These words from ancient history are powerful: “O taste and see.” People can tell us about an amazingly delicious food but until we taste and see for ourselves, their words are only hearsay. That’s the problem with modern Christianity. It tries to tell people about the glorious experience of following Jesus by using weak weekly religious talks alone when what people need are profound experiences with the risen present Jesus. “O taste and see that the Lord is good!”
Alexander the Great said: “I am not afraid of an army of lions led by a sheep; I am afraid of an army of sheep led by a lion.” Christians are called to be sheep led by the Lion of the Tribe of Judah — the risen Jesus! If Christians will come together to follow and obey the living Jesus instead of religious programs, they will change the world!
Jesus said, “My sheep hear My voice.” Churches should train Christ’s sheep to share what they hear God’s Spirit saying. Jesus went on to say, “And they follow Me.” Follow the risen Jesus, not routine religion. Sheep who ignore the Shepherd eventually get eaten by wolves.
When Christ’s sheep are kept silent and set in rows to hear a weekly religious speech they are sheared of the humble heart-to-heart sharing of Spirit-led community. When Christ’s sheep gather, let them all be free to speak as the Spirit prompts them.
Christianity isn’t about personalities and celebrities. Keep your eyes on Jesus alone! Talk about Jesus, not about a preacher. If the risen Jesus isn’t the center of attention in a church service, it’s way out of focus. I’ve always wondered why the name on a church sign is the name of a preacher instead of the name of Jesus.
Christians who like to talk up a preacher are missing the point. A preacher is a mere messenger who is supposed to focus people’s attention on the risen Jesus. Sheep who ignore the true Shepherd eventually get eaten by wolves.
None the less, for some reason churches and Christian conferences usually leave Jesus off the program. I don’t think I have ever seen this on a program: “Lord and Savior: Jesus Christ.” Churches need to stop counting sheep and begin to count on and rely on the presence of the living resurrected Jesus.
If the preacher doesn’t show up for church people get upset. If Jesus doesn’t show up people often don’t even notice. When you’re thinking about the church you attend who do you think of first, Jesus or the pastor?
(Based on Acts 20:1-6.)
Being a Guide Receiver
My favorite thing about myself really has nothing to do with me except for my willingness to listen to and surrender to the inner Guide who leads me day by day. He is known as the Holy Spirit.
Are you an ever-tuned-in receiver of the Holy Spirit’s inner rivers? I woke up this morning with these words in my spirit:
“Instead of rivers of living water, Christianity is too often presented as a dried-up puddle. Without the experiential awareness of the risen Jesus, Christianity becomes a mere religious routine.”
What does it mean to receive? A wide receiver in football catches the ball and runs with it. A radio receiver picks up radio waves and makes them perceptible by letting them freely flow through it. A receiver of encouragement takes what is said to heart and puts it into practice.
As Christ-followers we need to catch the wind of the Spirit and let Christ take us wherever He wants. We need to catch the Spirit’s energy and run with it. We need to pick up the Spirit’s invisible signals and make them perceptible to our conscious awareness and to the people we encounter throughout the day. We need to take to heart the Spirit’s inner promptings and always do what He urges us to do.
How is your Holy Spirit reception? Is it loud and clear? Or is it rare and sketchy? To receive the Holy Spirit is to let the risen Jesus live and freely flow from deep within you as “Christ in you, the hope of glory.” Holy Spirit reception isn’t a once and done deal. It is moment-by-moment reliance on the ever-flowing presence, power, and love of Christ living and working in and through you. All Christ-followers are called to be an ever-tuned-in Holy Spirit receiver.
Go with God’s inner flow. Avoid temptation’s turbulence.
The institutionalization of Christianity tends to put out the Holy Spirit’s fire and spontaneity. It can easily shut down people’s Holy Spirit reception. I saw this happen during the Jesus Movement. The Jesus Freaks who I was around in various places seemed to be far more excited about Jesus when they met spontaneously than they were when they began to focus primarily on regularly attending church.