I could tell early on that Stuart wasn’t the average Christian blogger. Absent from his site are the worn and tired “fire and brimstone” rants frequently found on other religious blogs. Instead you’ll find the ramblings of an earnest man who follows his heart and genuinely cares about people – one who’s unhappy about how little of the Christ remains in Christianity today.
Awhile back I asked Stuart if he’d be willing to share his knowledge about Jesus the Man. He agreed, and offered as well to contrast how Christ treated people with how many of today’s Christians behave. Here’s what he wrote:
I was asked by Jerome to write a guest blog on who Jesus is to me. I’m a follower of Christ and I work in full time in ministry as a missionary that reaches out to youth in the Pacific Northwest. I’m not an expert and I only speak from my own experiences and my heart.
So who is Jesus?
I’ll start this whole discussion with an apology and an explanation. I believe that most of your preconceived notions about Christ are probably untrue. That’s not to say that Christianity hasn’t done its job to hurt you and leave a bad taste in your mouth. I’m not denying any bad experiences you may have had at the hands of churches or Christians. I want to make a distinction between who Jesus Christ is and what the church has become. I’m not saying that all Christians or churches are bad or damaging. I’m just saying that many of them are.
So, I am sorry. It should not be this way. I am sorry for those who have acted judgmental and pious. I’m sorry for their lack of compassion and kindness. I’m sorry for their arrogance and bigotry. I’m sorry that they were mean or hateful. I’m sorry because that is not who Jesus was or taught or advocated. It was not even close. Many of you have been wronged and that was never how it was meant to be.
Jesus was simply love. He was sacrifice, compassion, grace and forgiveness. He reached out to the broken and meek. He loved those that had been rejected by the world.
Jesus to me is my life. The first twenty-two years of my existence, I lived for myself. I was raised in a Christian home; raised with plenty of religion. None of that meant much to me. I knew the stories about who Jesus was and I liked them, but there was this disconnect between the people I saw at church and the Jesus I read about in the Bible. He lived a life of passion and purpose. He was the son of God and followed the Lord with all his being. He came to save the lost, to free the enslaved, and to heal the broken. He loved us so much that he was willing to lay down his life – that life made sense to me; it excited me. However, that wasn’t the life I saw modeled by those at church. I lived a good life. Followed rules, went to church on Sundays and I was incredibly bored.
Then one day, I decided that if Christ was real, if he did indeed call me to follow Him, I had to take a step. So I prayed, telling Jesus, I’d do whatever he wanted. From that moment, my life has never been the same. It has led me on a journey to invest in people, to serve people, to love people. I have learned that my life isn’t my own. Through Christ, I have found purpose and meaning. I have found joy and contentment. It has changed who I am as a husband, a father, friend, and a son. He has healed wounds that life has dealt me. I have known love I never thought possible. Life has become more of an adventure than merely an existence. Though, it has not always been easy, I wouldn’t change a thing.
I challenge you to read one of the gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke or John in the Bible). Look at who Jesus was. Look at how he treated people. How he loved. Look at the story of God’s compassion for all people (not just a select few).
I’m not here trying to convert anyone (though if anyone of you are interested, I’d love to talk more with you about it). That is not my intent. I would love for you to see the difference between who Christ is and how many Christians act today. Jesus was and is a revolutionary of love seeking to save the lost, the broken, the hurting, and abandoned. For me to follow His life is to take this message of healing and redemption to the world around me.
Thank you again Stuart. I appreciate the time you’ve taken to share.
“Jesus was simply love. He was sacrifice, compassion, grace and forgiveness. He reached out to the broken and meek. He loved those that had been rejected by the world.”
Amen
I would have omitted the words ‘was simply’ and added ‘is’ (Jesus is love), as Jesus wasn’t simply anything. The love of Jesus is a complex thing; beyond our ability to understand. The only simple aspect of His love is how it will simply flow through those believers who will simply yield to His will.
Like when a follower decides (against their worldly reckoning) to sponsor a child. It’s the love of Jesus that allows that thing to happen.
Let us strive to simply get out of His way.
compassiondave,
Thanks for visiting and sharing your perspective.
In terms of the love of Jesus being “beyond our ability to understand,” I respectfully disagree. If this were truly the case, there would not be so many who follow him/claim to follow him.
I think what dave was getting at is that it is difficult for people to understand why Jesus would willingly die for those he knew would never accept his message. Very rarely will one person die for another, though for a good person someone might dare to die. But Christ demonstrates his love for us by dying while we did not deserve it. That is easy to say, but hard for me to fathom…
compassiondave-” Let us strive to simply get out of His way” this statment is very confusing. what exactly do you mean by get out of His way?
Jerome M-”there would not be so many who follow him/claim to follow him”. I can’t figure out where you were going with this statment… please explain
hcountryman,
I see where you’re coming from – that makes sense.
April,
I agree with what hcountryman alluded to (and what he thinks compassiondave was saying) – that the immense, infinite love of Jesus could be difficult for we as humans to comprehend in its entirety. However we must be able to comprehend it at least enough for his message to come through, else the profound individual experiences some have with Christ would not touch them on such a deep level. Does that make any sense?
I appreciate Stuart’s advice to read the gospels.
There I discover a Jesus that loves me, disturbs me, convicts me, calls me to die, and brings me to my knees.
Lord, be merciful to me, a sinner.
I think Jesus was who he was so we COULD fathom the love of God/dess, at least to the extent our wee brains are capable. I really love this post…I might have kept on practicing Christianity if I had found Stuart’s perspective earlier on… But maybe I’m not personally strong enough to combat all the hypocrisy. Or my way of combatting it is still to try to live Christ-like (notice, “try…”) in the context of a Pagan path.
“I think Jesus was who he was so we COULD fathom the love of God/dess…”
Good point Annette.
Yeah, Stuart is an amazing guy. His focus on who Christ was, what he taught and what he did may have kept me in the Church a little longer if I’d come in contact with him (or someone like him) sooner. But even if this had occurred, my tolerance for hypocrisy wouldn’t have endured indefinitely. Instead I endeavor to live the Christ Consciousness, like you. (Thank goodness Christianity doesn’t have a monopoly on that!)
I agree that we, as Christians, show a hypocrisy through our lives, but we aren’t perfect. Sometimes I feel that we are viewed without much grace. Perhaps that is because we don’t give that grace to others. A good lesson. I do wish that more of us would see this as a challenge to live with more grace and love (like Jesus). I struggle immensely with the lifelessness of many Christians. It is hard to find a church that I can belong to for fellowship and discipleship, and I am a Christian. I can’t imagine what it would look like to someone else. There are times that I can see why it doesn’t appeal to people, but I hope and strive not to be the reason. I appreciate the grace you give to Stuart to share. I also appreciate the “Christ Consciousness” you display. It’s also a good lesson.
Melissa,
I endeavor to display the “Christ Consciousness,” but by no means embody it. In the space between the toils of daily life and the Christ Consciousness is typically where I find myself, though I’d very much like to be closer to the latter and further from the former.