IF I BE LIFTED UP

Jesus Christ must be lifted up! He must be lifted up through the life of every person who professes to be a son or daughter of God.

The world is not attracted to Christians who do not lift up Jesus. Many churches do not draw the world because the lives of their members do not reflect Jesus. A church may claim to be a New Testament church that does Bible things in Bible ways but if her members don't know Jesus, their being right will not attract the lost. The same congregation might paint CHURCH OF CHRIST on a sign by the building and call her members "Christians," but if Jesus is not the center of worship, her claims will not draw men unto God. Some super promotion may attract people to a church building for a moment but the building has no power to save.

Without Christ, whatever we profess and fervently teach is worthless and powerless to effect a permanent change in a sinner's life. It's like someone once said, "When you take CHRIST out of CHRISTIAN all that you have left is IAN which stands for I AIN'T NOTHIN'."

Much too often a congregation's work of spreading the "good news" centers around an eloquent preacher, a super bus program, a unique method, modern machinery, or an elaborate church building. I don't believe for a moment that God has anything against such things. I do believe He has a problem with any of those things when we attempt to attract the lost with people and programs without lifting up Jesus. It is Jesus who draws (Jn. 12:3), and saves (Matt. 1:21), and preserves (Jude 1) people. He must be at the center of everything that we are engaged in as a body of believers if the lost are to be saved.

Jesus is not presented to people by the multitude of words that we spew at them nor by the "heavy" scriptures which we lay upon their minds. Neither is Jesus perceived by running others down as we exalt our own perceived righteousness. Jesus is lifted up as we go about our daily life living as redeemed sinners saved by God's grace that is in Christ Jesus.

In the gospel of John Jesus said, "I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself." (c.12:32) He also stated, "The Son of Man MUST be lifted up" (c.3:14) and "WHEN you have lifted up the Son of Man THEN you will know who I am." (c.8:28) When Jesus is lifted up before the eyes of the world in the lives of Christians, the Lord will open their hearts to respond to the message. (Acts 16:14)

---Riley Walker

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