Jesus Needs New P.R.

Sep 23

I have said for a long time Jesus needs some new P.R. You know what I mean? The people who are calling themselves Christians haven’t been the best (especially lately) at showing the world what would Jesus do. Maybe because the bracelets have gone off trend.

I am not immune to needing to read a post like this even through I am writing it. There have been more times than I care to admit where I have not chosen kindness, acted out of defensiveness, had a biting tongue, ignored the needy, been selfish with my resources, operated out of scarcity mindset - and I could go on. I tell on myself lest you think I am standing on a high horse pointing down. I am not. Think of this more like we are in a crowd and I am elbowing you to join me on a new and different path.

I have been thinking a lot about Philippians 2 lately. The part where the author of Philippians tells us how the one person who didn’t have to (because he is God) laid down every single right he had, and didn’t complain about it, in order for him to die a horrible death on the cross for you and for me. He laid down his rights, and his life, and did it silently. Once again I am feeling convicted. I may lay some things down for others, but silently isn’t something I do well. Ask my family, or check my Instagram.

Here’s the thing, in the United States of America, man do we like our rights. We sing about them, make bumper stickers in defense of them; the right to have rights and speak loudly about them is pretty much as American as you can get. And again, this is not me on a high horse. I have loved being American, I have proudly talked about my rights in places where I probably should have been quiet. Because of these rights, I am who I am and for them I am grateful.

This is where the rub comes. As a Jesus Follower, I can be thankful for where I am from, proud even, but when it comes down to it, we are suppose to follow the example of Jesus and lay ourselves down for each other. And not only for each other but for our neighbor and our enemies (politically maybe?). We are to take a lesson from Jesus and be willing to give up everything so others can know love, forgiveness, grace, salvation and freedom.

I will let you think on that and leave you with a list of what should define us as Jesus Followers, maybe we can start by praying through it, asking God to allow these things to mark us. It is a list taken from the Bible, largely the Beatitudes. In my experience following Jesus always starts with surrender. So first, again, I surrender my rights. My right to be right, my right to be heard, my right to be better than others, my right win, my right to my wealth, my right to influence (you can fill in the blanks for yourself) and in turn I want to become more like Jesus, as demonstrated in the list below.

Jesus, help us to be known as your people. Let not our fight for our rights mark us, but the things that follow.

Christ Follower’s Will Be Know By Their :

mourning

giving

encouraging

pursuit of rightness for others

trust in God

love for each other and the other

taking a first step when they don’t know the next

kindness to those who are unkind to them

forgiveness

wisdom

choices

sacrifices

belief

faithfulness

pure hearts

generosity

mercy and grace

a story that points to God

Philippians 2:5-11

5 In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:

6 Who, being in very nature God,
    did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;
7 rather, he made himself nothing
    by taking the very nature of a servant,
    being made in human likeness.
8 And being found in appearance as a man,
    he humbled himself
    by becoming obedient to death—
        even death on a cross!

9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
    and gave him the name that is above every name,
10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
    in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11 and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord,
    to the glory of God the Father.

"Like a sheep being led to the slaughter or a lamb that is silent before her shearers, he did not open his mouth" Isaiah 53:7

Final thoughts, here is the hope. You and I can do better at representing Jesus, bracelets or no. With the help of the Holy Spirit, and a whole lot of surrendering, the fruit of the Spirit will show up in our lives and before we know it, we will be the better P.R. so others will want to know about Jesus. Truth? Jesus doesn’t need anything, let alone P.R., am I right? But the way God chose to reveal himself to the world is through you and me and in my opinion, that isn’t something we should take lightly.