Why the influence of Jesus is still undeniable

It is amazing for me to think that some two-thousand years ago, Jesus so radically changed the world that He is still present in our lives, in fact it is difficult to imagine what the world would look like without His influence. While many decry the fact that Jesus continues to be pushed from the public arena of ideas, I, for one, will suggest that Christ is still influencing the global conversation. Consider that politicians and pundits still embrace many of His ideas if not His divinity, which should give us to the political right of the discussion pause before we so openly point fingers at those who would not share our values. However, it is important to remember that Jesus, although significantly important in His influence of human history, did not come to influence the events of human history, many men and women have succeeded in this cause, Jesus did not come to change human history, He came to change human hearts! Before we exploit the segregation of Jesus from matters of state for the advancement of our own political agenda, we would do better to examine the expulsion of Jesus from the mundane matters of our lives. Many who desire to see Christ represented in the White House fail to have him residing in their own house. 

The question isn’t whether Jesus is in the foreground or background of human events, but rather, is Jesus in the fabric of our lives. God is always at work in the power of His presence and even in the perception of His absence, but is God at work in our lives? More specifically is He warming our hearts in relationship or allowing our hearts to be cooled as we persist in our rebellion. Jesus is always present but is he present in our lives?

Mortimer Adler has observed, “Those who do not answer to the rudder, will answer to the rock” Adler’s observation is manifest in our society on a daily basis. Today many who discount the power of Christ in their lives have substituted other idols in their lives to worship. These idols are not images or statues, but rather pursuits of money, pleasure, power or status, and ultimately, we all end up placing ourselves on the throne of our depraved hearts. As a result those who indulge in this idol worship eventually witness the crushing of their own lives against the rock of truth. Paul describes this process in Romans 1:21-23 “For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools. And exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator-who is forever praised. Amen”

 It is evident that many in our culture continue to suppress the knowledge of God, but no matter how hard they try, that message can never be obliterated, because the testimony of creation and the Word of God are constant. Consider Paul’s first letter to the church at Thessalonica, in chapter two he writes “…. with the help of God we dared to tell you his gospel in spite of strong opposition. For the appeal we make does not spring from error or impure motives, nor are we trying to trick you. On the contrary, we speak as men approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel.”

Paul makes it clear that the method they employed to proclaim the gospel did not come from “error, impure motives, or trickery”, when these words are examined closely in the original languages, the point Paul is making is illuminated. First, the word error, originates with the word we know as planet. When the ancients observed the night sky they noticed that some stars were stationary while others wandered, they called these stars planets or wanderers. Paul makes it clear that their approach to the proclamation of the gospel is not all over the place, but it is consistent and constant. The method is tied to a relentless presentation of the message. Next, Paul makes it clear that his proclamation of the gospel does not spring from “impure motives”, while many in his day and ours seek to exploit the emotions of audiences for selfish gain, Paul was able to avoid this, again, by staying true to the gospel. And finally, Paul says that trickery or deceit was not used in his presentation of the gospel. This word in the original language referred to a “hook”, Paul is saying that the gospel is powerful enough that it need not appeal to ever-changing feelings of fickle human audiences. 

The Word of God creates its own audience, and will work every time it is proclaimed. Christ is present through the power of His word. The challenge is to allow that word to be present in our lives, as it was in the lives of the Thessalonians, “And we thank God continually because, when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but as it actually is, the word of God, which is at work in you who believe.”