perception of Jesus

I began teaching a new series at The Community Fellowship yesterday. The series is titled WARRIOR and talks about the family. In the message we began by talking about our perception of Jesus. How do you picture Jesus?

Some people think of Jesus as the shepherd holding a sheep and around him are characteristics of love, mercy, kindness, gentleness and the like. They have a hard time thinking of Jesus as being tough. Sorry, but my Jesus went to the cross and went through everything including death for me. That is the heart of a warrior.

So I asked the question: what is the cause you are fighting for?

Nehemiah is a great example of a man with a cause to fight for. When he heard that Jerusalem was wrecked, his heart was broken, and he did something about it. In the middle of the re-build there were enemies coming against him and God's people. Here is what Nehemiah said to those who understood the cause:

Nehemiah 4:14 (nlt) --- ..."Don't be afraid of the enemy! Remember the Lord, who is great and glorious, and fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your homes!"

I then get an email from one of our precious people this morning talking about our ministry to the homeless in Roanoke yesterday (see her note here). Vicky asked the question, "What does God look like?"

Back I went to our perception of Jesus. You see my call and the cause that I am called to take up is about bringing HOPE to people who have none. That may be to feed and help the homeless. It may be to pray with or encourage a husband whose marriage is blown apart. It may even be to walk into my own home and act more like Jesus would act rather than as an absent father some of the time.

What is your perception of Jesus?

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