I can only imagine the grief Jesus would have been given in this modern age had He come in our generation.
I would guess he would be challenged with regard to his people skills and ability to relate to others. After all many were offended at Him.
Think for just a moment, He is in a boat with the guys who have left everything to follow Him and a storm comes up that is violent and threatens to sink the boat with the prospect that everyone in it will perish. They are far from shore!
The Disciples are frantically doing everything they know to do as fisherman to weather the storm and as expected they are panicking. After all they are human right?
In their panick they awaken Jesus who is asleep during all this, and what is His response? "Oh ye of little faith." You can look it up for yourself in Matthew 8
If a minister stands and challenges someone with regard to their faith he is accused of being heartless and lacking compassion. Insensitive they say.
But the truth is most of what ails us in this life is directly tied to faith in some aspect. If it is by faith that we please Him, and all our life is meant to be lived for His glory and is our most real act of worship, then would it not also stand to reason that faith would play a major role in everything that we do?
How good are we at allowing the Holy Spirit to cut to the chase with regard to where our faith is and what our motives are? Is He able to speak honestly without crushing us?
Only real faith in the finished work of Christ enables us to bear up under the truth and light He brings. He will show us the ugly things about us that He desires to consume with His fire and replace with the character and nature of Christ himself at work in us.
Shaky faith will resist this process and run away when the fire turns up. When light begins to shine on motives and the hidden things begin to get revealed if we are not established in grace through faith we will be unable to stand the heat.
About The Author
- Tim Atchley
- Knoxville, Tennessee, United States
- I currently serve as Senior Pastor of Harvest Church in Knoxville, Tn. I was sent out from Trinity Chapel of Knoxville in 1993 accompanied by my wife Sheila our four children Sarah, Hannah, Josiah & Isaac and a handful of bold, brave and committed believers determined to plant our first church. Pioneering is hard work but well worth the journey. That is why we desire to make disciples of Christ who will, like us, also embrace the call to plant churches.
