At the end of the church service tonight we sang the hymn “I Have Decided to Follow Jesus” for the invitation. This is a hymn that I have sung hundreds of times and my only real opinion of it has been how it tends to be so simple and repetitive.
“I have decided to follow Jesus
I have decided to follow Jesus
I have decided to follow Jesus
No turning back, no turning back.”
But tonight the song held new meaning because today, following Jesus holds new meaning to me than it did a few months ago.
Towards the beginning of my high school years I made the decision to follow Christ. I was raised in the church and I hated going for the longest time because it made no sense to me and I had no friends, and it seemed like as a kid my time was better spent sitting at home playing N64. But when I got older and I started using my brain I began to think about God and about how Jesus died for me. I started to believe it and then I realized that if I believe God and the Bible, then maybe I should start acting like it. I began to understand that my actions and my words should reflect what I believe, and so it was then that I started my journey of following Jesus.
And the following years after that were definitely the best of my life. I got involved in my church and I started reading the Bible. I remember I went out with my mom and she bought me a big, blue study Bible and immediately I jumped right in, eager to learn more about God. I started making friendships that would last (or so I thought). I went on trips, stayed up all night at lock-ins, and enjoyed what I guess is your typical teenage-youth group life. Deciding to follow Jesus was the best thing to ever happen to me.
But of course, life sometimes has its high points and it also has its low points. Lately, circumstances have not been all that good. I’ve been asking myself, “What can I learn from all this?” because the only thing salvageable from these circumstances is perseverance. I have been through sleepless nights, doctor visits, uncomfortable phone calls, loneliness, and a constant re-questioning of my own motives and abilities. Things have been hard and to make myself happy, I have been recalling the “old days” like some kind of retired old man sitting on the front porch just to pass the time. I’m 21; I don’t want to live like that, at least not yet.
My most common response to everything that happened was to just look at all the circumstances in shock and ask, “How did this happen? How did things turn out this way? How did I end up at the very bottom?” More specifically, I would ask “God, why did you let all this happen? What is the purpose of all this?” The thing I pray for the most is for God to do His will in my life. And many times I don’t pray for specific things. I always let God know what I think I need and want, but I know that God knows best and so I try to leave it up to Him. So I’m trying to live my life and take whatever circumstances come, but ultimately I depend on God for everything. When I need strength I look to God, when I need wisdom I look to God, when I need rest I look to God. And so as I was sitting there in the rubble of broken relationships, a church that proved to be not much of a church at all, a disaster of a semester at school, and not to mention other major problems. I questioned that decision I made years ago because I wondered why God would lead me there to such a lonely and desperate place.
The comforting thing I learned, however, was that lots of times following Jesus led people to lonely and desperate places.
“I have decided to follow Jesus
No turning back, no turning back”
Imagine if Paul were singing those words. If you want to talk about a man who went through it all for Jesus, it was Paul. He is one of my favorite characters of the Bible because he literally lived to tell people the gospel of Jesus no matter what the consequence. Paul was a Pharisee, a teacher of the law who persecuted Christians until one day when he was on the road to Damascus and Jesus appeared to him. After he saw Jesus, Paul made the decision to begin following him. Years after making that decision, Paul wrote about his experiences in a letter to one of the churches:
“Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my own countrymen, in danger from Gentiles; in danger at sea; and in danger from false brothers. I have labored and toiled and often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked. Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for the churches. Who is weak, and I do not feel weak? Who is led into sin, and I do not inwardly burn?”
Many times Paul was put into desperate situations. Many of his letters in the Bible were written while he was in prison. The book of Acts includes accounts of circumstances when he was beaten or flogged. In fact, when that book ends, Paul is still under guard in Rome because the Jews wanted him dead. It seems like a more popular ending to that book would be “Paul finally got some property in a nice suburb in Jerusalem where he settled down with his wife and had some kids. He retired at a nice old age and lived happily ever after playing golf on the weekends.”
But when I look at the people who followed Jesus, I’m hard pressed to find a happy ending (at least from an earthly standpoint). I’m reminded of the disciples, 12 unlikely men who Jesus told to follow him. These men spent three years traveling with Jesus while he preached and performed miracles. They spent all their time with him and even saw him after he rose from the dead. These 12 men were closer to Jesus than anyone else who has lived.
So what happened to these men who spent those years with God in the flesh? Did Peter ever get that Escalade he always wanted? Did Matthew finally get to be a professional athlete? Did Thomas ever get to marry the girl of his dreams?
It really makes you think, because a lot of times we make it out to look like if you become a Christian, all that will happen to you.
No, all of those guys died because they followed Jesus. They were martyrs. Peter was crucified upside down, and the others faced similar persecutions. All of the disciples who spent all that time with Jesus died because of him, except for John the Revelator, who was exiled and then died. Also, there was Judas who betrayed Jesus and then killed himself.
