To My Facebook Friends

To my Facebook Brothers and Sisters in Christ….

Please bear with me. I have a suggestion that could well enhance your christianity. As you read this, remember the words of Jesus, “Every branch that bears fruit He [the Father] prunes, that it may bear MORE fruit.” Okay?

Your words reveal you are what I call a God-person. I ask you to prayerfully consider becoming what I call a Christ-person. Let me explain. A God-person speaks GOD primarily. A Christ-person speaks JESUS primarily. Jesus is personal; God is general (generic). Jesus at times called His Father ‘God’ (“My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”), but mostly He called Him Father. (“As the Father sent Me”, “Father save Me from this hour”, “Whatever you ask the Father in My name” …. and many etceteras). Can you see the intimacy?

Suppose, just suppose, Jesus appeared to you. Do you think He would say, “Hi christian”? Or “Hi disciple”? Or greet you by your last name? No, He would be more intimate than that; He would greet you by your first name. One of the most startling characteristics of evangelicals is their propensity to avoid the name of Jesus. Like there was something scary about that name. Even preachers say God much more than Christ. But not Paul. Not John. And not Matthew, Mark and Luke. Jesus taught us, “Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.” What’s in comes out. Does the speech of God-people lack intimacy because their heart lacks intimacy? And, more importantly, would speaking Jesus induce intimacy? It seems they cannot say, “To live is Christ.” Or, “I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified”. Or, “I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ.”

If evangelicals were to transform from God-christians to Jesus-christians the entire world would soon be reached for Christ. Seriously. There is that much power in “the name which is above every name”. Speaking Christ draws oneself to Christ, and that results in “much fruit”. “Much fruit” is, among other things, salvations. That’s why every Christ-centred christian is a soul winner. (“Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.”) Have you noticed most christians lack passion for the lost?

God-christians do not have the power of Christ-christians. Not even close. If evangelists, as an example, preached God, few would be saved. It is the name of Jesus that draws the lost to Jesus. Speaking Christ torments demons; speaking God barely gets their attention. The world speaks God; Christ’s church ought to speak Christ (primarily). Amen?

So how does one transform from a God-person to a Jesus-person? Well, it takes grit, perhaps more than most have. It’s not easy speaking the name of Jesus. That’s why so few do. I had to force myself to speak Christ. Eventually it became natural. What I did, you can do. Amen?

Thanks for listening!