MYTH #25-Jesus requires all to say the sinner's prayer!

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Since the 1950's most of evangelical Christianity has nearly totally embraced a theological concept that has come to be known as the "Sinner's Prayer." There are so many varieties of what this prayer is, but basically it is a prayer event where a person acknowledges he/she is a sinner and needs the Savior. Many believe Jesus requires that everyone must pray such a prayer in order to have salvation. That simply is not true. It's a myth!
One of the first questions that must be asked is, "Where is the sinner's prayer in Scripture?" It's just not there. There are two that have become most popular. One is the scene in Luke 18:9-14. It's where Jesus tells a parable where two men are observed praying-one a sinner and the other a religious Pharisee. Let's look at it: And He also told this parable to some people who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and viewed others with contempt: "Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. "The Pharisee stood and was praying this to himself: 'God, I thank You that I am not like other people: swindlers, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. 'I fast twice a week; I pay tithes of all that I get.' "But the tax collector, standing some distance away, was even unwilling to lift up his eyes to heaven, but was beating his breast, saying, 'God, be merciful to me, the sinner!' "I tell you, this man went to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted."

This is a great comparison between a humble sinner and a prideful Pharisee, but it is not a universal special prayer that somehow must be prayed for salvation. Jesus just doesn't mean it for that reason.

The second common passage used to illustrate what a sinner's prayer might look like is in Revelation 3:20: 'Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me.' Although this has a great imagery to it, the context for this verse has to do with those who are already believers, but they are not fellowshipping with Jesus-maybe not walking with Him as He would like.

The damage of believing there is some sort of magical happening or prayer that one prays that will automatically bring about salvation is to miss what salvation is all about. You might call it "accepting Christ" or "meeting Christ" or "receiving Jesus as your personal Savior", but this just isn't what Jesus taught.

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MYTH #24-Satan doesn't believe Jesus is the Son of God!

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This is a very different myth, but well worth tracking. There was a great challenge in the beginning to spread the Good News of Jesus to the Jewish and non-Jewish cultures. Jesus was not from a traditional school. Everyone was astonished at the authority with which Jesus taught. He didn't quote anyone. 
The authority, authenticity and attractive perspective on old truths and traditions were awesome and revolutionary. It was so different from what they had been taught.

Endless questioning and debating followed Jesus everywhere. Everyone had an opinion on Jesus' identity. Even the disciples had a sense of doubt and timidity about what they really thought about this Jesus. They were a work in progress, for sure.

But in the midst of all of this questioning and discussion about who this new Rabbi Jesus was, there is a group who already and always knew the true identity of Jesus. This group is so unlikely. That's why I call it a myth. The groups are energized and serve as emissaries of Satan. Satan does believe Jesus is the Son of God.

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MYTH #23-Christ is Jesus' last name!

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This myth is a simple one. We so often refer to Jesus as JESUS CHRIST that it seems like Christ is Jesus' last name. Well, it isn't. That is a myth-a common misunderstanding. The debunking process is very simple-that is, Christ is Jesus' title. It is best translated as "the Christ" or "the Messiah".
Now in order to work our way through this myth I think it's best to examine the title, CHRIST, and then the name, JESUS. FIRST-The term "Christ" literally means to anoint-to rub or smear a symbolic oil or ointment on someone to establish a person in an official position. In the Hebrew culture there were three major offices among the people of Israel-prophet, priest and king. Each of these official positions were filled with people who were anointed-sort of set apart unto the God of gods. These three offices were quite distinct. The prophet spoke God's words to the people-representing God to man. The priest offered sacrifices, prayers and praises to God on behalf of the people-representing man in the presence of God. The king ruled over the people as God's representative on earth-representing the original dominion of man. Each person who was anointed was functioning as a servant of God.

Although these three anointed positions were distinct and exercised by different people in the Old Testament, they are all three united in the one person of the coming Messiah-the Christ. All three are fulfilled and brought to an ultimate conclusion in the Christ. The Christ-the anointed one-was to be God's servant-the Son of Man.

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MYTH #22-Jesus sent Paul primarily to the Gentiles!

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This myth is so common and is so easily debunked that it becomes a tester for whether or not we are really paying attention to the words of Jesus as recorded in the Gospel writings. How is it possible to have the words of Jesus clearly written, not requiring any linguistic or cultural interpretation, to be so misunderstood and mis-taught? Yet we are finding these kinds of myths all around us. 

The greatest damage comes when those who are freshly searching out the teachings and principles of Jesus discover that the traditional teachings don't match up with what Jesus actually did and said. In fact, there is such an undercurrent of concern within Christianity right now over losing the youth. This has been called the last Christian generation and I think there is great reason for this concern. It's because of teaching and holding to the many man-made traditions and teachings that just cannot be established by a simple reading of the life of Jesus. What's lacking is authenticity. This is why we continue to work our way through the many myths that have developed over the years.

This myth has a couple of dimensions. The first dimension is the traditional division that says Peter was sent to the Jews and Paul was sent to the gentiles. That's even the way I was taught how to divide the book of Acts. Acts 1-8 was about Peter and 9-28 was all about Paul.

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MYTH #21-Jesus' message is best spread by talking!

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This myth has become universal in its impact and yet more and more people are understanding its limitations. By believing that the best way to spread the Good News message of Jesus is by talking, you are very limited in your perspective and probably not that effective.
We have called this method of talking the Gospel-witnessing. Many classes and seminars have been given to help believers know how to talk more effectively and yet most people carry a lot of guilt because they are unable to get their mouths to work when it comes to witnessing.

The damage here is, at least, fourfold: FIRST-You limit yourself to getting people to hear your pastor or teacher. Getting people into the church service becomes the most important thing you can do to spread the message of Jesus.

SECOND-You become a preacher. It's been my experience that people don't respond well to you breaking out into preaching. If they wanted to hear you preach, they would ask you to start a church.

THIRD-You become deductive-telling others what and how to believe. This takes away from the heart of the Good News. The Good News message is entirely relational. But if you think talking is the best way to spread the message, you will be spreading a system of beliefs rather than a simple and dynamic relationship with Jesus.

FOURTH-You tend to think in terms of finding out what the best argument is for a given group or flavor of people, so you can approach them more effectively. This focuses you on what your differences are with those who are not your particular flavor and not what you might have in common.

To debunk this myth I want to share only from the words of Jesus as to how to spread His message. The four ways Jesus teaches may not be exhaustive, but they are powerful.

FIRST-Jesus says that your lifestyle will be a light to those who are looking on. "You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven." (Matthew 5:14-16) NOTE the message of Jesus will be spread through your lifestyle of good works and people will notice in a positive way. Also, note that there is no talking here emphasized.

SECOND-Jesus says that your love for one another will spread His message. "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." (John 13:34-35) Note there is no talking emphasized here either.

THIRD-Jesus reveals another way that will have a most definite impact in the world that demonstrates the heart of Jesus. "Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.' "Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?' "The King will reply, 'Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.' (Matthew 25) Here the sacrificial love message of Jesus is spread by being aware of Jesus' heart and that Jesus can be found in those in need in our world-the hungry, the thirsty, the naked, the stranger, the sick, and those in prison. Jesus also spoke directly to those who didn't notice Jesus in the midst of the needy. "He will reply, 'Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.' When we are aware of the poor and needy around us, we are demonstrating the heart of Jesus in our world. Jesus always sought them out and so should we. And when we do, the attractiveness of the sacrificial love of Jesus shines through. Again, there is no talking here.

