How Will They Know Jesus?

In a world driven by adrenaline, where every moment is a rush to do something, be somewhere or get something, peace is perhaps the last thing on anyone’s mind.

It is only at our breaking point that we realize how burdened we had been all along. Man, in himself, was never created for constant hustle. In fact, before the fall of creation, his duties were more of stewardship than hard, manual labor. Blessings in the form of food, land, and every good thing were gifts to be received and not wages to be earned.

Every evening when I return home, I look at the countless faces, lost in endless crowds, moving to and forth to the daily motions of life. The street vendors, the rickshaw pullers, the traffic police, the office goers are just a few of those different categories of daily commuters or passersby whom I see every day.

And it’s the same question every time- Do they know Jesus?

Our Restless World       

A few weeks ago, while making my daily commute, I took out my Bible to read. I couldn’t use my bible app as my phone’s display was shattered beyond use. My fellow passengers in the auto-rickshaw looked over, amused.

I thought of keeping it back but was led to turn it over to Deuteronomy 28- The blessings and curses on obedience.

If You Obey the Voice  

 The voice that we yield to plays a crucial role in deciding our fate. “the voice” of his mother sent Jacob on a fleeing spree for decades. “the voice” of the serpent led Adam and Eve out of Eden.” the voice” of Jesus authorized Peter to walk on water.

Just days before entering the promised land, Moses calls on the people of Israel, recounts all they had been through while wandering in the wilderness for the past 40 years, and urges them to listen and obey the voice of God.

Obedience to His voice would be a matter of life and death (Deut 30:15).

Life and Death

The Bible never fails to hit the hammer on the nail. As I read through these chapters, I could literally visualize huge crowds of people standing together, listening attentively to every word of Moses, their faithful leader of 40 years.

The wilderness had taught them the art of prioritization without rebellion. The previous generation paid heavily for their complaints and murmurings, but the new generation knew better. With just 40 days left to reach the promised land, there were no eager naysayers to undo God’s promises.

Will They Hear Now?

The Israelites learned obedience the hard way. Unfortunately, we humans have been programmed to learn and earn it the hard way (Gen 3:19). But like every software update, we are reprogrammable- with the word of God.

The word is very near you, in your mouth and in your heart, that you may do it.

Romans 10:8

Although it may be difficult and at times not feasible to stop every man on the road and preach Christ, one of the easiest, perhaps the best, way to tell them about Jesus is to live a life worthy of Him.

The Flesh Problem

No matter where we go, as long as we are on this planet earth, we have our flesh to deal with. No amount of praying in tongues or fasting (unless it is till death) can do away with our flesh and bones. If left unbridled, this flesh can cause a billion problems not just for us but those around us- pushing them farther away from the truth.

Some often adopt an extreme view of how we treat our bodies. They neglect self-care for the sake of modesty, live impoverished lives, and shun social gatherings for fear of losing their ‘holiness.’ But, again, that is an extreme view of what God means when He calls us to be ‘Holy’.

So, what does God mean by holiness?

• The Lord will establish you as a holy people to Himself…if you keep the commandments of the Lord your God (Deuteronomy 28:9)
• If you diligently obey ‘the voice’ of the Lord…He will set you high above all the nations of the earth (Deuteronomy 28:1)

The Bible is its own dictionary in that it explains itself. The term ‘holiness’ doesn’t mean absolute perfection or blamelessness. It means to be set apart. When God calls us to be holy, He asks us to consecrate ourselves so that we can be used as His vessel of honor for every good work. (2 Timothy 2:21)

Living as He Did

 Those who claim to live in God should live their lives as Jesus did

1 John 2:16

There is a high price to be paid if you claim to be His. Every word you speak, every step that you take, in fact, every thought you allow to reside in  your mind must be in line with ‘what would Jesus do?’ Following Christ is not for the faint-hearted, but the good news is you don’t have to do it alone.

When I thought of sharing my meditations on SeeCaptions, I never realized how making it visible to the world would make me liable to hold myself to much higher standards than before. It was only after we shared about the platform to our loved ones, friends, and acquaintances that I remembered what almost every spiritual leader from Joyce Meyer to John Roughton tells their church- ‘People are watching us’.

For a moment, I thought of undoing it all and waiting until that perfect time when I would be more ready, but that still small voice bore witness and nudged me to go on.

As much as I am wary of my fleshly instincts, I am willing to follow His lead through it all. The Holy Spirit, which dwells inside every born-again child of God, is there to ensure that we do it the right way, that is His way.

All we need to do is yield to Him completely.

Noblesse Oblige

A French expression that speaks volumes in just a few syllables, Noblesse Oblige sums it up for every believer on earth. ‘With great power comes great responsibility.’

When Jesus came to earth, He didn’t just segregate a section of Jews and go to heaven with them. Instead, He stayed for 33 years, lived the life that we humans do, from infant to adulthood; he experienced every cycle of life and was found blameless and worthy of saving all humanity for all eternity.

And He did all of it through the power of the Holy Spirit!

That same Spirit which raised Christ from the dead dwells in us (Romans 8:11), and we have the same anointing from the Holy One (1 John 2:20).

And that is the beauty of Christian life! We have troubles, persecutions, and all our share of peace-stealers, yet we have Christ and His Spirit, His Anointing that sets us apart and strengthens us to go through the storm with Him on our boat!

So coming back to our actual question: “Do they know Jesus?”

They might not today, but soon they will, and the way you live can make a huge difference in terms of the time taken. Our blessings will speak for us as they see how God has set us apart and is glorified in all He does through us. Our part is to abide in Him, in His Word, and be led by the Holy Spirit!