Jesus has very few genuine friends.

I first heard this statement from someone I had met while back in the states in July. They pulled me aside after a group of us worshipped in Georgia. She said to me, “Drew, Jesus has very few genuine friends. So many claim His name, but you are His friend and He is your God.” That meant so much to me, I wept. It hadn’t been in my own works, but His great grace that chose to call me His own. 

Matthew 7:21-23
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 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 mighty works in your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.” 

Does your church talk about this as a reality? When is the last time that your pastor preached this as a light Sunday morning message about Jesus? Some of you don’t even believe that you can prophesy or cast out demons…that’s a different blog and conversation altogether.

If God almighty will say He never knew the ones who practiced the movement of the Spirit with a wrong heart posture, would He say the same to you who don’t do more than just hear a sermon on a sunday? I don’t want this to come across as judgmental, but I want to urge you to lean into whatever conviction might come from reading this. If you want to know Him, lean into His conviction and practice repentance. Scary words nowadays to my generation…but these must be practiced more so to those who are in Christ. 

After reading that Jesus might say that He never knew some who carried His name, I understand what Paul meant when he wrote to the church in Philippians 2:12-13. “Therefore my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with FEAR and TREMBLING, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.”

I want to know God, I want to spend my time with Him. I want Him to know me and I want to know Him. To glorify Him, praise Him, cry with Him, laugh with Him a good Father and the almighty God.

Jesus, the Lord of your life- 
The ‘Lord of your life’ means He is your ultimate guide and He has access to whatever He chooses. He died for you and laid His life down not so you can just live however you please. Enough excuses and reasoning when you know what He has commanded and demands of those who follow Him. Do you just know Him to be a good teacher who had nice life mottos or is He your God? You can answer that with your mouth, but the way you live answers that more than you’d like to convince yourself. Yep, this is straightforward, but so was Christ. I am His and I want to live, declare, challenge, love, and shepherd like He did. You cannot know Him as your savior and Him not be your Lord. As I write these words, I feel the Spirit prompting me and convicting me of where I am missing life with Him. Don’t let conviction stop at conviction. Repent and live differently, glorify your Lord with your life.

Different than Allah-
I was talking to a new muslim friend about Christ and she asked me, “If Christians are already forgiven, why don’t you live however you want?”. I answered her that all too many ‘Chistians’ do live that way and it minimizes the weight of the gift of His grace. Muslims work and hope for forgiveness with little to no promise that Allah will forgive them. If you are in Christ, you are sealed and have freedom in this life. Are you living in the forgiveness that has already been extended to you? Do you look night and day different from when you were not in Christ? The way you live shows the depth of how much you’ve given Him lordship over you. 

Let this be a challenge to put all the cards on the table and start to surrender all things to Him. If you find yourself hesitant and grumbling with surrender, remember the cross and ALL He gave up for you. Rest in His grace, seek His face, read His words, and worship your God!