“And the time came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.” Anais Nin
Can we talk? That’s what Joan Rivers used to say when she wanted an honest conversation with someone. This is one of those things that I need an honest answer to.
Countless millions of good hearted, God fearing people go through life loving Jesus without experiencing the power of the abundant life that he promised. I hold on to the belief that he meant for us to have it. But as a practicing evangelical for 35 years I didn’t see much evidence of it in the congregation. I saw more who were suffering from addiction, sickness and depression. A good number of the rest were just trying to get by. A bumper sticker on a car at my church even said, “Getting by is as good as it gets.“
I’m aware of the good things people do occasionally that make them feel “Christ-like”. But who among us has the actual mind of Christ that Paul talked about? Who is experiencing full Christ-likeness that Charles Stanley says is meant to be our destiny? Are these not fair questions to ask after 2,000 years of Christian history?
Jesus came on a mission to save our souls, in a sense, yes. But not from everlasting damnation. That was a claim made by the church, not something Jesus ever said. His mission was - and still is - to save us from a mistaken identity we have unwittingly accepted. The church says we are sinners, and the best things we do are like filthy rags in the eyes of God. But Jesus’ life was an example and demonstration of who we really are. And we aren’t able to accept it. I suggest again that it’s because we haven’t gotten past ancient beliefs that no longer serve us. We struggle to get by, content to worship Jesus because we can’t become like him.
Let’s go back to the bible where God said, “I am the alpha and the omega, the first and the last” - in other words, “I am all that there is”. Then anything he created would have had to come from himself. What else was there? That would explain why the Bible says we were made in his image and likeness. Jesus knew what this meant, and he acted it out. Like him, we are one with God. It has been our true identity since the beginning.
When mankind accepts this remarkable truth the Christ will finally be born in us. And by the way, it will be recognized as his long awaited Second Coming.
