Searching

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One thing that has been almost a constant with me over the past few years is the search. I went and looked at some old blogs of mine and they had a topic that appeared over and over which is that something different is coming and speaking of a search.

I thought maybe the search was over when we started LifeQuest last year but instead it was just put on hold for a little while and has been coming back out again lately. It’s not a desire to leave and start something different – LifeQuest is to be something different. Suite200 is a start to us being different but it isn’t the end. God is calling us to be different – to reach people in a different way – to show God to people in a different way- to come to know God ourselves in a different way.

Go to Mark 8:28

When I was searching this week for what message God wanted me to pass on this week several things came to mind. First – this was a week straight from hell. Secondly I had a whirlwind of thoughts and ideas racing through my head and could get no clarity because of the way the rest of the week was going. It wasn’t till Saturday that I could receive a consistent word from God on what I should say.

And He said to them, But who do you say that I am? And Peter answered and said to Him, You are the Christ. (Mar 8:29)

Christianity has a multitude of denominations – each with their own belief about doctrine. There are false beliefs about what the Bible says that are thought of as common knowledge. There are conservative Christians, liberal Christians, middle-of-the-road Christians. If you really look at it – it is almost like we have a personal pet Jesus that we have molded to fit our circumstances.

Jesus is probably one of the most repeated names in the world. When John Lennon tried to explain how bog the Beatles were by comparing them to someone he picked Jesus. Nobody has had their message more repeated than Jesus – though how accurately is debate-able. He is quoted and talked about by more people – many people claim to love Jesus message even though they can’t stand Christians.

Some churches have the get-out-of hell-free Jesus. There have been millions and millions of people come to a church, a christian event or conference where they say the prayer then go on living a life totally without any presence of Jesus in it. That’s okay though – we had 14 salvations this week – we just don’t know where they went.

In the early ’70’s there was Hippie Jesus – a Jesus that didn’t mind the drugs and the orgies because he was our un-questioning friend and would never harsh our vibe.

In the ’80’s through today ATM Jesus came on the scene – this Jesus primary concern was that we should be rich. Sow and reap – that is all you have to do.

There is the blonde-haired blue-eyed Jesus from the pictures that hung in our grandparents or great-grandparents house. I have seen pictures of black Jesus, Asian Jesus, Mexiacan Jesus and so on.

There is the Great example Jesus – that serves as role model on how we should live our lives – that is when it is convenient – but when we are more confident in our surroundings we don’t need to lean on him so much and he is out of our minds.

There is the Cultural thanks Jesus – the Jesus that gets thanked at awards shows and sporting events. The one that gets thanked by the artist whose music is full of pornographic imagery, objectification of women and obscenity. Bono referred to these people at an award show one night when he said “God is looking down and saying “Don’t thank me for that””

There is also invisible Jesus – the Jesus that some Churches fail to talk about. They can have worship services and messages without ever mentioning his name or his word.

There is NRA Jesus that carries a .45 on his hip while directing wars.

There is left-wing bleeding heart Jesus that has only a concern for caring for the social ills of society.

With so many Jesus’s being portrayed the world is surely confused about who he is.

But do we really know? Have we found out for ourselves? Who do we say he is? Do we know what the Bible really says about Jesus or many of the other events or have we just taken common knowledge that is wrong and gone on from there?

Turn to Jeremiah 10:2

At Christmas time do we think that there were 3 wise men (actually we have no idea how many there were), we think that how ever many wise men there were showed up at the manger in Bethlehem ( nope, they most likely didn’t get there from following the star till Jesus was 1 or 2 years old ), we think that December 25^th is Jesus Birthday which in all likelihood it isn’t.

Many Christmas customs come from pagan rituals – take for example the Christmas tree.

Thus saith the LORD, Learn not the way of the heathen, and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven; for the heathen are dismayed at them. (Jer 10:2)

For the customs of the people are vain: for one cutteth a tree out of the forest, the work of the hands of the workman, with the axe. (Jer 10:3)

They deck it with silver and with gold; they fasten it with nails and with hammers, that it move not. (Jer 10:4)

I’m not here to tell you not to have a Christmas tree – what I am saying is that some things that it can’t be Christmas without, actually come from pagan rituals and we don’t even know it. The tree comes from them, the date comes from them…

We believe the common story that Jesus was crucified on Friday and rose on Sunday and try to align it with Jesus own words that contradict it – For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale’s belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. (Mat 12:40)

Go to John 19:31

We don’t dig deep enough to discover that even though Jesus was crucified the day before the Sabbath – the day before the Sabbath is usually a Friday, that is if it is a regular sabbath. Look in – The Jews therefore, because it was the preparation, that the bodies should not remain upon the cross on the sabbath day, (for that sabbath day was an high day,) besought Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away. (John 19:31) It was passover week and the special feast days or high days were also referred to as Sabbaths and Jesus was crucified the day before that sabbath – not the regular sabbath – letting what he said about being in the earth for 3 days and 3 nights also be true.

Noah didn’t have just 2 of each animal on the ark .

The forbidden fruit Adam and Ave ate probably wasn’t an apple.

Jesus spoke in parables not to help people understand what he was saying but to keep people from understanding.

Mar 4:10-12 And when he was alone, they that were about him with the twelve asked of him the parable. (11) And he said unto them, Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God: but unto them that are without, all these things are done in parables: (12) That seeing they may see, and not perceive; and hearing they may hear, and not understand; lest at any time they should be converted, and their sins should be forgiven them.

I have said all I have said so far to reach this – we need to open our minds to finding the truth. If we lean on all we think we know already – if we pick up our theology from the culture whether it be what the world thinks about Jesus, what you learned in Sunday school, what we sung in praise and worship songs – instead of being a searcher – then we are sure to miss the truth of Jesus – the whole view of who Jesus is and what he wants for each of us individually, and corporately as LifeQuest to achieve. Because if all we see is a distorted and incorrect view then the decisions we make as a result are sure to be wrong.