What Do You Do with Jesus?

 

 

"Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God:  Every  spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God."  I John 4:1-2

There are many religions out there.  There are cults, denominations, fellowships, non-denominational and home church groups here in America.  There is even Satanic  worship, New Age, and witchcraft even in the smallest of towns.  How do you know what is of God and what is not?

The truth of the matter is that there are many different theologies and denominations that are going to heaven.  We may vary on what to wear, how to conduct church, what the gifts of the spirit entail, the way we baptize or have communion, but at the end of the day, we all believe in Jesus.  The belief that only one denomination is going to heaven is arrogant and narrow-minded.

But there are those that are deluded, confused and steeped in false doctrine.  Some even claim to be Christians, but do not really embrace Jesus as today's verse outlines.  The deal-breaking question is what does a given group or church believe about Jesus?  The Bible is clear that he is the way, the truth and the life.  He is God  in the flesh, born of a virgin, crucified for our sins, and raised for our salvation and eternal destination!  Jesus is just too crucial to cut corners on!  He is everything that the Bible says he is, and nothing that the Bible does not say.  We cannot minimize him to just a good man, a teacher or a prophet.  He is the Son of God and the Son of Man.  He was fully human and altogether divine.  There is some mystery in that, but we are talking about a deity!  There are some things we cannot fully grasp with our intellect, but rather, we choose to lay hold of it by faith.

As you consider what reading materials to consume, what church to affiliate with, what kind of church is OK for your kids to visit, ponder on today's verse.  Let Jesus be the plumb-line of your decision.

Dear Lord, thank you for choosing to leave the opulence in heaven, to come in the flesh to be my Savior.  Help me point others to you.  Jesus' Name.  Amen.

Sherri