FOURTH-Jesus sends His twelve disciples out on a mission. Note what He sends them to do: Jesus called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to drive out evil spirits and to heal every disease and sickness. As you go, proclaim this message: 'The kingdom of heaven has come near.' Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons.

Jesus goes on to say that there will be certain divine appointments that they are going to have and doesn't want them to worry about what they will say. He says, "Be on your guard; you will be handed over to the local councils and be flogged in the synagogues. On my account you will be brought before governors and kings as witnesses to them and to the Gentiles. But when they arrest you, do not worry about what to say or how to say it. At that time you will be given what to say, for it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you."

FINALLY, Jesus encourages them to say something. He says three things about talking. 1. He will give His disciples authority and power to go spread the message. 2. He gave them the primary theme of their message. It was the message of the presence of the Kingdom. 3. Don't worry about what you will say when you are in a divine appointment, because Jesus promises you that you will be given the appropriate things to say.

So, quit talking so much and start embracing Jesus as a lifestyle, learn how to love one another and take on the heart of Jesus for those in need, then He will give you what to say when you need it. St. Francis of Assisi put this myth in perspective with his famous statement: "Preach the Gospel at all times and when necessary use words."

MYTH #20-Jesus takes a stand against sinners!

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This can be a subtle, deceptive myth. It's popular within much of Christianity to "take a stand" against sin and sinners. Therefore Christianity is known for its stands-political stands, values stands, stands against homosexuality, against same-sex marriage, against abortion and on and on and on.
There are three damages here: FIRST-When your emphasis is to "take a stand against" something or someone, you become known for your gloom and doom attitude and turn off those who are looking on.

SECOND-Even though you may have great intentions to fight against corruption, you will find yourself standing against the same people you want to share the good news with. It's very difficult to have it both ways, as we've discussed in an earlier myth.

THIRD-The greatest damage is that by following this myth, you will most certainly miss the example of Jesus and His Good News message.

To debunk this myth I want to share a few observations. FIRST-Jesus didn't take a stand against sinners. There were two kinds of people in the days of Jesus-the religious and the sinners. Jesus didn't seem to have any difficulty with the sinners at all, but His constant struggles and battles were against the religious.

SECOND-Jesus didn't take a stand against sinners; He stood side by side with them.

THIRD-Jesus didn't take a stand against sinners; He even sought them out to hang out with them.

Let's check out a few illustrations of Jesus standing side by side and even hanging out with sinners. When Matthew, a tax-collector, was called by Jesus, there is an interesting scene at dinner in Mark 2: Once again Jesus went out beside the lake. A large crowd came to him, and he began to teach them. As he walked along, he saw Levi son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax collector's booth. "Follow me," Jesus told him, and Levi got up and followed him.
 
While Jesus was having dinner at Levi's house, many tax collectors and sinners were eating with him and his disciples, for there were many who followed him. When the teachers of the law who were Pharisees saw him eating with the sinners and tax collectors, they asked his disciples: "Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?" On hearing this, Jesus said to them, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners."

In Matthew 11:19 it is recorded: The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, 'Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.' That's how He was identified with respect to sinners-as their friend.

In Luke 7 Jesus has another interesting encounter with sinners: When one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, he went to the Pharisee's house and reclined at the table. A woman in that town who lived a sinful life learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee's house, so she came there with an alabaster jar of perfume. As she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them. When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, "If this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him and what kind of woman she is-that she is a sinner." Jesus allowing sinners to be near Him and touch Him really stirred up the religious leaders.

Then in Luke 15: Now the tax collectors and sinners were all gathering around to hear Jesus. But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, "This man welcomes sinners and eats with them." And again Luke records in chapter 19: All the people saw this and began to mutter, "He has gone to be the guest of a sinner."

Jesus didn't stand against sinners, so why should we? Jesus identified with them, loved them and sought them out, so why don't we? Jesus went to the sinners instead of inviting them to come to an event He was leading. This is precisely where I believe we have gone wrong for so many years. We seem to think the most effective way to reach out to people in need of God is to invite them to come to us rather than going to them. By the way, the early Jesus movement did not grow through promoting large events and building large facilities, inviting the world to come and join them. The spontaneous expansion of the church of Jesus spread by contagious followers of Jesus touching other individuals and families with the Good News of the love of Jesus.

One more thing is important here. The modern day Jesus movement is spreading spontaneously and massively throughout the world by taking Jesus into the marketplace. The Jesus movement is all about standing with the sinners-the non-religious-hanging out with them in their world. It's not about standing against the sinners and pointing them out, but about standing with them and pointing them to Jesus.

MYTH #19-Jesus plus nothing is easier and simpler to live!

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My favorite verse that Paul penned is in the second letter he wrote to the followers of Jesus in the city of Corinth. He said, "I am afraid as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, that your minds might be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to the Christ."
Over the last 6 years we have come to understand what it means to embrace the message of "Jesus plus nothing". To embrace this is to embark on a diligent process of removing the man-made add-ons that have been attached to Jesus. When you start out in this process, it is easy to get caught up in the simplicity and purity of devotion to Jesus. At first, it's easy to drop off many of these add-ons. I mean, many of them are so obviously in the way and a distraction from Jesus.

Here's where the myth emerges. I hear it more often than I'd like. I hear people say: "I've never found anything so easy in all my life. It's easy to follow Jesus." This is it! If you feel this way, then I'm not sure you quite "get it" yet. On a certain level, this might be understandable in that you don't have to stuff your mind and life with all of the legalistic add-on stuff. But there is a myth here just the same.

I am returning to the decision I made when Jesus apprehended my life in a fresh way a few years ago. I said then and mean it more today: "I'm trying to do the most difficult thing I've ever done in my life-to follow the teachings and principles of Jesus."

"Jesus plus nothing" is simple and easy to understand, however living this kind of lifestyle is not so simple and easy. This is clearly seen in a few of the interactions with Jesus. It's much easier to just operate your life with a checklist, and then check them off as you do them. "Jesus plus nothing" is not a system of do's and don'ts-a system of beliefs or a checklist. It's a relationship-a day-in-day-out relationship with Jesus.

One of these interactions with Jesus is found in the Gospel of John (John 6): Jesus answered, "Very truly I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw the signs I performed but because you ate the loaves and had your fill. Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. On him God the Father has placed his seal of approval."
 
Then they asked him, "What must we do to do the works God requires?" Jesus answered, "The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent."
 
So they asked him, "What sign then will you give that we may see it and believe you? What will you do? Our ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written: 'He gave them bread from heaven to eat.'"
Jesus said to them, "Very truly I tell you, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is the bread that comes down from heaven and gives life to the world." "Sir," they said, "always give us this bread." Then Jesus declared, "I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.
 
But here is the bread that comes down from heaven, which people may eat and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats of this bread will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world." On hearing it, many of his disciples said, "This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?"
 
From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him. "You do not want to leave too, do you?" Jesus asked the Twelve. Simon Peter answered him, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and to know that you are the Holy One of God."

