Tiny American Jesus

This week has humbled me.  God continually reminds me how little control I have, and that He will do what He wants if I just let Him.  Between meeting new friends, running into old friends and turning to the right page in the right book, I have been brought back to just how human we are and how much we limit what God can and will do through us… if we are willing.

Friends, be careful that we are not falling into the pattern that Paul warns Timothy about.  We are playing with a fine, and dangerous, line here in America.  We cannot be the church that turns Faith into religion by surrounding ourselves with people who tell us what we want to hear, all the while denying truth (II Timothy 4:3,4).  We cannot become the church that pursues a comfortable way of living if we neglect our brothers in need.  John even challenges those who do this, “How can the love of God be in him?” (I John 3:17).  We cannot become the compromised church culture that is okay with certain sins, but claim righteousness because we are still all around good people (II Timothy 3:1-4).  We cannot put on a form of godliness, but deny His power (II Timothy 3:5).  Brothers and sisters, we cannot remove faith from the equation.

A new friend of mine said it perfectly on Thursday night.  We cannot keep pursuing our “Tiny American Jesus”.  

Catherine Booth warns us how Satan works when we live this way, Many do not recognize the fact as they ought, that Satan has got men fast asleep in sin and that it is his great device to keep them so.  He does not care what we do if he can do that.  We may sing songs about the sweet by and by, preach sermons and say prayers until doomsday, and he will never concern himself about us, if we don't wake anybody up.  But if we awake the sleeping sinner he will gnash on us with his teeth.  This is our work- to wake people up.
(Much gratitude to Jana for this timely message)

Not only do we ourselves need an awakening, people, it is time we started waking others up!

Jesus is so much bigger than this.  Paul says, “Christ came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the worst.  But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on him and receive eternal life,” (I Timothy 2:15,16).  If Christ can take Paul, the worst of sinners, a mass murderer of men, women, and children, and use him for a greater glory, imagine how much more he wants to do with you!    

It’s amazing when God throws the same scripture (II Corinthians 12:9,10) at you day in and day out.  Especially when He is trying to remind me just how weak I am.  Then it turns into an incredible revelation when we realize that even in our weakness, God not only wants to use us, but He is made strong! He didn't design us perfectly that we might depend on our own strength, but that we might depend on Him.

Here is the bottom line, our Jesus is much bigger than the Tiny American Jesus that so many of us pursue.  He has incredible plans and adventures for every one of us, but until we are willing to bring faith back into the equation we will continue to struggle with poor theology, we will continue to surround ourselves with people who tell us what we want to hear, and we will continue to wear a form of godliness while denying His power. 

As Oswald Chambers reminds us, God has chosen you (John 15:16), let Him have His way!
(My Utmost for His Highest, October 25th)

Brothers and sisters, may we stop pursuing a Jesus that is limited to our own cultural values, but may we see Him fully, in His entirety.  May we realize how weak we are, and just how much we desperately need a savior to depend.  May we start waking people up to these truths, and may we let him have His way. 

II Corinthians 12:9,10

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.  That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties.  For when I am weak, then I am strong.