What If?

        What if the typical follower of Christ was supposed to look more like Jesus? What if we were called to perceive people and their circumstances the same way Jesus did? What would that look like? Jesus looked on people and was moved with compassion. He somehow saw beyond the physical, obvious, outer appearances and immediately and fearlessly addressed the core issues of the heart. When he saw sick and hurting people, He never left them in the same condition in which He had met them. Several times we read in the scriptures that He healed ALL who were oppressed of the devil (Acts 10:38). Or that many were brought to Him and He healed them all (Luke 4:40). He never held back anything that He had to give to people that would help them, as long as they actually accepted what He was offering. What would the world look like if we acted like that?

Jesus never judged people for where they were. And He had a way of asking questions of people even when the answers seem painfully obvious to us as outside observers. When a blind beggar named Bartimaeus came to Him in Mark 10:46-52, Jesus actually asked him what he wanted Him to do. I think He did this to measure the man’s level of faith, trust, and belief in Him. The blind man could easily have asked Jesus for food or money, since that’s what he asked everyone else for. But when he asked for his sight, Jesus gladly and immediately gave him what he had asked for.

John 14:12 tells us that we will do the things that Jesus did, and even greater things. We’re also told in John 21:25 that tales about the things Jesus did couldn’t fit in all the books that the world could contain. What would the world look like if every believer acted as though they actually believed that they will do even more than Jesus did? Elsewhere, in Proverbs 3:27, we are told that we shouldn’t withhold anything from people that we have to give them at the moment we encounter them. I think that if we actually lived by that without exception, we could change the environment around us. If we would take a moment to actually stop and pray for people every time we heard them say, “I really don’t feel well today.”, or, “My knee is giving me fits today and I can barely walk.”, we would accomplish amazing things for the Kingdom of God. How many millions of lives would be impacted on a daily basis if EVERY believer behaved in this manner?

I think this type of behavior was integral to the explosive growth of the first century church. The early believers fearlessly told EVERYONE about the amazing things Jesus did to show us the way things are meant to be here on the Earth. Not only did they tell them, but they SHOWED them by not withholding anything they had within themselves to give.

Many people would say the first century church grew like it did because it was just easier for those early believers to do the things they did. That the culture and society we live in makes it harder to fearlessly pray for people on the street or where we work or in our neighborhoods. If that was actually the case, then why did the vast majority of the disciples die for their faith and the bold actions they took to advance the gospel and the Kingdom? Several of them were thrown in prison when they healed people or told people about Jesus. When was the last time that happened here in the United States? So how, exactly, was it “easier” for the believers in the early church to obey the COMMANDMENT Jesus gave every one of us to go into all the world and preach the good news to every creature?(Mark 16:15)

Really, and this may sound harsh, but it sounds to me like many modern day believers have gotten lazy, selfish, and comfortable. That seems to be the only reasonable explanation for the current state of the church at large. I’m not saying there aren’t amazing churches that are filled with phenomenal believers who are doing crazy cool things for God. But sadly, that doesn’t seem to be the norm. Those who are actually doing the work we were commanded to do are even looked down on and ridiculed by others within the church. Why is it that those who follow the examples of the great men of faith we read about in Acts are perceived as being “radical” or “on the fringe” in the church today? Something has gone terribly awry. My fear is that only those on the fringe won’t hear Jesus say, “I never knew you” on that fateful day we all meet Him face to face. How frighteningly sad. So, what can be done to fix the state of affairs we currently find ourselves in?

The answer is simple, but simple doesn’t necessarily mean easy. We each have to individually decide that NOTHING will stop us from emulating Jesus in how we view and interact with those around us. We have to decide that our empathy, compassion, and love for our neighbors is going to outweigh our trepidation, fear, and doubts about what may or may not happen if we actually step out and leave ourselves vulnerable and exposed by proclaiming what we actually believe and then putting action to our faith. Great things can happen if we do this. Who knows what amazing things we will see?

We should all live by what could be called the “Mercy Rule” found in Jude 21-23:
Stay always within the boundaries where God’s love can reach and bless you. Wait patiently for the eternal life that our Lord Jesus Christ in His mercy is going to give you. Try to help those who argue against you. Be merciful to those who doubt. Save some by snatching them as from the very flames of Hell itself. And as for others, help them to find the Lord by being kind to them, but be careful that you yourselves aren’t pulled along into their sins. Hate every trace of their sin while being merciful to them as sinners. (The Living Bible)

Admittedly, I don’t always live this way. But I’ve definitely gotten better at just doing what I need to do to let people know about the love God has for them. We were called to impact our atmosphere and surroundings. So what are you going to do today to do just that?