Here you have a very difficult time among the many disciples. When Jesus made Himself out to be the bread of life-the new manna in town, He invited them into a personal, intimate relationship with Him. It's like eating of the bread-taking me into your lives in such a way that you ingest me. Because of this difficult challenge by Jesus to come into a dynamic relationship with Him and learn to trust Him, many left Him.

Where did they go? I think they went back to the simple and easy life of going to Synagogue each week and dropped out of the Jesus movement. It was just too difficult to struggle through cultivating a relationship with Jesus.

It's the same today. The "Jesus plus nothing" lifestyle is not simpler and easier. If you believe that, you are mything out! I am committed to being a stubborn follower of Jesus and this is the most difficult thing I've ever tried to do in my life. The internal struggles are tough, but so worth it. How do you do the works of God? Get caught up into obeying, waiting and trusting Jesus for everything, then you'll have the satisfaction of doing the work of God.

MYTH #18-Jesus wants you to be hoooly!

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Now before you get too upset with me and this myth, it's not so much how it is spelled, but how it is said: HOOOLY has a super-spiritual connotation to it. But Jesus doesn't want you to be a super-saint or a super-spiritual person. That's a myth. 


The damage is threefold: FIRST-To be HOOOLY sets up a level of spirituality that is unattainable and intimidating.

SECOND-To be HOOOLY sets up a 1st class Christianity versus those who are 2nd class or coach. Talk about shutting the door of the Kingdom on people!

THIRD-To be HOOOLY is to operate under a gross misunderstanding of what "holy" really means. It's usually half-understood. Literally, "holy" means to be separated unto God for His mission. However, where I grew up to be "holy" was shortened to mean "be separated". The way it was applied to me was that we are to be separated-different-from the rest of the world. It was definitely a "We four and no more kind of lifestyle!" We were an established holy huddle in our community. We were different because we didn't do certain things-attend movies, drink any alcohol, dance or even skate to secular music. We were different all right and successfully turned people away from the attractive, irresistible Jesus.

To be HOOOLY is just the opposite of what Jesus intended. He mostly used the term "holy" to describe the Holy Spirit, holy angels, and the Holy Place-the Temple. As I said earlier the term "holy" means to be separated or set apart unto God for His mission. The Spirit is holy. The angels are holy. Even the Temple was holy-separated unto God for His mission.

Jesus was most upset and angry with those who continually acted HOOOLY and missed out on true holiness. He rebuked those super-spiritual, nit-picker, hair-splitting, feather-plucking, hyper-critical leaders who set themselves up as the religious examples of righteousness. They majored in the minors and minored in the majors. They professed righteousness without possessing it and they did it by carefully following their traditions, man-made commandments and religious causes. This kept them set apart and separated from the rest of the world. As they worked hard to keep the 613 laws-248 commandments and 365 prohibitions-they just kept drawing the condemnation of men on the righteous acts before God.

The Scriptures taught holiness, but the meaning of it was not to just be set apart and be different, gathering yourselves into a holy huddle.

In the Hebrew Scriptures it is clear that God wants those who claim to be related to Him to be holy. In Leviticus 11:44-45 it says: I am the LORD your God; consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am holy. I am the LORD who brought you up out of Egypt to be your God; therefore be holy, because I am holy. Later in Leviticus 20:26 it says: You are to be holy to me because I, the LORD, am holy, and I have set you apart from the nations to be my own. Paul and Peter in the New Testament speak of being "called to be holy" and "make every effort to live in peace with all men and be holy". Peter says in his first letter: But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do.

Even though Jesus doesn't command His followers to be holy, in the spirit of what is understood by the references in Leviticus and by the few references to be holy by a few of Jesus' disciples, Jesus does actually teach holiness-to be set apart unto God for His mission. I think Jesus is all about teaching those who want to be His disciples how to be holy. He does this by His two most revolutionary words: FOLLOW ME! In contrast to the super-spiritual community of the Pharisees and the Sadducees, Jesus invited the people who were interested in following Him to: "Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light."

Do you see it? They were into being HOOOLY and were actually a holy huddle who missed out on the second part of the definition of holiness-to be separated unto God for His mission. To be holy is to be set apart for God's use and purposes. Jesus invites us to follow Him-to be aligned with Him in such a way that we are on the mission He has planned for us-to walk, talk, think and love like Jesus.

Jesus puts it in a simple way when He says, "If you hear my words and practice them, you will be like a wise man who builds his house on a rock and no matter what beats against your house, it will stand firm."
Jesus doesn't want us to be HOOOLY, but holy-set apart to follow Him.

MYTH #17-Jesus wants us to change the world?

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This is a myth that penetrates ministry efforts around the world. There is a constant man-made effort to organize the message of Jesus into a standardized methodology. So, over the years many methods have been created and promoted to be the best ways, and sometimes the only ways, ministry is done. Examples of these methods are gospel tracts, such as the "Four Spiritual Laws", altar calls at the end of the church service, conversion tactics on the mission field or use of a certain bible translation. These methods are employed to do what we think Jesus wants us to do-to change the world.
The damage is fourfold: FIRST-If you think you must change the world, you will create an agenda for every person you approach. If a person is from a different religious persuasion, then your agenda is to talk them out of their religion and into yours. If a person believes in evolution, then your agenda is to argue with him about creation. If a person is doing something you want him to change, then your agenda is to figure out a way to change him. There are so many noble causes in our society that have become major agendas that get in the way of really changing the world-like fighting over the homosexual agenda or fighting abortion or fighting over family value issues or arguing over politics.

SECOND-If you think you must change the world, you believe you are "right" and disrespect all others from different backgrounds.

THIRD-If you think you must change the world, then you may not include the only one who can change those in your world of influence-Jesus.

FOURTH-If you think you must change the world, then you tend to think you are in charge of the results and actually making the changes happen.

To debunk this myth we need only observe the life and methodology of Jesus. Jesus always worked with the needs of the person He encountered. In other words, Jesus allowed the needs of the person to dictate His approach.
Therefore, Jesus never approached two people in the same way. His relationship with each person is so unique.

No matter what the need was that Jesus encountered, He was always the answer. There may be a physical or mental healing, but He, personally, was the solution to everyone's problem. I love the theoretical conversation that goes like this: Man: I have a problem; it's me! Jesus: I have the answer; it's Me!

Jesus doesn't want us to change the world. That's a myth. Jesus is the only one who is able to change a person's heart and therefore the only one who can change the world. All we can do is to introduce Jesus into the situation with the world around us. We must become convinced that our primary and only effective role is to advance the conversation of Jesus in our world.

Congressman Mark Siljander has summarized the approach he has used in international negotiations with some of the most difficult situations in our world. It is a strategy for introducing Jesus-the universal change-agent-into most any encounter. (Siljander's new book, A Deadly Misunderstanding which contains the essence of this approach.) The four phases of Siljander's approach are the following. First, he says if you want to see real change, it's important to begin with no agenda whatsoever. If you have an agenda, you will trigger a variety of defenses and will face major resistance. Don't approach someone with what's on your mind, but seek what's on his or her mind.

Secondly, he says if you want to see real change, you must incorporate unconditional love. When you show genuine love to someone, you will respect them and their differing positions they hold. You don't have to agree with them; just love them in the spirit and specificity of I Corinthians 13.

