If Jesus were on Twitter

…he would tell you to follow him.

But seriously.  Jesus is only one person.  He interacted with people one at a time [John 3:1-21], or at most, several thousand at once [Matthew 14:13-20].  And he wasn’t always available.  Many times, he would withdraw to a solitary place to pray, leaving everyone looking for him [Mark 1:35-37].  He couldn’t be everywhere at once, and his time on the Earth wouldn’t last long.  But he wouldn’t leave us here on our own [John 16:7,13].

We’ve all heard the phrase, “What Would Jesus Do?”  And some might think it would have been better to be there, walking with Jesus.  But the Son of Man had better plans.  Jesus knew who he was, where he came from, and where he was going.  And when he left, he sent Counselor, the Holy Spirit, to guide us in all truth.  Instead of fighting through crowds just to get a glimpse of the Lord, we believers now have the Spirit of God living inside of us [1 Corinthians 6:19-20].  And this Spirit, is like Jesus on Twitter.

Jesus could only communicate with those who were in earshot.  But now, God speaks to our hearts in a new way.  He can hear all prayers and convict all hearts simultaneously, as his Spirit searches us all.  And through the Spirit of God, we can know the thoughts of God [1 Corinthians 2:10-16].  It’s like we are following Jesus on Twitter (and he is following us).

So instead of asking WWJD, let us ask, “How is his Spirit convicting me?”

John 16:13

But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth…

 

What’s In a Name?

You hear it all the time in advertising.  “Just mention my name at the time of checkout, and you’ll receive 10% off your bill.”  As if the advertiser’s name were a magic password to get whatever we want.  Is that the agreement Jesus has with God?  If we mention “Jesus” at the end of prayers, will God have to listen, and then will Jesus get a kickback for the referral?

Of course not.  Then what does it mean, to ask in Jesus’ name?  And what does it mean to believe in the Jesus’ name?

Names have meaning.  John means “God is gracious” or “Gift of God.”  Tyler is the Old English spelling for “One who tiles roofs.”  And Jesus (Yeshua, or Joshua) means “Salvation” or “The Lord saves.”  Thus, to believe in the name of Jesus is to believe it is the Lord who saves.

Back to the first question.  If asking “in Jesus’ name” is more than just uttering the words, what does it really mean?  Consider his motivation.  Jesus promised to do whatever we ask in his name, so he can bring glory to his Father.  He is a willing servant, ready to carry out our requests and bring glory to God.  So rather than saying “in Jesus’ name,” consider whether your request is glorifying to the Father.  If it is, then you really are asking in his name.

John 14:13

And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father.

 

Will Work for Food

There is no such thing as a free lunch.  Whether it is a burger from a random cookout, or pizza leftover from a meeting, somebody paid for it.  And while it may be good practice for a college student to snatch as much “free food” as possible, eventually, you have to work to feed yourself.  You don’t need a glamorous or fulfilling job to earn money for food; any job will do.

The early Christian church recognized this fact, and made a rule, that if a man will not work, he shall not eat [2 Thessalonians 3:6-10].  To meet our own physical needs, we have to exercise a strong work ethic.  Yet our spiritual sustenance is not met by brute force, but by faith and obedience.

Jesus claimed to be the bread of life, and the way to eternal life.  To earn this food, you must simply believe and follow Jesus.  There is no clearer illustration of this fact than of the criminal crucified next to Jesus [Luke 23:32-43].  His life did not exhibit acts of righteousness.  But when he understood and believed who Jesus is, he was promised paradise with Christ.

Don’t get me wrong.  I am not saying that we ought to stop doing good things because it doesn’t matter.  And I am convinced that had the criminal been let down, the rest of his life would look very different than the start of it.  However, striving for good things without an understanding of or belief in Christ is spiritual starvation.

John 6:28-29, 35, 40

Then they asked him, “What must we do to do the works God requires?”

Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.”

Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty.”

“For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.”