So I imagine all those disciples before they died, whether they were in chains or behind bars:
“I have decided to follow Jesus
No turning back, no turning back”
What did those words mean to them?
What do those words mean to me and you?
I’m not trying to compare my problems to those of Paul and the disciples. Those guys were far more courageous and strong than I will ever be. I’m just saying that I’ve learned that Christians are not necessarily called to a life of comfort. I’m not saying that if you have money or if all your dreams come true then you are wrong, but that sometimes following Jesus requires giving up all those things. Sometimes following Jesus means you have to lose. Often times it means that. Whether that means your job, your possessions, your friends, or your even your own life; Jesus is worthy of it. After all, Jesus didn’t live a life full of comfort. His death was a brutal and humiliating one: he was crucified as a criminal, naked. And why did he live that way? Because he loved you and me.
Jesus said, “Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy or me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” –Matthew 10:37-39
So tonight when we were singing that song about our decisions to follow Jesus, I couldn’t help but feel a little reluctance where I once felt reassurance. The decision to follow Christ is a dangerous one that should not be taken lightly. Look what it did to the people in the Bible. Still, we know that many things aren’t as they appear and what looks like suffering now will one day be turned into character and perseverance. And the amazing thing is that even if we come to the point of death we don’t have to be afraid, because the one we are dying for has already been there and conquered it.
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‘Divinity of Christ’ ?!
Mr. V.De Silva (Mirror–Saturday April 5, 2008.) is absolutely right in his assertion that the ‘Divinity’ of Jesus is the foundation of (present day) Christianity. To substantiate this he had presented some scriptural evidence which could be interpreted in many ways. Those verses quoted by him were not at all explicit statements of Jesus confirming his divinity. Let us examine a few of the verses quoted by him. ‘I and my Father are one’ is a strong evidence for the divinity of Jesus, according to Mr. Silva. Why has not he understood the meaning of the following verses with the same interpretation, which will make fourteen gods, including 12 disciples, Jesus and Father in heaven, instead of the trinity?
On that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you. John 14:20
That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. John 17:21
Instead of proving his standpoint with explicit statements from the scripture, he has quoted verses, which could be interpreted to give multiple of meanings.
"Prove all things; hold fast that which is good" 1 Thessalonians 5:21
and "For God is not [the author] of confusion" 1 Corinthians 14:33.
We can do no justice to a faith if we only judge it by the faulty practices and beliefs of its followers and form an opinion on that basis. Of course its merits and demerits can only be determined by a fair analysis of the faith itself, by examining its Scriptures. We believe that this is a fair suggestion to initiate our discussion.
Christianity has deviated from the concept of the Oneness of God, however, into a vague and mysterious doctrine that was formulated during the fourth century CE. Many people today, even Catholics, do not know the Holy Roman Catholic Church was already in business several hundred years BEFORE Jesus, peace be upon him, was even born. It was a pagan church established by the Roman government in an effort to control the subjects of Rome by having them all participate at least to some extent, along with other Roman citizens in some kind of common worship practices and beliefs.
The year was 325 A.D. according to the Roman calendar. A council was convened by order of Constantine, the Roman emperor. He had been a leader in the cult known as Sol Invictus (Invincible Sun) and now wanted to unite the Christian sects in the empire under his existing church; the Universal Church of Rome. Many changes to the religion of Christianity were about to take place at that council, including: Formulation of the concept of Trinity, which Mr. Silva attempted to deny.
It is a historical truth that the Church of Roman "officially" became the "Universal Church of the Holy Roman Empire" (the word 'Catholic' means 'universal').
A God-Man and Man-God seem to fit right in with the "former pagan" concept of their 'gods on earth.'
Could this explain the source for "Trinity?" "Trinity" does not appear anywhere in the Old Testament or the New Testament. Even the phrase, "And these three are one" (First Epistle of John, Chapter 5, verse 7) is fabricated and based on the verse prior to it. [see: Revised Standard Version of the Bible, 1952 and History of Translations of Bible to the English Language, F. F. Bruce)
We would like the learned readers to have a proper understanding of the concept of God in the Holy Bible based on the following verses which very explicitly confirms the Oneness of God and deny the church held concept of divinity of Jesus.
'The most important one, answered Jesus, is this "Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one"
Mark 12:29
'You shall have no other gods beside Me' Exodus 20:3
And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? There is none good but one, that is, God. Mark 10:18
Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God. John 20:17
And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom Thou hast sent.
John 17:3
Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know: Acts 2:22
The God of Abraham, and of Isaac, and of Jacob, the God of our fathers, hath glorified his servant Jesus; whom ye delivered up, and denied him in the presence of Pilate, when he was determined to let him go.
