Jesus

Jesus said, “If I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw all peoples to myself.” John 12:23

Last Wednesday, I went to the church of a pastor friend of mine to hear a friend of his with whom he had played college basketball, and both went on to play professional basketball. My friend now pastors a growing church that is bursting at the seams and in the midst of a building program, while his friend has a powerful ministry as a character coach for young men. Both of their successful ministries were birthed out of an encounter with Jesus Christ that radically changed their lives and created in them a passion for Jesus that marked their basketball careers, their lives, and their ministries.

As we look out over our decaying world, our only salvation is a generation that is radically turned on to and passionate about Jesus Christ. Christianity, especially in the West has become too much of a private relationship with Christ. Jesus said, “If I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself.” Jesus’ death and resurrection was a very public matter, out front where all could see. Jesus told the Jewish leaders, who arrested him, what I have done and taught has been in the open for everyone to hear. The mark of the early church was a bold and public confession of Jesus Christ.

Jesus said, “I will build My church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” (Matthew 16:18)  We become so caught up with building churches, programs and ministries that will attract people that we loose sight of the central attraction to Christianity and that is Jesus Christ. Somehow, lifting up Jesus is not enough of an attraction to appeal to our modern world. We feel this need to compete with the glitz of our modern age and sugar coat Jesus to make him palatable to our day and age. Relational and social evangelism, the trend of our day, is a wonderful thing, but without an open passion for Jesus it cannot stand.

Jesus is the star attraction of Christianity. Yes, there are many who will ridicule, oppose, and persecute the name of Jesus, but without Jesus we have nothing but a vain and empty religion. When we build our lives, reputation, family, work, church, and ministry on an open and public confession of Jesus Christ, He will draw people to himself and build a church that the gates of hell cannot prevail against.

Philippians 2:9-11says, “Therefore, God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” Ask the Holy Spirit today to help you take Jesus out of the closet and make an open confession so that He can draw all people to himself and glorify God the Father.

Andy Clark