Following self-love isn’t the same thing as following God’s love. Idealism and utopia are not impossible dreams, but glimpses of how far we have fallen from the kingdom of God.
To be Spirit-led is to let the living Jesus, Himself, like a hand in a glove, move and direct you from within. The kingdom of God calls us to be daily surrendered, submissive, and obedient to the risen Jesus Christ. Without the reality of the risen Jesus, Christianity is rather humdrum.
Without the active presence of the living Jesus, Christianity morphs from a Spirit-led monument into a religious monument. When we do church like Jesus is dead and gone, people won’t believe that He’s alive and present. If Jesus isn’t living and reigning inside of you, church services, sermons, and ceremonies mean little.
Jesus says that those who hear the Word, but get caught up in “life’s worries, riches, and pleasures,” “do not mature.”(Luke 8:14) Jesus’ command to “Love your enemies. Do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you,” isn’t very popular today.”
You can join a church, but only the risen Jesus can make you a part of the body of Christ. Perhaps Christians need to spend less time listening to talks about what we believe and more time experiencing what we believe. Biblical Christianity wasn’t designed to be just informational, but experiential, and transformational.
Less preaching and teaching, but more obeying and doing the Word, would make modern Christianity far more powerful. Perhaps one sold-out, fired-up Christ-follower is more powerful than hundreds who casually attend meetings. Sermons without follow-thru make spectators not disciples.
The living, omnipresent Jesus doesn’t need a hierarchy. He can directly communicate to all the members of His body. When Christianity turned King Jesus into a figurehead and began to establish and trust in human authority, it lost much of its power. (I don’t think the living Jesus likes to be the figurehead in church. I believe He wants to be the literal Head.)
I find so much joy and excitement in Jesus that much of what people do to try to have fun, bores me. Jesus doesn’t enter your heart to be entombed there, but to raise you from spiritual death.
People with stony hearts refuse to rock with the risen Jesus.
Jesus’ Bible accuracy question: “If you do not believe Moses’ writings how will you believe Me?” Jesus’ command to “Love your enemies,” is simple and not dependent on our agreement.
