What Jesus Do You Know?

A number of Christian leaders have received their fair share of public mockery mostly from fellow Christians for speaking up about the Christ they know. You may think that such Christians may be from other denominations but this is not necessarily the case. I have listened to friends and journalist lambasting many Christian leaders for what they believe is not the Christ they know. However, is this kind of mockery justified or out of place?

Since my concern is mostly about how Christians condemn fellow Christians, the basis of this post will be from Scripture. Although all scripture is inspired by God, I'd prefer to use a scripture that is not reported but directly from God. Does it make a different? No but maybe for someone who is very theoretical. My scripture of is:

John 14:12-14 NIV

Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.  And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.  You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.

Wow! Very loaded indeed. Surprising as it may seem to some this is Jesus speaking. Let's work on this scripture a little bit. Jesus opens by saying that believing in Him is the foundation of replicating his work on earth and even doing more than He did. He closes by reinforcing that He will do anything, yes anything, we ask in His name. He explains further that all these wonderful giveaways is so that the Father will be glorified in Him. In other words the answer to the prayer must bring praise to Jesus and as a result reveal the glory of the Father.

Can we then pray for the fall of the cedi against the dollar to stop and / or reverse? Well, to answer this I will need to ask more questions especially to those who will laugh at Christians who will pray like this. Do you know how God intends on answering all your prayers? Do you pray about things you don't fully understand? What is a miracle? For a number of Christians today we know exactly how we need God to answer our prayers. For some as well we do not pray that much in the name of God has given us brains to think. We are no more children before God but adults.

We can never stop being like children before God. I would argue that the only attitude accepted in prayer is that of a child. One thing I love about my wife is her ability to thank God for even the thing we can explain by logic. The beauty about being like a child before God is that you don't need to know how He will  fulfill your request to ask. Your prayer is predicated on one unshakable faith that God is Able.

My answer then to the previous question is that yes a child-like Christian can ask God and He will answer but an adult-like one cannot ask in the first place. Why will God answer such a request? Very simple, let's take it through the test in our scripture above. Does the answer point to the Son thus glorifying Father in Him? Yes! How? The prayer left the logistics to Jesus so he can show off :-).

What Jesus do you know? The one who can heal Malaria without you going to the hospital or the one who uses the doctor to administer your healing. Both are the same Jesus. The difference is about the Jesus we know. Then why laugh at someone's knowledge of Him? Is it OK for a lady to ask God for better body features? Again, what Jesus do you believe?

Next time you hear about other Christians praying in a certain direction don't be quick to condemn. Ask yourself what Jesus do they know. A further question may be: do I need to know this Jesus?

Mind your reading OnePlus @ work...

Can He not do more?

The proliferation of churches in Ghana and across the world is one that excites me albeit not every part of this growth. On the surface, it would seem that as a religion we are heeding to the last request of our Lord Jesus Christ; Yes and No. There are aspects of this growth that leaves much to be desired. One such is the skewing of the gospel to one of material gain - wealth.

Some may have already taken offence that I've chosen to write about this. Well, give me a moment to lay out my thoughts. Financial benefit in the Lord is not a sin. It is in fact a promise and intent of God ( Psalm 37:25,  2Co 9:8, Psalm 35:27). Jesus makes it clear that there are blessing both here on earth and in heaven when you follow him ( Matt. 19:29 ). I am a firm believer in the Lord's ability to make His children wealthy (Psalm 50:11

What beats me is that we are not seeing how such skewing hurts the message of the Gospel. How do I minister Christ to one who is already rich? Is Christ coming into his heart so he can be more rich? What financial breakthrough is he desiring? Someone's argument will be that the rich are always desiring more? Whether this assertion is true or not my question is why sell God on things that can be provided through other means?

What means? Let's consider this speculative statistic: there are more people who don't believe in Christ who are richer. More of the wealth in this world belong to folks who do not believe in Christ. How? Look at the statistics of Christianity in developed countries as against underdeveloped countries.

Does this suggest that the devil is succeeding at enriching his children than God. I have come to realize that although ultimately God is the giver of every good thing, principles are key. I see principles as God's Word or Promise packaged as a formula. If this is the case, you can learn such formulae not only by being a Christian. I'd like to push this submission further that if indeed the devil teaches you such principles he will additionally not inhibit you.

Today seeking God is predominantly seen among underdeveloped countries like Ghana. Can this be linked to how the Gospel has been skewed? I would argue so. The Gospel today is packaged for the poor. How would you package for the poor? You promise a way out of poverty.

How do we fix this? It is very simple. What is the biggest competitive advantage of the Gospel - reconciliation with God resulting in the saving of our souls through the Free Gift of God, Jesus Christ. Miracles are great and would follow our obedience to share Christ to the nations but the best packaging is not it. This is not about capitalizing on the fear of man but reigniting hope. Jesus alludes to this when he says there's no need to fear the one who can kill the body but rather the one who can kill both.

Make some time this new year to examine yourself. How are you projecting Christ? Is your attitude preventing a friend from seeing Him as more than a bank or insurance company? Christ is best preached through us so let's makes sure we reflect him right - Our Saviour. He is more than wealth.

#HeCanDoMore

Forgive typos for now....done from mobile.