Should we expect another?
03-24-2008

Column 931, March 21, 2008

“Provoking Christian Insights” series



Part 31

Should we expect another?

John, who was in prison, sent word to ask Jesus, “Are you the one who was to come, or should we expect another?” (Matthew 11:3).



The events leading up to and including the Crucifixion are fact, written down, proven in the Bible and in historical records. There is no questioning whom Jesus the man was or the things that He had done. After the Crucifixion the proof turned to testimonies and first person records of encounters with the risen Christ. The people after Christ’s death on the cross now believed by faith in what they had seen and heard.



“But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord,” (2 Corinthians 3:18).



The crowds that followed Jesus were looking for action. The healings, the feedings, the miracles piled on crowd after crowd. Most enjoyed the gifts but were not all believers. They wanted the “stuff” that went with Jesus. Today, many of us want the “stuff” that goes with church.



Jesus wanted the hearts of the people that saw the healings, feedings and miracles to come and follow Him to the Father. In John 6:36 Jesus says; “You have seen me and still you do not believe.” It is amazing how myopic we can become. I have listened to every kind of complaint that can be foisted against the church of today and every one of those gripes has a big “Me” in it. Often people who have been in the church all of their lives make short-sighted remarks about things that only bring temporal satisfaction.



Stop and think about it … most of the things we gripe about in our pastors and in our churches are really not connected to service and worship to our King, but to things that have little to do with our love for our God. There is ample proof of those who followed Jesus who denied Him when caught in uncomfortable circumstances. Most of us believe the facts surrounding Jesus death, but not all of us believe, by faith, the promises He made to us. For some it is time for a Christian reality check.



Making a commitment

Jesus asked us to pray “unceasingly,” how many of us do that? How many of us have made a relationship with the risen Christ? I pray for the health of my family and that God, through Jesus the Son, will prosper them. I am sure lots of folks do the same. It’s kind of a selfish prayer when there is so much to pray for beyond my own personal needs. Yet, those are still good prayers. I need to remember the bumper sticker that reads; “God isn’t finished with me yet!” I need to pray hard that God will mold me and make me after His will.



If anything, I think that this Easter season should result in a personal commitment to a better relationship with my fellow Christians, my church, and my Savior. We need to be reminded that Jesus doesn’t always lead us through comfortable situations, but walks with us through hard times.



The sign on the CMA church in Bucyrus begs passersby to make a new commitment to church and to Jesus. Before we judge the crowds that condemned Jesus we need to look around our own lives and those of acquaintances that we know well. How many of us are looking for the easy or quickest rewards? Are we waiting to join God and what He wants from us later in life?



I think of the words by Clara H. Scott; “Open my eyes, that I may see glimpses of truth Thou hast for me.” There is a part of us that separates us from the church when we are not attending a worship service, with friends or at work. We distance ourselves from our church-face by not inviting Christ to be present in every area of our lives. For instance; there are times when I send a “forward” on the computer that I wouldn’t send if Jesus were sitting next to me. I’m just starting to deal with this reality. Christ light should be allowed to enter every room that we are in, every place that we go.



Jesus has come to set us free … the one that knows us better than we know ourselves is here to bring us truth and forgiveness ... He said He would never leave us … He’s right here. In the picture of Jesus standing at the door knocking there is no door know, handle or latch. We have to open the door and let Him into our hearts.



“I come that they may have life, and have it to the full,” (John 10:10)



Easter vow

Better than a New Years Resolution, how would it be if we made an Easter vow to draw closer to Jesus?. Resolutions can be broken, but vows shouldn’t be broken. As we listen again to the wonderful Easter story, we need to consider the full extent of God’s love toward us and the gift of grace that we can live in heaven forever because of what Jesus did for us.



We need to worship the one who calls us by name.



“This man really is the Savior of the World,” (John 4:42)



Full Circle

As we worship through the Lenten season we come full circle. We celebrated the life of Jesus and his entry as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. We watched him taken and tried in an illegal court. Found guilty by his own people and crucified upon a cross just as Scriptures foretold. We see the Risen Christ and the abundant life the Jesus has offered to believers. A Life that cannot be quenched by death and a presence of the Holy Spirit in our daily lives begins now and extends to the Kingdom that is to come.



Prayer

Lord Jesus, I repent of my sins, every one of them, and pray You will draw near to me, my family, and our church in the days and weeks to come. Revive us Lord! Turn our mourning into Joy with Your Resurrection power and give us life that’s new – now and in the Kingdom to come. In Your Holy Name I pray, - Amen.



INSPIRATION: “When we know the Cross we are no longer afraid of the truth,” Dietrich Bonhoeffer, The Cost of Discipleship.



Write: croneis@embarqmail.com