[Faith-talk] FW: [BlindMen4Christ] A Brighter Tomorrow

Thu Nov 6 17:50:12 UTC 2008

-----Original Message-----
From: blindmen4christ-bounces at morales-family.lljfm.net
[mailto:blindmen4christ-bounces at morales-family.lljfm.net] On Behalf Of Stu
(by way of Curtis Delzer <curtis at calweb.com>)
Sent: Thursday, November 06, 2008 12:38 PM
To: Blind men for Christ
Subject: [BlindMen4Christ] A Brighter Tomorrow

Isn't Jesus Enough?

Why isn't Jesus enough for us? Oh, in our religious speak we say that Jesus
is enough, but you scratch beneath our surface, you look at our culture in
churchland, you see that many of us don't really mean it -- or at least most
of us haven't been brave enough to try it.

Aren't you being a little tough on us, Stu? Maybe, but I don't think so. And
remember, if I'm pointing a finger at "us," then I've also got three fingers
pointing back at me! So let's be honest with ourselves.
If Jesus were enough for us then why do we ...

   * Crave and spend to get what's new?
     Why do we have to have the latest and newest gizmo, vehicle, house,
     or whatever it is that we have to have? Why would so many of us be
     in debt up to our eyeballs so we could live in the right house and
     neighborhood, drive a nice car, have the latest fashions, wear the
     right shoes, and show off the latest i-Whatever?

   * Worry about missing out on something if we make a choice for Jesus?
     Why fear that we might lose something if we don't run with the wild
     crowd so we can popular? Why get sucked back into taking another
     drag or two on the weed because we can't hang around some folks if
     we don't? Why do we drop our sexual ethics for fear of missing out
     on an experience if we don't? Why baptize our worries in a longneck
     bottle if Jesus is enough?

   * Get so concerned about folks not doing church our way?
     Why judge someone because they don't live up to our pile of rules
     and traditions that we've encrusted around the simple message of
     Jesus? Or, why fear we might be missing something and simply add in
     what some other group or religion is doing? Why not focus on Jesus
     and put everything to the "Jesus test"* in what we do rather than
     worry ourselves with comparative religious shopping?

Jesus faced a mountain of religious stuff: stuff that was piled up,
defended, studied, extrapolated, debated, and paraded by the religious
establishment of His day. He came walked up this mountain of religious stuff
and conquered it by being raised up on a cross. He claimed that He was the
fulfillment of all the good things anticipated and promised in God's Law,
Prophets, and Wisdom. He claimed to know the true way to apply God's Word
and He said He came as God's Living Word. He claimed that the light, bread,
water of life were all found in Him. He declared that He fulfilled the
meaning of the feasts and the great acts of God's deliverance. He declared
that He was the only way to God. He said, in essence, "I am enough. If you
believe this, follow me, but apart from me, you are not going to find God
and produce the abundant life I long to give you." Jesus is enough!

Jesus' followers declared these same basic truths.

Peter said, "Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name
given under heaven by which we must be saved" (Acts 4:12 TNIV).
Jesus is God's ultimate message to use (Hebrews 1:1-3;John 1:1-18). So the
apostle Paul preached "Jesus Christ and Him crucified" (1 Corinthians 2:2),
a message centered in the truth that Jesus died for our sins according to
God's plan, was buried, was raised on the third day, and appeared to His
followers (1 Corinthians 15:1-6). This is not only the Gospel that we
believe, but it is also the Gospel that we experience when we confess Him as
Lord and are baptized with Him into His death, burial and resurrection
(Romans 6:1-4). This Gospel must not be changed, watered down, or encrusted
with add-ons, as Paul warns in the strongest terms possible (Galatians
1:5-9). Jesus is enough!

And as we seek to live life to its fullest and as we seek to grow to be all
we are made to be in Jesus, Paul adds:

   So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to
   live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in
   the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.
   See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and
   deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the
   elemental spiritual forces of this world rather than on Christ. For
   in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, and
   in Christ you have been brought to fullness (Colossians 2:6-11).

Jesus is enough!

All the flash and demand of our religious systems are bankrupt compared to
the grace of Jesus.

So the call to us is clear. Sink the roots of our hearts deep down into
Jesus as Lord!

Know His story. Let the Holy Spirit transform us into His character as we
seek to know Him. Build our lives around His leading in our lives and our
surrender to His Lordship. So where is your Bible most worn? Is it in the
Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John) where the story of Jesus is told? If
not, why not spend some more time with Jesus? Jesus is enough! Let our lives
overflow with thankfulness!

Nothing reminds us of our great blessings in Christ quite like daily praise
and thanksgiving for what God has done, given, and blessed us with in Jesus.
In times where we are prone to panic because of the economy, terrorism,
health concerns, and housing crises we need to be reminded of the love that
led Jesus to leave the safety of heaven to come to our world full of this
kind of stuff. He did it for us. Jesus is enough! Don't let anyone take us
captive through their old traditions or new experiences!

All these may sound very religious and philosophically wise, but if Jesus
didn't demand them, then why should we pursue them? Anything added to Jesus
is less than what Jesus offers us. Remember what He
said:

   You study the Scriptures diligently because you think that in them
   you possess eternal life. These are the very Scriptures that
   testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life (John
   5:39-40).

All the flash and demand of our religious systems are bankrupt compared to
the grace of Jesus. Jesus comes and challenges us to follow Him and let Him
be our Lord. When we do, rather than being a burden to us, Jesus promises us
this:

   Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you
   rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and
   humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke
   is easy and my burden is light (Matthew 12:28-30).

Jesus is enough!

----------------------------------------------------------------------

* Put Your Religious Practice to the Jesus Test! (Matthew 28:18-20)

   * Is the good news of Jesus proclaimed?

   * Is the person of Jesus â?" fully God and fully human as the Son of
     God on earthâ?" exalted?

   * Is the will of Jesus obeyed?

   * Is the life of Jesus shared?

Stu
<mailto:K5stu at sbcglobal.net>K5stu at sbcglobal.net
Reading your Bible today will help prepare you for A Brighter Tomorrow!
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