TRUTH

John 1:14—The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the One and Only, Who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

Ten top reasons why people tell me they resist following Jesus.
¨ Religion is a personal thing, mind your own business.
¨ They have never been given a clear presentation as to who Jesus is so they wouldn’t know how to follow him.
¨ They would have to change how they live in order to obey him.
¨ Their family would be upset.
¨ Jesus was just a prophet like Mohammed, Buddha, Moses etc.
¨ They don’t believe Jesus is God or the only way to him. They advocate there are many paths to God one must just be sincere. (In other words what is important is not path-selection but path-sincerity.—See Matthew 7:13,14)
¨ At a critical point or points in life, Jesus/God did not meet their needs or wasn’t there for them.
¨ What they have seen of Christians has not been impressive and they have no desire to be affiliated.
¨ Christianity didn’t work for them.
¨ They like Jesus as Savior but don’t want him as Lord.

It’s easy to fall into the trap of responding to those who resist following Christ with unwise zeal. Before you fire your spiritual shotgun with blasts of Scripture pellets, or perform amazing pen and ink drawings of a bridge, or whip out a yellow booklet of four spiritual laws listen to what Peter said. “But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.” (I Peter 3:15)

Somebody hold my mule! This is good advice! Who’s the Savior—Christ or us? What does God ask us to set apart—our illustrations and debate skills or Jesus as Lord? The truth that we are responsible for is the h o p e that we have in Christ. We are not responsible for providing the hope someone else doesn’t have. Beware of reducing Christianity to mental assent to a formula when Scripture clearly teaches the evidence of faith is a changed life! If Jesus is the truth, He will prove Himself as true to anyone who is honestly searching. Very few people reject Jesus because they conclude He is not the truth. Just the opposite, they stumble over His exclusive claims. They reject Him on the basis of pride.

Jesus never said, “You will know the truth now go set others free.” He said, “You will know the truth and the truth will set you free.” My testimony concerns what the Truth has done in my life. Yes, I’m more than excited to share anytime about that awesome, knee-bending, heart-mending, peace-sending, sin-ending, Truth! And you should be too! Praise God, that’s effulgence!

Inspiration
Truth is not a system, not a constitution, nor even a creed; the truth is the Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and He is the truth about the Father just as He is the way of the Father. Our tendency is to make truth a logical statement, to make it a principle instead of a person.—Oswald Chambers in Christian Disciplines