3 Reasons Jesus Is Weeping over the Church Today
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There is an interesting picture of Jesus in the Bible that you don’t see very often. That picture is Jesus weeping. I know of two instances in Scripture where this happened. One is when he came to the tomb of his friend Lazarus in John 11, the Bible tells us Jesus wept. However, there is another instance in Scripture when it talks about Jesus weeping. This comes from Luke 19 when Jesus was entering Jerusalem.
I believe Jesus weeps over this. Whatever method we use to get people in the building, let it be that we really give them transformational truth when they get there. If we don’t then we have simply become another form of entertainment.
I was reading an article recently and they used a term called “celebrity pastor.” This is not much different than when they use the term “gospel superstar” to describe a musical artist. Has God called us to be celebrities and superstars? Don’t get me wrong, when a person has a gift or talent and they can inspire you with words or move your heart with music, the tendency is to elevate that person and put them on a pedestal. When that happens it is the responsibility of the person who is “gifted” and has been put on a pedestal to take themselves off.
When John was on the isle of Patmos and as he was writing the book of Revelation, an angel took him and showed him a glimpse of heaven. I want you to pay attention to this interaction between John and the angel.
John’s response was very much like ours when someone we encounter blesses us in a tremendous way, we elevate them. However, notice that the moment John went to put the angel on a pedestal, the angel immediately stepped off. He recognized that he was no better than John but was a fellow servant. His words to John were don’t worship me, worship God.
This simple truth needs to return to the modern church. If there is a celebrity or superstar of the Christian faith it is Jesus. Without his death and resurrection, we are all still lost in our sins. He was then and still is now the only hope of salvation for all mankind. He is the one we need to elevate and no one else. When he is not elevated than the real hope of salvation is non-existent because there is no other name by which men can be saved.
I want you to understand one simple point of truth that I have learned in my own life and have seen by being around other believers. God uses people in spite of who they are, not because of who they are. No one is really that special, only Jesus is. Don’t let anyone try to convince you otherwise. No one is deserving of the way God uses them. If God chooses to use them in a mighty or anointed way, he does it only because of his grace. It is his power, his anointing, and his gifting that allows them to do what they do anyway.
However, I am not naïve and I get the temptation to put people on pedestals. What we need is more leaders that would have the wisdom and courage to take themselves off.
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I know these types of topics are not the most popular to talk about, but we still need to do it. The desire of my heart is very simple – that we who carry the name of Christ would carry it well. That we would represent Jesus in the earth, creating a stir in the hearts of people that would want to know who this Jesus is that we serve.
When the church becomes one and we help people become the people God wants them to be, when we exalt the name of Jesus above every other name and always point people to him, then we create the space to allow people to connect with Jesus. This is what he is after all along. May we always take advantage of every moment and never have a missed opportunity in helping people come to know this wonderful Jesus.
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