Thirdly, he says if you want to see real change, you must introduce Jesus without religious baggage. It's in the spirit of Jesus that you can truly love someone unconditionally. The power of Jesus' name introduces a dynamic into the equation that is immeasurable. At the name of Jesus, something good and supernatural happens.

Fourthly, he says if you want to see real change, you must count on the Spirit of Jesus to make the changes in the person's heart. In other words, you continue to get out of the way, once you've introduced Jesus, and watch Him work. Leave the results to Him.

This strategy works, not only in the toughest of international negotiations, but in your family, in your community and in your business. Jesus doesn't want us to change anyone anywhere. He wants us to touch people He brings to us with no agenda and unconditional love as we introduce Jesus into the mix and count on His Spirit to make the changes. You and I aren't going to change anybody, but Jesus can make that change in everyone you encounter in His time and in His way.

MYTH #16-Jesus can only be truly revealed through the Bible

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As a kid, a minister told me that only the King James was genuinely effective in sharing the Good News of Jesus. He even shared with us that no matter what passage you share with others, the only passages to actually effect salvation were these. And then, he handed out a card with a series of King James passages and he made it clear that no other passages and no other version would "work". Later a joke we shared with one another while in graduate school was, "If the King James was good enough for Jesus, then it is good enough for me!" Naturally, the joke was that the King James was not even created until nearly 1600 years after Jesus.
This myth is a serious one of control. We just want to think that we own the only way to Jesus and that is our favorite version of the bible. The damage is twofold: FIRST-This myth can lead you into a position that you might shut the door of the Kingdom to those with whom God is working.

SECOND-This myth puts God in a box and will not allow Him to work in any other way than your particular version of the bible or the bible itself.

To debunk this myth I'd like to offer several examples. First-The only bible or scriptures available at the time of Jesus' ministry was the Hebrew Torah, historical books, the wisdom literature and the prophets. So, how was Jesus revealed?

Second-Jesus was revealed through the teachings of the Hebrew and Aramaic Scriptures. Remember, Jesus, after His resurrection, revealed Himself by sharing with the two disciples walking to Emmaus. He revealed Himself by explaining the portrait of the Messiah throughout the then known Scriptures.
In the 24th chapter of Luke, after the resurrection, Jesus appeared to the disciples. Let's listen in: He said to them, "This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms." Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. I long to revisit the Old Testament Scriptures with this in mind that I might see Jesus more clearly-that my mind by be opened for a fuller understanding.

Third-Jesus is revealed by your life of following Him. Jesus says in Matthew 5 that people can see God and respond positively to Him through your good works. He says, "In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven."
Paul writes to the followers of Jesus in Corinth and challenges them with the same kind of thinking on how Jesus is seen: You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, known and read by everyone. You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts. (II Corinthians 3)

Fourth-Jesus is revealed by fulfilling the Law and traditions. Jesus makes it clear that He has not come to abolish the Law in any way, but to fulfill it. This literally means to make it full or to fill it up. I envision the Law of Moses as an empty container with a certain structure to it and Jesus fills it full. He is the fulfillment of it! I believe Jesus is the ultimate fulfillment of every religious structure that is filled with the various laws, values and dreams. Jesus can fill up any empty container in the same way.

 I heard this from a friend: All roads don't lead to Jesus, but Jesus leads to all roads. And, He fulfills every desire and longing within the hearts of every culture of the world. In Ecclesiastes 3 it says, He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end. God has already set the longing for eternity in the heart of man.

Fifth-Jesus is revealed by the use of pagan and other religious writings as well as supernatural experiences. In Acts 17 Paul quotes a local poet who wrote for the religious ceremonies of worship for Zeus and Mollech, yet Paul uses it to reveal Jesus to the crowd in Athens. We are finding Jesus revealed in the ancient writings of the Muslim Koran, the Hindu Vedas, and within the early writings of Buddhism and the religious thinking of the Polynesian people regarding their Creator-God. People in some of the remote parts of the world are seeing Jesus in dreams and visions. Hey, I don't even pretend to understand it all, but I know people by the millions are coming into a personal relationship with Jesus and following Him.

Sixth-Jesus is revealed by the spoken word of God. This is not the logos word of God, but the rhema word of God. In Romans 10:17 it says, Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the spoken (rhema) word of God. Think about it! When the massive movement of Jesus in China multiplied into the millions without bibles, how was Jesus revealed? He was revealed by the spoken word of God about the Good News of Jesus. Even in the early movement of Jesus, He is primarily revealed by word of mouth-by the personal testimonies of those who had already encountered Him.

Seventh-Jesus is revealed by the two natural lights-conscience on the inside and creation on the outside. We see this in Romans 1: For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. NOTE people tend to suppress the truth and that truth is known to mankind first by what God made evident within them. This might be called conscience or God-consciousness; these are the moral motions that are already in every person's heart-knowing what is right and wrong. God revealed this to us in our hearts.

God also made it evident to them to know about Him and His plan for them in the creation: For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse. For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened.

So, it's a myth that only the bible is the place that Jesus is revealed. The way I see it is that the Creator-God of the universe is relentless and will do whatever He can to reveal Jesus to everyone who has ears to hear and eyes to see. Are you listening and watching?

MYTH #14-God dwells in holy buildings today!

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I have mentioned this myth before from a different angle. This myth is repeatedly taught in two ways. The first comes through the constant referrals about the auditorium within a church building, calling that large assembly room the sanctuary. The second way it is taught is the signage at most church campuses. You will find the term "sanctuary", pointing out where the church will assemble.
Essentially this myth is saying that when you go to your religious house of worship, God actually dwells there. The building is His sanctuary or dwelling place. In many Christian "sanctuaries" the actual place of dwelling is thought to be up at the altar. Therefore, congregants are encouraged to go forward to take communion, to meet the Lord in prayer, to receive salvation, to be healed or rededicate your life.

So, people today are expected to believe that God dwells in holy buildings-Churches, Mosques, Temples and Synagogues. But Jesus and a special teaching from Paul in Athens debunk this myth soundly.

FIRST-Jesus' conversation with the woman at the well debunks this myth (John 4): "Woman," Jesus replied, "believe me, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth." The woman said, "I know that Messiah" (called Christ) "is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us." Then Jesus declared, "I, the one speaking to you-I am he." Jesus, the Christ-the Messiah, has shown up and if you will watch and listen, you will come to understand that Jesus has explained everything to us. Here with the woman at the well, Jesus has made it clear that certain holy locations like mountains or buildings will not be sufficient to be the dwelling place of God, because God dwells in the invisibility of spirit and truth.

SECOND-In Athens Paul speaks to a non-Jewish audience and explains the nature of God and where He doesn't dwell. This is recorded by Luke in Acts 17: While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was greatly distressed to see that the city was full of idols. So he reasoned in the synagogue with both Jews and God-fearing Greeks, as well as in the marketplace day by day with those who happened to be there. A group of Epicurean and Stoic philosophers began to debate with him. Some of them asked, "What is this babbler trying to say?" Others remarked, "He seems to be advocating foreign gods." They said this because Paul was preaching the good news about Jesus and the resurrection. Then they took him and brought him to a meeting of the Areopagus, where they said to him, "May we know what this new teaching is that you are presenting? You are bringing some strange ideas to our ears, and we would like to know what they mean." (All the Athenians and the foreigners who lived there spent their time doing nothing but talking about and listening to the latest ideas.)
 
