Kingdom Ready

My purpose in writing this series of blog posts is twofold: First, to encourage us to be doers of the Word, not hearers only, and to take seriously what Jesus has commanded us in scripture. But secondly, I also want to encourage us to enlarge our thinking about Jesus. Since many of us are non-Trinitarian, in our zeal for monotheism we often tend to focus on who Jesus is not. But I want to focus on who Jesus is. Jesus is huge, and the scriptures have so much to say about him.

I used to believe that Jesus was merely a historical figure – a human prophet and rabbi like any other, except that he led a sinless life and always gave God all the glory. I used to believe that his ascension into heaven was the end of his story until his return, and that he is not involved in anything happening in the world today, but is simply waiting in heaven until the day God decides to send him back.

Although most of what I believed about Jesus was true, it wasn’t the full story. There was still more to Jesus that I was missing. When I really opened my heart and mind to what the Word of God says, I had to expand my thinking about Jesus.

Once I opened my eyes to what the scriptures really say about Jesus – not just what I had been taught – it became obvious to me that he is far larger, more important, more worthy of our worship, and more God-like than I had ever felt comfortable giving him credit for.

My faith evolved once I realized that it’s possible to know Jesus – not just know about him. Not only is it possible to have a relationship with Jesus, but it’s God’s desire for every believer. Jesus is alive, and, as the Head of the global body of believers, he is actively working in the world today.

Once I opened my eyes to what the scriptures say about Jesus, I realized that he is the focal point of scripture:

• He has existed from the beginning of time (Micah 5:2; John 3:13, 6:38, 6:62, 8:58, 16:28, 17:5; Philippians 2).

• He was involved in Creation (Hebrews 1:8-12, Colossians 1:16).

• He is given all power and authority in heaven and on earth (Matthew 11:27, Matthew 28:18, John 3:31, Ephesians 1:20-21, Philippians 2:9, Colossians 2:10, 1 Peter 3:22, Isaiah 9:6).

• He is exalted as the Head of his Body the church (Ephesians 1:22, 5:23; Revelation 2:1).

• He speaks the words of God (John 8:28, 12:49, 14:10, 14:24, 17:8) and he performs the actions of God (John 5:19, 6:38).

• He is the image of God, so when we look at him, we see God (Colossians 1:15, John 14:9).

• He received worship from men on earth (Matthew 2:2, 2:11, 14:33, 28:9; John 9:35-38) and worship from heavenly hosts in heaven (Hebrews 1:6, Revelation 5:12).

• He is no longer a human being, but a life-giving Spirit (1 Corinthians 15:45).

• He calls us into a relationship with himself in which we will hear his voice and obey his commands – he is able to speak to us and help us in time of need (John 10:14, 10:27, 15:5; Hebrews 2:18; 2 Corinthians 12:7-10).

I want to focus especially on that last point. Consider these words of Jesus:

John 10:27-30 “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.”

Jesus says, “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.” And again in John 10:14, Jesus says, “I am the good shepherd, and I know My own and My own know Me.” As I read this passage, I have to ask myself: Do I hear his voice? Does he know me? Do I know him? Do I hunger to know him more?

Consider these words of Christ from the Last Supper:

John 15:4-6 “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire and they are burned.”

I used to be afraid of giving too much glory or attention to Jesus, lest I neglect the glory that God alone deserves. Then I realized that my thinking was backwards. God has exalted Jesus as Lord and given him all power in heaven and earth so that Jesus may be glorified.

It is God’s will for His Son to receive glory and honor. It is God’s will that “at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2:10-11).

Every knee bow and every tongue confess Jesus as Lord… to the glory of God the Father! It glorifies God when we glorify Jesus. My faith went through a paradigm shift once I realized that God and Jesus are not in competition with each other for our worship and attention. They’re on the same team. So in effect, when we glorify Jesus, we glorify God. When we hear Jesus’ voice, by way of the Holy Spirit within us, we hear the voice of God.

We need not try to figure out if there are two separate voices – one for God and one for Jesus. There is perfect unity between Jesus and God because everything Jesus says and does ultimately comes from God the Father. God is in Christ, and Christ is in me.

Can we talk to Jesus? Absolutely. No relationship is built outside of communication. I used to fear talking with Jesus because I thought that would fall under the “trinitarian” label. But the reality is that God invites us to have a living relationship with His Son. Jesus is our great Mediator, High Priest, Shepherd, and Lord. He is the Head, and we are the Body – working as his hands and feet in the world. Just as a body cannot function if it is cut off from the head, so a living relationship with Jesus Christ our Head is vitally important.

Focusing on Jesus doesn’t mean taking our focus off of God. In fact, the opposite is true. Focusing on Jesus puts our focus on God.

Jesus is the one who makes God known to us. He is the image of the invisible God, and when we look to him, we see God. In fact, he is the only way to God according to John 14:6.

Personally, I want more of Jesus Christ in my life. Like Peter walking on water, I need to keep my focus fixed on him in my Christian walk. He is the perfect example that I need to follow, but even more than that, he is the Lord of my life, my Shepherd, and my friend, and to stay faithful to him I need to hear his voice and receive his guidance and wisdom in my life through the Holy Spirit.

I must abide in him, and he in me.

Apart from him, I can do nothing.