WARNING: The Countercultural Christ
John 15:7,8 If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples. (ESV)
Have you ever found yourself with this terrible dilemma that on the one hand, you love God and you really want to follow after Jesus, to pour His love out in this lost and hurting world, and yet on the other, you feel powerless to do so, in the face of all that life throws at you?
They say that following Jesus isn’t easy. Well, not just “they”. In fact, Jesus said that following Jesus wouldn’t be easy. Because following Jesus means swimming against the tide of popular opinion. Following Jesus means, all too often … in fact most of the time … going in the opposite direction to the herd.
Ultimately, it was the fact that Jesus stood against the prevailing thinking of His day that got Him crucified. And if they persecuted Him, they’re going to persecute anyone who believes in Him, who lives for Him, who follows Him. And living that life, day after day, let me tell you, ain’t easy. You need power to do that. Serious power. That’s why Jesus also said this:
John 15:7,8 If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples. (ESV)
The problem for many a Christ-follower today though is that they don’t have the power they need to stand for Him. They don’t have the power to be Christ to this lost and hurting world.
There’s a reason for that. It’s because Jesus’ words no longer abide in them. It’s because they’ve left their Bibles sitting up on a shelf somewhere gathering dust. You want power? Open your Bible. It contains more power than you will ever need.
If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you
That’s God’s Word. Fresh … for you … today.
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