Paul then stood up in the meeting of the Areopagus and said: "People of Athens! I see that in every way you are very religious. For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO AN UNKNOWN GOD. So you are ignorant of the very thing you worship-and this is what I am going to proclaim to you.
 
"The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by hands. And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything. Rather, he himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else. From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands. God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us. 'For in him we live and move and have our being.' As some of your own poets have said, 'We are his offspring.'
 
"Therefore since we are God's offspring, we should not think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone-an image made by human design and skill. In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent. For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to everyone by raising him from the dead." The God of heaven and earth cannot be limited to dwell in buildings or idols.

THIRD-Jesus' teachings debunk this myth, when He teaches about sending His Spirit to His disciples (John 14): "If you love me, keep my commands. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever-the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.
 
Jesus replied, "Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home (our dwelling place) with them."

So, when you go into a holy building, that is not the dwelling place of God on earth today as it once was with the great Temple in Jerusalem. God, through the Spirit of Jesus, now dwells in you. You are the sanctuary of God-His dwelling place on earth. The challenge? To walk like it, talk like it and act like it.

MYTH #13-Jesus teaches hate for family members!

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One of the most offensive attacks leveled at Christians and Christianity is this myth-"JESUS TEACHES HATE." Even Christian clergy and other Christians yield to this attack. When I was speaking at a major event for the Dalai Lama, there were several hundred clerics in attendance. When one of the American Buddhist committee members called me to ask if I would be willing to speak at this event, I quickly accepted. But before I did, this event organizer said they were looking for someone to represent Christianity and thought I would do a good job. I explained to him that I don't represent Christianity very well. He then said, "Well, what would you represent?" I said, "I am just a stubborn follower of Jesus."
Of the fourteen speakers on the platform, most were Buddhist, Muslim, a Hindu nun, a Jewish rabbi, a famous religion historian, two Christian clerics (an Episcopalian and a Catholic priest) and a follower of Jesus. What was so disappointing to me were the remarks made by the two Christian clerics. One disappointment was that neither of them even mentioned the name of Jesus-not once. The other was that one of them apologized in his speech to the other clerics for the teaching of hate in the New Testament and quoted what Jesus said in Luke 14: "If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters-yes, even life itself-such a person cannot be my disciple."

If Jesus is identified with this statement calling for hate in the sense we know hate, then the damage is great as people hear this and are considering this Jesus. Hate taught by Jesus makes Him no better than the ugly hate and condemnation of the many religious factions in our world. Christians certainly own that judgmental attitude in the USA.

For years I have taught this as a Hebrew idiom that is an expression of comparison. I have always said it means: "By comparison, your relationship with Jesus is so outstanding that all other relationships look like hate." That seemed to work for those who were listening, however something just didn't set well in my gut. I still didn't like the One Who is known for the greatest expressions of love ever being associated with that term, "hate".

Recently, I've been introduced to a concept I've completely overlooked. My friend, Congressman Mark Siljander, a student of many languages, has shown me through his studies in Aramaic what Jesus most likely said. You know, Jesus spoke in Aramaic and there is a written Aramaic version of the Gospels. In the Aramaic "hate" is not the word. What Jesus actually said was: "If anyone comes to me and does not set aside all other relationships, such a person cannot be my disciple." In other words, it's not "hate", but "set aside" that Jesus says. This is so much more pleasing and consistent with the loving Jesus I know. It makes more sense, yet still a very strong requirement for counting yourself as a disciple of Jesus. (By the way, Mark's book, A Deadly Misunderstanding, has been released and I heartily recommend it.)

Let's go through all three requirements Jesus offers to be a disciple. Luke 14 has the entire context. FIRST-This is the priority requirement. You must set aside all other relationships and make them subordinate to your relationship with Jesus. He must be the preeminent one-the priority of your life. Large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and turning to them he said: "If anyone comes to me and does not set aside father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters-yes, even life itself-such a person cannot be my disciple."
Note that there were lots of people following Jesus at this time-crowds! He wanted each of them to not just go along with the crowds, but to make Him the definite priority of their lives. He didn't say that if you don't do this, you cannot be my good disciple, but you cannot be my disciple at all.

SECOND-This is the perseverance requirement. You will follow after Jesus as your priority NO MATTER WHAT. Jesus says, "And whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple." No matter what happens, Jesus is number one for you. He uses the image of carrying your cross. The cross of Jesus was the greatest expression of sacrificial love ever. To be a disciple of Jesus you must carry your cross of sacrificial love with you wherever you go-persistently. That is one our primary reasons for being.

THIRD-This is the possessions requirement. Jesus says, "In the same way, those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples." Jesus is not saying that you are to give over all your possessions, but to give them up. I see this as renouncing the ownership of all you have. You really don't own what you have. You are a manager or steward of what God has allowed you to collect. Jesus wants you to realize this and be willing to give up all you have for Jesus and the Kingdom.

It's even more than this. You are not just to give up everything you have, but all you are as well-your very existence. He owns it all-you and all of your stuff! It's learning to wear the cloak of materialism loosely and to live your life as one who is owned and directed by Jesus.

So, Jesus isn't into hate. He doesn't require you or want you to hate at all. That's a nasty and unfortunate myth. But Jesus does present some very tough requirements to be a disciple who is a follower of Him.

Jesus ends these requirements with a familiar saying of His. He says, "Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear." You might even say that the very first requirement Jesus is looking for before anything else is: ARE YOU INTERESTED-interested enough to listen-to have ears to hear and eyes to see? Are you interested?

MYTH #12-Jesus mostly taught about the Church!

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It just seems to be a logical thing. If you've grown up in Church or outside of Church, you certainly would not be surprised at or balk at the statement, "Jesus mostly taught about the Church." But that statement is a myth; it is not a true statement. Jesus only mentioned the church three times in two passages. Matthew 16:18-And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. Matthew 18:17-If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, treat him as you would a pagan or a tax collector.

The damage is threefold: FIRST-By believing this myth you will find yourself with an emphasis Jesus never intended or embraced. The term "church" is not a special, holy word. I was taught in my first Greek class that it was created as a highly charged, powerful term, meaning "called-out ones". It was presented to us as a spiritual term-a Christian term, but in actuality it wasn't. However, it was used for any gathering-a city council or gathering for any specific purpose.

SECOND-By believing this myth you might begin to believe that being a member of a Church and identifying with a Church are at the core of what is at the heart of Jesus.

Why do you think we emphasize the church & minimize the Kingdom? I think there is a sense that one or a few can control the organized Church, but only God is in control of the Kingdom. Also, the Church is visible and easier to relate to; the Kingdom is invisible and therefore difficult to get your arms around. Since the Kingdom is Jesus' major theme throughout His ministry and since we want to walk, think, love and talk like Jesus, then our theme is best viewed as JESUS and the KINGDOM.

The Kingdom is the rule of God on planet earth both personally and in community. The church is a simple gathering together in the name of Jesus. It is simply a gathering of followers of Jesus. This simple gathering of followers of Jesus on any day and at any location is a church. These gatherings revolve around four ingredients-fellowship, food, prayer and the apostles' teachings. The only one of these ingredients that might throw you a bit might be the apostles' teachings. We see this as what had been passed on through the early disciples about Jesus and the Kingdom. So, since the Kingdom is the rule and presence of God on planet earth, you could also think of it as wherever the King is, there is the Kingdom. The King and the Kingdom are inseparable. Therefore a good way to view the Kingdom is Christ-likeness universalized.

