Hey guys, It’s good to be back. Sorry it’s been so long since I’ve posted a blog, but I’ve been pretty sick ever since we got back from the States. So if you’d like to pray for me, I’d appreciate it.

 

anyway, last night we were blessed to have award winning Christian music artist, Dan Bremnes, put on a little concert/testimony for us at the Living Room. He shared about his personal life and some of the ups and downs he and his family have experienced in recent years, and I found his candor quite compelling.

 

but I think the thing that most stood out to me – the thing that’s really stuck with me, and that I wanted to share with you all is this:

We still need Jesus.

On the surface that might sound like a pretty obvious and dumb thing to say, but I though the way Dan put it last night was really quite provoking.

I’ll just paraphrase what he said.

I think it’s all too easy for us, as Christians, to focus our attention on those who aren’t. We talk a lot about mission and out reach, our vision is to share the Gospel and make disciples, we aim to share Jesus with others. But in doing so – while living with the frame of mind that they need Jesus – we sometimes forget that WE still need Jesus too.

Dan said, “we don’t graduate from needing Jesus.” Just because we’ve become Christians doesn’t mean we don’t still need Christ. Of course we do. Becoming a Christian is not like a one and done thing where when we get baptised or confess Christ we’re all sweet and that’s it.

Unfortunately, though, I think people do think that way.

But we all need Jesus! We can’t pretend to live in the Spirit or call ourselves Christians without daily needing Christ. Yes, those who don’t know Jesus certainly do need Him, but so do the ones who are doing the introducing.

Let’s not forget that. If we do, we’ll grow arrogant. We’ll stop living for Christ and only live for ourselves, even if we claim Christ, and even if we’re convinced we’re ministering or evangelising or discipling.

 

I’m reminded of a passage in Matthew

Matthew 7:21-23 

Concerning Self-Deception

²¹ “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven. ²² On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many deeds of power in your name?’ ²³ Then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; go away from me, you evildoers.’

 

 

 

The point is we need Jesus just as much today as we did before we knew Him, and just as much as we did we we were first confronted by Him, and just as much as we did when we first felt that amazing grace that lifted us up from the depths and gave us new life and purposed us for service.

 

have a great week, and remember that you’ve been blessed to bless others.

-jono