disciples experienced this in a dramatic way.  Acts 2:1-4

I personally know thousands of people who have experienced the fulfillment of these promises.  Whether you believe or you are still investigating, this Easter would be a great day to visit a church and consider the evidence.  Easter is the most important exhibit of a cosmic court case that will one day be clearly proven to all - believers and unbelievers.  If you take a close look at this exceptional historical event it will change your life forever.   Have you ever wondered why skeptics are so uncomfortable with the holiday?  Could it be because this evidence often helps unbelievers realize that Jesus is not a mythical figure, but that He really was God in flesh, and that he  has authority over death, hell and the grave (Revelation 1:18).  His resurrection is Exhibit A.

# posted by John W. Hanson @ Wednesday, April 23, 2014

This page is powered by Blogger. Isn't yours?

Subscribe to Posts [Atom]