The Kingdom is universal and everywhere. The church is a local gathering of followers of Jesus who are seeking, sharing in and spreading the gospel of Jesus and the Kingdom. The church is not everywhere, but localized and limited to those who choose to gather together. The Kingdom is everywhere and unlimited in its impact on society. The Kingdom is not waiting for a local gathering to be established in order to have its effect. The Kingdom is already there in every country and in every culture.

By the way, this triggers a lot of implications on the prevalent thinking of "planting churches". The message of Jesus and the Kingdom is spreading like a mustard seed, starting as small little groups and growing. It's also spreading like leaven in a lump of dough, growing irreversibly in our world. Wherever you see Jesus and the Kingdom breaking out in a culture or neighborhood or group of people, get there as soon as possible and encourage them.

Our theme then is the theme of Jesus-it's the person of Jesus and the Kingdom of God. Note this theme throughout the book of the Acts of Jesus.
1. In Acts 1, it says, After his suffering, he presented himself to them and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God. Jesus was concerned to present Himself to His disciples personally and then He spent these last few days teaching them about the Kingdom. He felt it was that important.

2. In Acts 8, Philip was teaching in the area of Samaria and it says, But when they believed Philip as he proclaimed the good news of the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus the Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. Note again, the theme is the name of Jesus and the Kingdom of God.

3. In Acts 28, when Paul was under house-arrest in rented quarters in Rome, many came to meet with him. Note what he felt was most important: He witnessed to them from morning till evening, explaining about the kingdom of God and from the Law of Moses and from the Prophets he tried to persuade them about Jesus. Later in the same chapter it says, For two whole years Paul stayed there in his own rented house and welcomed all who came to see him. He proclaimed the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus the Christ-with all boldness and without hindrance!

Note that none of these men-Jesus, Philip and Paul-felt it was important to teach anyone about the Church. It was all about Jesus and the Kingdom. So, why do we spend most of our time and energy discussing and teaching the many themes of the Church, when Jesus didn't? Why do we do that?

MYTH #11-ETERNAL LIFE CAN BE FOUND IN THE SCRIPTURES

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From the very beginning there was a human tendency to organize, identify and label the early movement of Jesus' followers. These followers were called the "people of the Way" and "Christians". Later on, the followers of Jesus were organized around the early leadership-elders, bishops and priests. The bishops and the priests were the educated ones and when the Church was organized under Constantine, the priestly hierarchy prevailed.
These hierarchies of priests were naturally placed in positions of authority, because they were the only ones who knew and who could discuss the scriptures. The hierarchy was so highly developed that the position of the Pope emerged as the highest of all authorities. When the Reformation occurred, Luther challenged this system of authority by raising up the scriptures as the ultimate authority, even higher than the religious hierarchy.

But, in my opinion, the Reformation didn't go far enough. The Reformation movement was monumental, but didn't go far enough. The Pope was replaced by the Scriptures and put into the hands of many little popes in authority. In other words, the hierarchy remained in place, though altered a bit and the Scriptures became the ultimate authority.

At that point we re-entered the same perspective and stance of the Pharisees of Jesus' time. They were deeply into the study and memorization of Scripture. Even today, the modern-day Pharisees spend their lives studying the Scriptures.
Within Christianity the Scriptures were first authoritative, then infallible and then they were viewed as inerrant. Each time the Scriptures were being lifted up to a higher and still higher level of authority. The myth here is that the authority and power of the Scriptures can somehow bring a person into eternal life. I believe the Scriptures are highly important and God-breathed, therefore I diligently study them. But there is a great difference in how I see the Scriptures, since Jesus apprehended my life several years ago in a fresh way. The Scriptures are no longer my measuring stick, but Jesus is. Now, I know this is very difficult for many to handle, because we want to have everything written down in order to have something tangible to rely upon. But maybe you have gone a little too far in lifting up the Scriptures to a higher level than Jesus ever intended. Hear me out.

The damage that emerges out of this myth is threefold: FIRST-The Scriptures are so highly lifted up that there is a tendency to worship the written Word of God. This is called Bibliolatry. I just heard of a pastor who made the inerrant word of God (in the way he interpreted it) the primary rule of his church and that "doctrine will lead our church experience" he says. That's just wrong! The written word is not the head of the body of the church of Jesus-Jesus is.

SECOND-When you lift up the Scriptures too high, you tend to believe that the right understanding of Scriptures is most important for a person's eternal future. Without the right understanding of the Scriptures you may be left behind at the end of time. This has proven to be the most divisive methodology ever-I'm right and you're wrong. And, this divisiveness is most ugly and does not traffic in the love of Jesus.

THIRD-When you lift up the Scriptures too high, you tend to think that our youth today who are leaving Christianity can be won back by teaching them the Scriptures in a more effective way. It's teaching, teaching, teaching more of the right doctrine.

FOURTH-When you lift up the Scriptures too high, you tend to miss the only way to possess eternal life-the person of Jesus. The tendency is to equate the Gospel with a set of beliefs or a system of doctrines and to miss out on the dynamic of a personal, faith, followship kind of relationship with Jesus.

To debunk this myth, I want to use the exact words of Jesus as He addressed the Pharisees on this subject. In John 5:39, Jesus says, "You diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life. These are the Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life." This is why Paul explains how faith comes to us. He says, "Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the spoken word of Christ." Faith comes not by studying and memorizing bible texts, but only to those who seek after Jesus and listen to what He says.

The Scriptures cannot give you eternal life-not at all! The study of the Scriptures is important, but only as they give you Jesus. By the way, the Scriptures Jesus was referring to here are the only Scriptures that they had at that time-the Old Testament. Luke relates the story of Jesus walking with a couple of disciples after the resurrection on the road to Emmaus: And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself. And later Luke says, Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures.

Remember, in the 1st chapter of the Gospel of John: In the beginning was the word and the word was with God and the word was God. He was in the beginning with God. It doesn't say "IT was in the beginning with God, but HE-JESUS-was in the beginning with God." Then, a few verses later, John says, "And He (Jesus) became flesh and dwelt among us."

Searching for eternal life in the Scriptures will prove to be futile. Yet, many find it easier than seeking after Jesus personally. It's so much easier to follow a list of do's and don'ts; it's very difficult to relate to Jesus.

It's all about Jesus-always was, is and always will be. The Good News or the Gospel is Jesus. The Kingdom is Jesus. And, only Jesus can give you eternal life. In fact, Jesus is eternal life. Follow Jesus and you can enjoy that life beginning right now.

MYTH #10-Jesus is hated by the world and so should His disciples!

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This is a very common myth within the teachings of Jesus. I lived under its influence and intimidation for years. Jesus was hated by the world and so should His disciples.
The damage here is threefold. FIRST-Those who follow Jesus and His teachings tend to feel intimidated by those who do not. When you feel intimidated by what the world might think of you, then you don't act freely and normally in front of those of the world. If this is true for you, then you will either avoid or withdraw from the people of the world or you might overcompensate and try to control the people of this world and put them into your religious box. So the result is either a holy huddle (we four and no more) or a Christian a power block to force people to obey your rules and standards.

