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Are you under the influence? You trust that you are ultimately following me, yet you are not following a faith tradition that descended from heaven in pure essence. Even very early in Christian faith there were those who identified with prominent personalities, such as I am of Paul, or of Apollos, or of Christ. The last one of these may seem to be the purest form, but it is the denial of the reality that people were involved in transmitting your current faith tradition to you. There is nothing wrong with acknowledging those who have gone before to bring you the message of redemption. It is beneficial to know who has influenced you. 

You understand that the forgiveness of sins is central to the Christian faith. Once you have received that, what comes next? Everyone is looking for validation; the reassurance that everything about them is OK. What I offer instead is the promise of transformation, that through a process that takes a lifetime you can be changed into my image and likeness. I don’t pretend that this is easy. It includes elements of being sifted like wheat, and tried in the fire. It involves laying down your life, and picking up your cross, and following me. Keep engaged in your inner work even when it is difficult. Transformation is better than validation. 

Do you trust your instincts to make snap decisions and make major life decisions quickly? Has this ever worked out badly for you? Indecision is paralyzing but this is an area where balance is called for, and snap decisions are out of balance in the other direction. What do you see in my word? I gave Gideon an assignment and he put out a fleece before me with special conditions for confirmation. Then he asked for more confirmation, and then he did as I directed. What do you see in your own life? Don’t I give you confirmation for major life decisions? I am steadfast and time will validate my words. Keep moving ahead and open to be convinced, and then obey. 

Do you like good news? Who doesn’t? Do you know what the word ‘gospel’ means? It means good news. When you present the gospel message to people, do they respond with great enthusiasm and say, wow, that is really good news? If not, then what is wrong? There are many aspects to the gospel message. You don’t have to start with trying to convince people they are evil. If you understand that the root problem of the lost is their alienation from their true identity, then you can tell them that it is possible to know as they are known, and live from their true being. This is a part of the gospel message, and it is really good news. 

Do you think that your faith requires you to be a grim defender of every point of doctrine? Have you ever encountered such people? What was your overall impression of them? Do they seem to be effective advocates for the faith? You don’t have to fight every battle. I didn’t. I was silent before my accusers, and told my followers to let alone the self-appointed blind guides. It is also OK to use humor. It helps to diffuse tense confrontations that have no potential as learning opportunities anyhow. A soft answer turns away wrath. Be as wise as serpents and innocent as doves and I will give you opportunities to be my faithful witness. 

“I purposed to know nothing among you except Christ, and Him crucified.” (1 Cor 2:2)

For the early church, teaching on the cross was central. Christ’s crucifixion was understood in the context of the Incarnation. As I shared last week, it is a mistake to equate the Incarnation merely with the birth of Jesus; it embraces His whole life. In fact, Jesus is the Incarnation.

Do you hold believers to higher standards than unbelievers? My word teaches you that God will judge those outside the church, but opens the door for, and even encourages, standards of conduct for those who join together in my name. When I prayed, Father forgive them, for they know not what they do, I was referring to unbelievers. Have you ever felt the urge to offer the same prayer for those who believe? For there is no test of knowledge or conduct involved in salvation, but those who receive it should learn what their decision implies. Blessed are those who do and teach my commandments. 

I am a Korean by blood but was born and grew up in Soviet Russia. So Russian is my native language. Now I am a citizen of South Korea but not perfect in speaking Korean. I was born again with the help of a Bible in English and information on Christianity which I found on the Internet in English. Below is my first two-way journaling with Jesus, as I went on my first date with Him.

Did you take your children to church with you when they were young? When they were older did you still insist that they go, even if they had developed different opinions and their hearts were not in it? Eventually the day must come when they will be free to decide for themselves, and move ahead on their own commitment, or not. My word tells you to raise up a child in the way they should go, and when they are old they will not depart from it. How do you raise them so they will choose to go on their own? There isn’t a simple answer for this, but start early to lead by example rather than decree. 

Have you ever heard anyone ask, “What did I do to deserve this”? Perhaps you have said the same thing yourself. The way this is phrased, it could refer to a positive or negative event. When have you ever heard someone use it in a positive sense? This question is recorded in scripture in a different form. Did this man sin or his parents that he was born blind? Rather than argue the point, I said neither one sinned, but that the glory of God may be revealed in him, and I healed him. Isn’t this a better answer? Work on your healing ministry. In the meanwhile, rather than asking what you did to deserve this, ask how God’s glory may be revealed in it.