Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and is now already in the world.

1 John 4:1-3, NKJV

They paid an estimated $20,000,000 to air two commercials during the Super Bowl. Their ads are professionally done, with an emphasis on appealing to our human emotions. Who doesn’t long to know that someone understands them? Who doesn’t relish a relationship with someone who genuinely cares about them? We all want to be loved, to be understood, to be accepted. We all want to have someone in our lives who gets us, who understands our struggles, and who loves us unconditionally.

But let’s not rush headlong to accept the appeal of the message. We applaud those who are striving to make much of Jesus, but we need to make certain that the Jesus being made much of is the Biblical Jesus. So, the question we need to ask concerns the identity of the Jesus being presented by the He Gets Us organization.

One of the most alarming things I have read concerning this organization is the emphasis they place on coming to Jesus on their own terms. I don’t want to read more into this statement than that which was intended, but this is a clear contradiction to the emphasis of Scripture which shows clearly that we must come to Jesus on His terms. Read carefully these words spoken by Jesus:

You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is highly esteemed among men is an abomination in the sight of God.

Luke 16:14, NKJV

The Biblical Jesus spoke truth into the lives of the people of His day. He cast a huge net, inviting those who would accept Him and submit to His Lordship to become His disciples. This concept of “Lordship” is even seen clearly in what has come to be known as the Roman Road of Salvation. In Romans 10:9, Paul asserts, “If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” Lordship is a vital, indispensable element in God’s plan of salvation. We are not invited to come to Jesus on our own terms, but rather on His.

Was the Biblical Jesus inclusive in His actions? One incident clearly teaches that He invited people to come to Him within the parameters of His established terms. A rich young ruler approached Jesus with a question about how to attain salvation. The story, found in Mark 10:17-27, tells of this young man coming to Jesus seeking information on how to have eternal life. Jesus first tells him to obey the laws of God, and He specifically mentioned those commandments that have to do with our relationship with others: do not commit adultery, do not murder, do not steal, do not bear false witness, do not defraud, honor your father and your mother. The young ruler then responded with the assertion that he had kept all these commandments from his youth.

So, Jesus then went straight to the heart of the matter. He knew that the young man’s riches had become his god, so Jesus instructs him to sell all that he has, give the money to the poor, and then follow Jesus. The young man turned and walked away. Why? Because He refused to meet Jesus on His terms. He wanted to continue to enjoy life on his terms while, at the same time, enjoying the benefits of eternal life in the kingdom of God. Jesus was showing the young ruler that he could not have it both ways. He must choose one or the other. It was not a both/and proposition, but rather an either/or decision.

One of the arguments of the “He Gets Us” organization is that they are concerned about the decline of the Christian church in America. They are striving to stop this decline by being more inclusive (even though there is really no emphasis on joining a local church!). Their belief is that the church is in a state of decline mainly because of its emphasis on exclusion rather than inclusion. But their idea of inclusion is that all should be accepted into the family of God regardless of the terms clearly delineated in Scripture.

Does Jesus love? He IS love! Does Jesus care? Deeply! Was Jesus willing to die for the ungodly? That was HIs purpose. Does Jesus offer eternal life? Yes – to any and all who will come to Him on His terms. Does Jesus include those who would come to Him on their own terms, desiring to have the assurance of eternal life, while still living for themselves in this present life? The story of the rich young ruler shows that is not an option. Jesus said that we cannot serve two masters. We must choose.

And when we choose Jesus, it means that we are willing to repent of any sinful behaviors we have been practicing. Thieves – steal no more. Liars – quit lying and speak the truth. Adulterers – live a life of sexual purity, being committed to your spouse. Those who have embraced lifestyles contrary to the BIble’s clear teachings on marriage – turn from those sinful behaviors and live lives of purity and integrity based on God’s word.

Yes, Jesus gets us. He knows that we are all in the same spiritual boat. As Paul says, we are dead in trespasses and sins. But the Spirit of God quickens us [brings us to life], and instills in us the faith to believe, and extends to us the grace of salvation. Then, and only then, can we sincerely say that He gets me, because He has me. My total surrender to Him is the clear indication of being His child.

Until next time:

Blessings!

For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.

Philippians 1:21, NKJV

If I were to ask you, “Are you ready?”, what would be the first thing to come to mind? Am I ready for what? you might think. If I did not specifically state exactly what it is I am asking about you perhaps would stand there in a bit of bewilderment, waiting for me to finish the question. Are you ready to go? Are you ready to eat? Are you ready for bed? Are you ready for work? Are you ready for class? I guess it would be a little difficult to answer the question without further information.

In the short verse quoted above, the apostle Paul speaks of two extremely important subjects for the disciple of Jesus Christ: life, and death. So, let’s take this statement and fill in the blank left at the end of my question. For Christians, we sometimes engage in conversation with others and assure them that we are ready to die. Death is not a dreaded enemy, but a welcomed guest. I don’t mean to suggest by this that we relish the idea of dying any time soon, but that we are ready to die and know what awaits us when we do pass through that valley of the shadow of death. We know to whom we belong, and we are assured of the fact that when we close our eyes in death, we will open them in the presence of the living God.

How do we have this assurance? What do we base our confidence in that gives us this settled state of confidence that we will end up in His presence when we die? It can’t be based on my own personal performance as a human being, can it? Certainly not! The Bible states categorically that there are none who are righteous. It further states that even our very best – our personal righteousness – is as filthy rags before holy God. We cannot justify ourselves with good works, or charitable deeds, or gifts to good causes, or church attendance, or service in the church. Jesus said that many would claim those as proof of their relationship with God, but they would hear the words, “Depart from me, I never knew you.”

No, nothing we could ever do would earn our entrance into the presence of God. Only what He has done for us in giving His Son, Jesus Christ, to be the propitiation for our sin. It is through His sacrificial death, by which He bore the penalty for our sin, that we are given entrance into the presence of God.

So, first and foremost, the question, “Are you ready?” has to do with your eternal well-being. Are you ready to die? Are you ready to meet the Lord on the basis of what He has done for you? If not, then please, do so before it is eternally too late.

But let’s give attention to the second topic broached in Paul’s statement: “For to me, to live is Christ.” From this statement, we might ask, “Are you ready to live?” You say you are ready to die, to meet the Lord, to stand before Him at the judgment seat of Christ. You testify that you have a relationship with Him and have an eternal home awaiting you. But are you ready to live for Him in the present? If so, what evidence is there in your life right now that would validate that claim? What are you doing that shows you are living for Him?

We’ve all probably heard someone say, “If you were arrested and accused of being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to prove that you are?” What do you have as supporting evidence for your claim to be a disciple of Jesus?

Each of us were born with certain natural abilities. Some are able to do amazing things in the field of athletics, others are naturally prone to working with numbers, still others are predisposed to in-depth study and research. Some are creative writers, others are artists of different kinds, and others are musically inclined. What are your natural abilities and talents? Are you using them to point people to Jesus? Or would you have to admit you use them in a self-serving way?

If you are indeed a believer in Jesus Christ, you have been given at least one spiritual gift that motivates you to act in certain ways. Some are gifted teachers, others are gifted to preach. There are those who have the gift of administration, and others who have the gift of hospitality. Some are motivated by their gift of mercy, and then others have the special gift of faith. Do you know what your gift is, and are you using it for the glory of the Lord?

You might profess to be ready to die and meet the Lord, but are you ready to live here, now, for His glory? Are you using your talents and your gifts in ways that honor Him, and that point other people to Him? Can you honestly say that, for you, to live is Christ and to die is gain?

Let’s make an all-out commitment to live, and ultimately die, for Him.

Until next time:

Blessings!