The Living Christ
Scholars have discovered that for the first 1000 years of Christian history the focus and art of the early believers were fixed on the reality of the Risen Christ living among his people. Then, surprisingly the focuse shifted to the dying and suffering Jesus on the cross. Why is that? Wayne and Brad examine what happened when Christianity became a religion divorced from a meaningful and personal relationship with Jesus. A letter from a listener personifies the anguish many feel when they wake up to the emptiness that religion has dealt them. It may be time to reboot our spiritual passions to re-engage the Savior who still lives and walks among his people.
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This was an excellent podcast. It caused some unearthing of my own history!..
I lived many yrs. in the performance trap. It was a horrible life of doing everything I thought I could to just get God and people to notice me and gain acceptance with. I so wanted people to look up to me. I was like the Pharisses Jesus spoke to- ever learning but unable to recognize the One I was studying about! Invaribly all I received was an abundant crop of what I had sown- judgement and lonely self- righteousness which led to self loathing and pity. I was so unhappy and wanted to die.
This is my story, but, I found myself asking the same question that the person who wrote you – “where is the joy and peace”? So I stopped reading my Bible, going to church and my prayer time. It might sound wrong but it was the best thing I could do for myself. I felt totally lost and questioned my salvation- of course (!) because I was so ‘doing’ oriented.
I became more focused on just trying to live and find peace. I got quiet and started to listen. I called out to Jesus and he came.. In the form of encouragement from a friend- who told me that ‘God danced over me’. I decided to believe that. Other things, books, radio programs websites etc… began to come across my path.
My rule now is this: things and people that speak LIFE into me I regard. I am seeing better now the traps that lead me back into the old way of performance. I found that I’ve ‘spiritualized’ everything.
My life is changing drastically and I am experiencing a life of being rather than doing.
One of my ‘aha’ moments came when I learned that Jesus came to serve me and not that I was here to serve him. That sure took a burden off me. ( a teenager showed me that!) So I am cautiously wide open to wherever or whomever my next ‘revelation’ might come.
Life is easier not feeling so compelled to tell everyone about Jesus or looking for the opening to bring Him into the conversation. Or making sure that I ‘at least’ invite them to church. My labor now is to “enter into His rest”. To me this is what the abundant life is.
Thanks for giving me the space and thanks for The God Journey podcasts. They are so helpful to me 🙂