The Search For Jesus
July 2018
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WE ARE TOLD IN LUKE of an incident when Jesus was 12 years old. “And when he was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem after the custom of the feast. And when they had fulfilled the days, as they returned, the child Jesus tarried behind in Jerusalem; and Joseph and his mother knew not of it” (Luke 2:42-43). They traveled along, assuming Jesus was with other relatives who had made the trip. Eventually, they began the search for Jesus.
Found In The Temple
“After three days they found him in the temple” (2:46). That should have been the first place they looked. They had searched for Jesus only to find Him in the most logical place to find Him—in the presence of His Father. What about today?
The Search For Jesus In America
There is a search across the nation for true followers of Jesus. As you look at this nations’ history, you find that fewer are willing to let their light so shine before men. The aggressive tactics of the enemies of the Cross have had an effect on the faint-hearted believer. “One nation under God” is soon becoming “One nation without God,” and could ultimately end up as “One nation under God’s judgment.” But it’s not too late.
The Search For Jesus In The Home
Morning prayers before putting your child on a school bus is a thing of the past. There may be a token prayer said before a meal, but few parents take time to read the Bible to their children. Jesus seems to be relegated to Sundays only. No wonder we have so much trouble with teenagers on drugs, drinking alcohol, and teen pregnancies.
The Search For Jesus In The Schools
There was a day long, long, ago when schools started their day with the national anthem followed by the Lord’s Prayer. Some schools were brave enough to read prayer needs over the intercom and then pray over them. Sad to say, Christ is not welcomed in most schools today. If He were, we would have less need for prison ministry.
The Search For Jesus In The Church
There is a search for Jesus in the church. Am I suggesting that there are churches who claim to be Christian and trying to operate without Jesus? Yes, I am. The church needs to be less “seeker sensitive” and more “Spirit sensitive.”
Another Jesus
Paul was concerned about the church in Corinth following another Jesus. “But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him.” (II Cor. 11:3-4). In the search for Jesus in the church, we have found many “other” Jesuses.
The Search For Jesus In The Sermons
Will we find Jesus in the sermons preached across America this Sunday? Or will we find a larger percentage of sermons dealing with self-help methods, positive mental attitude quotes, and how to invest your money rather than hear preaching Jesus Christ and Him crucified (1 Cor. 2:2)?
If It’s Not Cross-Centered It’s Not Christ-Centered
Let me borrow from Pastor Curtis Hutchinson, taken from a sermon given here during a chapel service at Jimmy Swaggart Bible College. He said, “If you are not Cross-centered, you are not Christ-centered.” Our nation, our schools, our homes, and our churches need to search for Jesus until all become Cross-centered.
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