SECOND-The gap between those who follow Jesus becomes so wide that you can tend to think that you have nothing in common. You, who are believers, ride on the white horses while those who are unbelievers, ride the dark horses-and they are lame.

THIRD-There is a tendency to "take a stand" for righteousness and to establish sacred noble causes that are all opposed to the world. Several years ago, Bob Briner in his book, Roaring Lambs, used to have as a subtitle: "7 Noble Causes That Keep Christians from Changing the World". He listed the following:
1. Squabbling over prayer in public schools! 2. Making Jesus a right-winger! 3. Thwarting the homosexual agenda! 4. Fighting other Christians over doctrinal purity! 5. Shutting down the abortion clinics! 6. Cleaning up television! 7. Fighting for family values!

These may be noble causes, but when they become the focus and the "stand" you must take against the world, they push the world away from Jesus. I've added several more of these noble causes today. By "taking a stand" we set ourselves up as the righteous ones and all others who don't agree are the unrighteous. "Taking a stand" becomes so ugly. It's no wonder Christians are known for their condemning and judgmental spirit and not for the love of Jesus.

For example, it's impossible to say to a homosexual, "I love you." Then, to tell him he is going to hell for being a homosexual. You just can't it both ways.
It is a very simple thing to debunk this myth by what Jesus taught His disciples about the world, yet I have stumbled over this passage for years. In John 15 Jesus says, "If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first." He goes on to say, "If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also." I skipped over this for years, because I found this not to be true in my experience. The world seemed to love me. It was the religious who seemed to always give me the most grief. So, underneath I had this secret fear that I wasn't in sync with Jesus.

Now, it's been my experience that when you are troubled by something in the scriptures, keep reading. In John 16, Jesus clarifies who this world is: "All this I have told you so that you will not fall away. They will put you out of the synagogue; in fact, the hour is coming when those who kill you will think they are offering a service to God."

Who is the world? Who are these people? They will put you out of their synagogues-their religious establishments-and will think that they are doing a righteous act-the right thing-as they come against you. They will think they are offering a service to God by their actions. Who are these people? They are the religious ones who are at the helm of their man-made systems and simply Jesus-Jesus plus nothing-interrupts what they already have going for them.

The world is not the secular world system, but the religious. We have more in common with the fellow travelers of the world than with the religious. It's the religious who believe they have it altogether and don't have need for Jesus that Jesus criticized and attacked. He called them vipers and painted tombstones. He really wasn't nice to them, because they are the greatest threat to the Jesus movement today. The non-religious are much more attracted to Jesus and to you as you practice the principles and teachings of Jesus and lovingly touch them.

MYTH #9--Jesus prefers mega-Churches and mega-ministries!

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We live in an age of mega-sizing! Bigger is better! Whatever is mega ought to be better than what is small-especially is this true with respect to ministries. The killer question that is always asked of a church or a ministry is: "How many?" The living myth is that Jesus is pleased with these numbers and the masses, too.
One of the great leaders within the mega-church movement, Bill Hybels, has acknowledged that he has been asking the wrong questions. One of those wrong questions is the "How many?" question. It just hasn't produced the transformational change within the church fellowship and has robbed us from asking the right questions. Now, after having participated as pastor of one of the early mega-churches in the US, as a staff member of one of the largest para-church ministries and as a speaker on the largest corporate seminar platform, I have come to understand the great limitations of working with the masses.

The damage of buying into this myth of mega-sizing is threefold: FIRST-The mega-sizing of the Church hasn't brought about cultural transformation within the US. Rick Warren posed a question that ought to haunt anyone who is concerned about advancing the Jesus movement: "Tim, why is it that, even though we have trained thousands of pastors and now have more mega churches in our country than ever before, we are not making any significant penetration into our culture?" We basically remain at the same numbers within the Church in the US, year after year.

SECOND-The mega-sizing myth of the Western Christian culture serves as a bad example to the followers of Jesus around the world. If we are essentially failing in our country, why export this thinking to the many cultures of the world?

THIRD-The mega-sizing myth has produced thousands upon thousands of spectators who believe they are doing the will of God on planet earth. Spectators-not participators! Ministries then become like the football game-50,000 spectators in the stands, badly in need of exercise and 22 people on the field, badly in need of rest. When you serve as a spectator, it's too easy to substitute attendance for participation-watching and not doing-hearers of the word who delude themselves rather than doers of the word.

I want to make three observations in order to debunk this myth that Jesus prefers the mega-church and mega ministries. FIRST-Jesus spent most of His time and energy with the few and avoiding as much as possible the masses. Now, to be clear, Jesus spoke and fed the masses, but His more common practice was not in that kind of venue. One of my mentors really worked me over on this. I was continually referring to the masses, but he kept correcting me to focus on the individuals. He said, "You don't change the masses; you change individuals one at a time."

SECOND-Jesus spent most of His time with the poor and disenfranchised rather than the powerful. There were powerful people who came to Jesus and were changed, however Jesus tended to seek out the leper, the lame and the blind. When you're into the mega-sizing of your ministry, there will be a tendency to show off the celebrity-the actor, the athlete, the rich and successful as examples. There is nothing wrong with the powerful and influential, but the crowds may not flock in the direction of the poor and disenfranchised. Jesus went there!

THIRD-Jesus was into the power of the few! Instead of going on CNN and seeking to produce mass seminars, mailers and email blasts, Jesus sought out three religious rejects to come and be with Him. And, from this relationship with the three, then the twelve and the seventy-two, the Jesus movement rippled throughout the world and the revolution is still on today!

We are seeing this play out in our ministry. We are focusing on the few and as those few really get it, the message of Jesus spreads like a wildfire. You see, within the context of the few, you are able to really get to know one another and put the principles and teachings into practice. This kind of experience is the taste of reality everyone is longing for. This is the Jesus movement at its best!
Jesus taught: "Where two or three are gathered together in His name, He will show up." This is what we want. This is what we desperately need. We need Jesus to show up among us and lead out with His orders and opportunities. You see, Jesus won't be found within the mega-church or mega-ministry as easily as within the context of the few. There's nothing wrong with the mega-church or mega-ministry, but there is something far better that Jesus had in mind.

Jesus prefers showing up when a few are gathered together in His name. If you knew Jesus was going to show up some place this week, wouldn't you want to be there, too?

MYTH #8--Jesus taught what the world needs now is love!

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Not only is this myth a popular song; it's a constant and overused anthem of many sermons, articles and conferences. This is so popular that most would attribute it to one of the teachings of Jesus, but it's not. Jesus had something more in mind when it comes to love.
The damage is minimal, yet to embrace this myth is to miss out on the dynamic of what Jesus meant by love. The bottom-line problem is that, love in order to be genuine and powerful must be active.

This one is easy to debunk. FIRST-Love in the teachings of Jesus was a verb-to love. Love as a noun can be discussed; love as a verb must be demonstrated. Love as a noun can generate lots of opinions; love as a verb must be operational-not just talked about, but acted out.

SECOND-Love in the teachings of Jesus was ultimately demonstrated in His act of sacrificial love when He gave Himself up to die on the cross. Jesus came as King of kings to present the new, revolutionary Kingdom. It wasn't a Kingdom of just powerful ideas nor a Kingdom showing off great power; it was a Kingdom of sacrificial love. And, if you are to take up His cross, you must learn to make your life a life of sacrificial love as well.

