Patience like Jesus

TODAY'S READING: 2 Corinthians 6:3-10
How do you tell people about Jesus? Is it by quoting a bunch of Bible? Maybe you invite them to church? Could it be bringing them to a small group? Or do we have a Bible study with them?
While there may be some good ideas in that mix, I don't think any of those are the most effective way to start the conversation about Jesus. I believe that Paul tells us where to start as he writes to the Corinthian church.
Do you want people to know about Jesus? Here is the formula...
*Patiently endure troubles and hardships and calamities of every kind.
*Be beaten, be put in jail, face angry mobs, work to exhaustion, endure sleepless nights, and go without food.
*Live with purity, understanding, patience, kindness, sincere love, and the power of the Holy Spirit.
*Faithfully preach the truth.
*Serve God whether people honor you or despise you, whether they slander you or praise you.
*Be honest when people call you an impostor.
You might say, OK, but that is not the way Christians are treated today. People aren't threatening to put me in jail or beat me. Two thoughts. First of all, you may be right that Christians are not treated that way where you live, but have you been to any foreign countries lately? Christians are killed and jailed all the time in other places. It is estimated that over 100,000 followers of Jesus are killed each year for their faith.
That leads to my second thought. Are we not being mistreated because we are not living faithfully to our call? Have we sold out to our culture and accepted things that contradict the call of Christ? Are we treated like everyone else because we act like everyone else?
If that is true, we are letting down our brothers and sisters who put their lives on the line every day in other nations. And we are letting down the One who died for us and to whom we claim allegiance.
About 2,000 years ago, Jesus was falsely accused, stripped, beaten, and forced to carry a cross He didn't deserve. He was laughed at, mocked, and rejected. He was nailed to that cross and a crown of thorns was placed on His head. Jesus suffered agony and humiliation. Should we expect any less? Are we willing to settle for "comfortable" Christianity? Do we think that a little struggle is too much to ask for?
If we are going to be Jesus to this world, we need to look like Jesus. We must be willing to be mistreated, pure, kind, and so much more. We have to live like Jesus if we want to have the impact He had. Jesus did not change the world because He was popular and agreed with the culture of His day. He changed people's lives because He was different. He offered a different view on life. He offered a different way to treat people. He offered a radical form of religion. He was willing to give up everything He had so that others could have so much more.
Are we willing to do the same? Can we give up the things that make us comfortable so we can offer others the One who will bring them peace? The followers of Jesus we read about in Acts were willing to make that kind of change in their lives. And look at the difference it made.
Are we ready to be the Jesus we see in the Gospels and the disciples we read about in Acts so that we can have the life-changing impact they did?

shine!
Jason