Study and religion tend to keep Jesus tucked away in the past, as a historical figure.  However, we desperately need Him to be living and working in the present, not stuck in the past. The world needs Jesus’ presence, His power, and His authority today, as much as ever! 

So how do we release Jesus from the past into the present? It is quite simple: 1) Ask Jesus to speak to you; 2) Listen to what He tells you: and 3) Be courageous to obey Him, even if you are scared. (Keep in mind that Christ will never tell you to do anything morally wrong, mean, or evil.)  The results will amaze you.

(What if some of the thoughts that pass through your mind are the direct voice of God speaking personally to you, but you fail to recognize them because of secular, anti-supernatural, humanistic conditioning inflicted upon you by our contemporary Western culture and world view? Is that possible?)

What would it be like if instead of meeting to listen to a human speak to us about Christ; church met instead to listen to the living, resurrected Jesus Christ, speak directly to us as individual humans, and then openly shared what we heard? (Jesus put it this way: “My sheep hear My voice.”)

Will the 1st Century Jesus of the Bible take over a 21st Century church service? You bet. 

However, only if we are willing to let Him. If we insist on our human programs and agendas, Jesus won’t push His way in. But if we get out of His way and allow Him to personally direct the meeting; we will see the glory of God in the 21st Century!