THIRD-Love in the teachings of Jesus is bi-directional-to love God and to love your neighbor as yourself-and can be practiced by anyone and everyone.
When Jesus was asked to choose the greatest commandment of all, He couldn't just choose one. He offered two, because it's impossible to have one without the other. There are three times this is recorded in the Gospels and each one teaches something a little different.

In Matthew 22:37-40, Jesus replied: "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments." NOTE that upon these two commandments of love all of the Law and the Prophets rest. Loving God and your neighbor are foundational-the most basic actions you can practice.

In Mark 12:28-34, One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, "Of all the commandments, which is the most important?" "The most important one," answered Jesus, "is this: 'Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.' The second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no commandment greater than these."
 
"Well said, teacher," the man replied. "You are right in saying that God is one and there is no other but him. To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices." When Jesus saw that he had answered wisely, he said to him, "You are not far from the kingdom of God." NOTE Jesus' comment here: YOU ARE NOT FAR FROM THE KINGDOM OF GOD, when you practice these two commandments.

Then in Luke 10:25-28, On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. "Teacher," he asked, "what must I do to inherit eternal life?" "What is written in the Law?" he replied. "How do you read it?" He answered, " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind'; and, 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'" "You have answered correctly," Jesus replied. "Do this and you will live." NOTE: DO THIS-THESE 2 COMMANDMENTS-AND YOU WILL LIVE!

Do you want to know what you can do to practice the foundational teachings of Jesus, to come close to the Kingdom of God and to really live? It's just so simple: Love God and love your neighbor as yourself. (Now note this: If you don't love yourself, then your neighbor is in a heap of trouble!)

Jesus didn't teach that what the world needs is more love. That's a myth! No, the world doesn't need more love; it needs more lovers!

MYTH #7-Jesus came to take all believers out of here-II.

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The myth that Jesus is all about coming to earth to take people out of here is deeply embedded in the Christian psyche. However, when you examine biblical history and the teachings of Jesus, that just isn't the primary direction God is most interested in. He is more interested in the heaven-to-earth connection; He wants it all to happen down here where He dwells among those who love Him.
There are five movements throughout biblical history that illustrate the heaven-to-earth direction of God trying to come down here to be with us. Yesterday I presented the first two. MOVEMENT #1 happened in the Garden where GOD FIRST WANTED TO WALK WITH MAN, BUT MAN WAS BUSY DOING SOMETHING ELSE. After man was kicked out of the Garden, God made His second move toward dwelling among His people here on earth. God commanded Moses to build a tabernacle where He might dwell among His people. Later that portable tabernacle became the Temple in Jerusalem where God dwelt in the Holy of Holies.

There was a third movement where God demonstrated His physical, visible presence to relate to mankind on earth. It's an interesting phenomena throughout the Bible. It's what many call the "shekinah" glory-the visible presence of God on the earth. This visible manifestation of God is the very presence of God. It's the majestic presence of God in which He dwells with His people. The forms of this visible dwelling place-the shekinah-are many. It could be a brightness, brilliance or splendor. In the Old Testament the Shekinah took the form of light, fire, a cloud, a thick darkness or combination of these in some way. In the New Testament there are new forms altogether!

Let's look at a few of these occurrences. 1. Burning Bush-A bush in the desert caught on fire and yet it did not burn up, because God actually dwelt in this burning bush in front of Moses. 2. The Exodus-The children of Israel were led by day by a cloud and led at night by a pillar of fire-both forms of the visible presence of God. 3. Mount Sinai-While Moses was upon on Sinai, the presence of God was demonstrated by thunders, lightnings, a thick cloud and fire. 4. Tabernacle-We saw this yesterday when God orders them to build an altar or tabernacle where God will dwell in the light and the smoke. 5. Then we come to the most demonstrable form of God's visible presence of all-Jesus-the Son of God.

This is best explained in the first few verses of the Gospel of John: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God-children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God. The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only [Son], who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. His name? Jesus!

God will do most anything to get our attention so that you and I will want Him to dwell among us. Well, here He did it. He sent Jesus Who was God in bodily form. All the fullness of God dwells in Jesus. This is why we make so much of watching what Jesus says and does and say and do the same. The ultimate visible, presence of God is in Jesus! All the fullness of God dwells in Him!

The fourth movement of God was when He sent His Spirit to indwell believers as an altar, a tabernacle or Holy of Holies. Jesus departed and the disciples were to be given the Spirit to dwell in them forever! And, ever since Jesus introduced the Spirit to His disciples, we now have the Spirit of God-the presence of God-living in each of us permanently. This is why Paul says in one of the letters written to the Corinthians: "Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? Therefore honor God with your bodies."

There is not a building today where God dwells-a sanctuary, even though many refer to the church auditorium as a sanctuary. You who are followers of Jesus are now the sanctuary-the dwelling place-of God here on earth.

Now, do you remember the reason why God wanted to dwell in an altar, tabernacle or Temple? It was so that God could dwell among His people. I hope you get this. All you have to do is to meditate on this for about 30 seconds and this truth could change your life and your lifestyle forever! You are now the very dwelling place of God on earth.

Don't you get it? The same God of gods Who walked with Adam and Eve in the Garden, Who was in the burning bush, Who was in the cloud by day and the fire by night, Who was revealed in His fullness in bodily form in Jesus of Nazareth. This same God dwells in you who are followers of Jesus. Do you get it? So that He might bring His presence to earth and dwell among us.

The fifth movement of God to go in the direction from heaven to earth is that He wants to walk with you-to show up among us when two or three gather in the name of Jesus. It's all about being the church! God indwells you-His presence on earth is in you who are followers of Jesus. And, when you come together with other followers of Jesus, you are assembling (or churching) in His name. So every time you gather together in His name you are practicing being the church or dwelling place of Jesus.

There is an ultimate movement of God in the future that many times is confused for heaven. It's when the New Jerusalem descends from heaven to earth. You see, from the beginning of time God has desperately desired to dwell among His people and will someday do that right here once the new heavens and the new earth have been created.

I know what you're thinking. There is a passage that seems to say something different. It is from the words of Jesus in John 14 when He says: "In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you."

Jesus is going to prepare dwelling places in His Father's house for His disciples. It doesn't mention heaven; that's our assumption. Note then He says, "And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am." Whatever this dwelling place is, it will be a place where we will be in the presence of Jesus.

Then Jesus says, "You know the way to the place where I am going." Thomas quickly says, "Lord, we don't know where you are going, so how can we know the way?"

The disciples had missed the point just as we continually do today. There is not a place where Jesus is taking us out of here, therefore no directions are needed. The place or the way Jesus is talking about is summed up in His answer to Thomas: Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." It's not a dwelling place somewhere out there that we ought to be excited about; it's a person-Jesus! He is the way, the truth and the life. And, through the Spirit dwelling in us, we are in the presence of King Jesus in the Kingdom right here on earth. The place doesn't matter; the Person does! Where two or three are gathered together, Jesus will show up and dwell among us.

Hey, as much as I'd like to get out of here some days, what Jesus has in mind is for me to follow Him wherever He goes and be with Him forever. Now, that's what heaven is all about and Jesus seems to be doing His best to come back here. Right here. Why then would I want to be anywhere else?