I Would Forget Everything Except Jesus Christ

December 6, 2016

I Would Forget Everything Except Jesus Christ

I say this because many deceivers have gone out into the world. They deny that Jesus Christ came in a real body. Such a person is a deceiver and an antichrist.

2 John 1:7

I noticed an ad recently for a new, small-group study about what Christians believe and why. The study is based on the Apostles’ Creed and considers the subjects of: God, Jesus Christ, The Holy Spirit, The Church and the Communion of Saints, The Forgiveness of Sins, and The Resurrection of the Body. One of the largest Methodist churches in Florida is in the midst of a similar study; theirs is called, Grounded in Creed. (http://www.egracechurch.com/) I too taught a six-part series on the Apostles’ Creed to a Sunday School class a few years ago. All three of the series are taking inspiration from the Apostle John: “Watch out that you do not lose what we have worked so hard to achieve” (2 John 1:8a). John was concerned for the church because many deceivers had gone out into the world and denied that Jesus Christ came in a real body. (2 John 1:7) That was John’s way of confronting false teachers, who he saw as a very real threat to the church. The Apostle Paul dealt with this same subject in almost all of his letters.

The church in the USA has undergone a dramatic shift in the last several years. Gone; or at least gone for the most part, is our two-thousand-year heritage of church architecture with our narthex, altars, chancels, paraments, sacraments and robes. In their place are preachers in un-tucked shirts, platforms, and auditoriums without crosses, but with coffee cafes. Let me be clear, I preached many sermons in a Guayabera shirt, and if the new ways are proclaiming, “Whoever has the Son has life; There is salvation in no one else!” -- I am OK with their style. My concern is that we do not lose sight of the essential tenants of faith in Jesus Christ. Regrettably, some popular preachers are leaning more to motivational talks about don’t worry, be happy than joining the Apostle Paul in Gospel messages that begin with, “For I decided that while I was with you I would forget everything except Jesus Christ, the one who was crucified” (1 Corinthians 2:2).

It is not liturgy that saves us, so I am OK with non-liturgical forms of worship. It is Jesus who saves and I am not OK with forms of worship that are not centered on the life, death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus Christ.

Sē’lah

<><  <><  <><  <><

(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

These meditations are written by Alex M. Knight as he seeks the life in Christ as his way of life.  The meditations are published on the BLOG, http://seekingthelifeinchrist.blogspot.com/ and they are also distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com. The BLOG is also available on Amazon Kindle, by subscription.

Publications by Alex M. Knight:

·        Seeking the Life in Christ, Meditations on the New Testament and Psalms has been published and is now available at Amazon.com in paperback and Kindle.

·        The second edition of  First Think – Then Pray is available on Amazon Kindle.

·        Meditations on The Story of My Life as told by Jesus Christ has been released as an e-book on Amazon Kindle.

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.