Acts 3:13
'Jesus answered him: Away from me, Satan! For it is written, Worship the Lord your God and serve Him only' Matthew 4:10
'Fear the Lord your God, serve Him only and take your oaths in His name. Do not follow other gods, the gods of the peoples around you' Deuteronomy 6: 13,14
'But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship Him. God is a Spirit: and they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth'. John 4: 23-24
'But in vain they do worship me (Jesus), teaching for doctrines the commandments of men'. Mtthew 15:9
'Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men'. Mark 7:7
And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses. But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses. Mark 11:25-26
And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth. Give us day by day our daily bread. And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil. Luke 11:2-4
Above verses are very explicit and the meaning is very clear. Very unfortunately, the present day Christianity is not based on the Gospel preached by Jesus. According to St. Paul, the previous law and commandments of God are worthless. Paul is quoted to have said:
"Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law." Romans 3:28.
The words of Saint Paul are held by most of Christianity in the highest regard, and this is understandable since he is the primary author of the majority of the books of the New Testament. However, no matter what role St. Paul played in the definition and spread of Christianity, when displaying respect for the teachings of Paul, it is necessary not to lose sight of the fact that he is in no way equal to Jesus, nor should his command be placed before the command of Jesus if we were to find them to differ from one another. No one, not even Paul or the apostles of Jesus has this right, since they are all, after all, subordinate to Jesus Christ himself.
However, were we to study the religion known today as "Christianity’’, we would find that it is the interpretation of St. Paul of what he personally believed to be the religion of Jesus(pbuh). Christianity as
it stands today has been reduced to an interpretation of the words of Jesus (pbuh) within the context of what Paul taught rather than the other way around which is the way it should be. We would expect Christianity to be the teachings of Jesus (pbuh) and that the words of Paul and everyone else would be accepted or rejected according to their conformity to these "Jesuit" teachings. However, we will notice in what follows that Jesus (pbuh) never in his lifetime mentioned an original sin, or atonement. He never asked anyone to worship him; neither did he ever claim to be part of a Trinity. His words and actions are those of a loyal messenger of God who faithfully and faultlessly followed the commands of his Lord and only told his followers to do the same and to worship God alone.
Just one of the countless examples of this placement of the words of Paul above the words of Jesus can
be seen in the following analysis: Jesus (pbuh) is claimed to have been prepared for his sacrifice on the
cross from the beginning of time and was a willing victim (otherwise we would have to claim that God
is a sadistic and torturous God who forced Jesus into such a savage end). However, whenever Jesus
(pbuh) was asked about the path to "eternal life" he consistently told his followers to only "keep the
commandments" and nothing more (Matthew 19:16-21, John 14:15, John 15:10). Not once did he
himself ever mention an original sin or a redemption. Even when pressed for the path to "PERFECTION" he only told his followers to sell their belongings. He departed this earth leaving his followers with the very dire threat:
"For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled (fulfillment of the Law of Moses.) Whosoever therefore shall break one of these
least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but
whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven."
Matthew 5:18-19.
Obviously, heaven and earth have not yet passed. So Jesus (pbuh) is telling us that so long as creation exists, the commandments will be required from his followers. Anyone who will dare to say otherwise, until the end of time, will be called "the least in the kingdom of heaven." Jesus (pbuh) had foreseen mankind's attempt to distort and annul his commandments, the commandments of Moses (pbuh), which he had taught his followers to keep and himself had kept faithfully till the alleged crucifixion, and was warning his followers in no uncertain terms to be wary of all those who would attempt to do so.
Whenever we presented a question on the Christianity to a respected member of the Christian clergy the response would always be the same: "Well, don't take Jesus' words literally. St. Paul has told us in Romans ...," or "Yes, but St. Paul tells us in Galatians ....," or "St. Paul tells us in Corinthians .." Yet my question remains: where did JESUS ever say it? Doesn't St. Paul's authority come from Jesus? I simply want a single clear statement from Jesus himself where he endorsed Paul's claims and then it would be possible to accept Paul's claim that he was indeed preaching the "command of Jesus." If Jesus were only to say it once then I can accept Paul repeating it a thousand times. However, as we see, never, not even once in his whole lifetime did Jesus (pbuh) endorse the preaching of Paul.
God does not reveal His scriptures in a language that only the deep thinkers, the most learned scholars, and those with Ph.D.s in rocket science alone can understand. This is not to say that it is not necessary to consult people of authority in this scripture in times of difficulty regarding matters of secondary importance, however, if it were impossible for the common man to even recognize from his scripture who is God, or "who do I worship?" without extensive external influences from learned clergymen, then I am sure you will agree that not very many people shall ever be guided to the truth of this scripture and the basic message contained therein.
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