“For many of us, the danger isn’t that we’ll reject Jesus outright. It’s that we’ll accept a version of him that doesn’t challenge us, change us, or call us into his revolutionary movement. We’ll keep our ‘Build-A-Jesus’ . . . while the real Jesus stands at the door, waiting to lead us into something far greater than religious consumerism. He is not a spiritual stuffed bear; he is a roaring lion on a mission.”- Kyle Idleman and Mark E. Moore
Kyle Idleman and Mark E. Moore conclude Chapter 1 of The Missing Messiah as they stress that misunderstanding Jesus results in consequences far beyond theological debate. Because it affects how we live now. Thus, the authors exhort, we need the revolutionary King who offers something far greater than personal comfort or heavenly fire insurance.
Therefore, Kyle and Mark stress, Jesus recruits for a revolution. Hence, Jesus doesn’t just invite people to believe certain things about Him. For Jesus’ Kingdom isn’t just coming someday. Even now it’s breaking into the present, issuing a challenge to every system and structure that opposes God’s rule. A call to radical commitment, not simple belief.
Consequently, Kyle and Mark ask you to answer the following questions honestly:
- Does your Jesus exist primarily to get you to heaven or to establish God’s Kingdom on earth through you?
- Is your Jesus mostly concerned with your comfort and happiness or with your transformation and allegiance?
- Is your Jesus a comfortable addition to your lifestyle, or is He constantly disrupting it with Kingdom priorities?
- Does your Jesus look suspiciously like you — sharing your preferences, prejudices, and perspectives — or does He transcend your cultural impressions?
- Is your relationship with Jesus mainly about what He can do for you or about what He wants to do through you?
In conclusion, Kyle asserts:
“There’s a lot I don’t know about Jesus. . . . But this I know: He’s claustrophobic. He will not be stuffed into the satin skin we’ve relegated him to. He will break out.”
Today’s question: When do you find yourself prone to create a Build-A-Jesus? Please share.
Tomorrow’s blog: “Subconsciously dismiss idea of king”