How do you follow someone that is not here, that you can't see, and that you can't talk to?
Just ask someone else who is already doing it - of course.
Thousands of books have been written, sermons preached, churches 'planted', and organisations formed that would explain, assist, and spread christianity (the following of Christ). One man came (Jesus Christ), and one book was given (the Bible) ... thousands of permutations followed? Hmmm
What must we do to be saved?
One man came (Jesus Christ), and one book was given (the Bible).
"The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent." (John 6:29)
"For my Father's will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in Him shall have eternal life," (John 6:40)
So I just have to believe! Great that is good news. Ummm pardon me sir, what do I have to believe? Ohhh - believe in Him! Okay, alright, that is ... uh, well ....... Excuse me, sorry to bother again, how does one .. uh you know "believe" exactly?
Summary:
Follow a man who is not here and do this believing thing in him. Wade through mountains of material, sit in hundreds of churches, and speak to thousands of other people who have the following and believing thing figured out. Figure it all out, then thou shalt be saved and shalt be a christian.
One man came and one book was written.
What am I supposed to do with Jesus? Christ called himself the bread of life. He said we are to eat his flesh and drink his blood and if we did we would never be hungry or thirsty. Thankfully he said further along that he was talking about spiritual things. While comforting that we are not talking about physically eating and drinking Christ, not terribly helpful in determining what exactly to do with Him. Christ is our spiritual food, but how do we eat it - Him?
I think that this following, believing, (add to that trusting, loving etc) of Christ is both a very complicated and simple thing. it is complicated because I, like every human being on the planet, am complicated. It is complicated because there are millions of cultures, backgrounds, experiences, and understandings represented on this ball called earth. It is simple because one man came and one book was written. I do not know exactly what to do with Jesus, but I think that if I add the tiniest bit of faith (Jesus said I don't need much) to a focus on the one man that came and the one book that was given, then I will figure out how to believe and follow, trust and love.
Maybe so many permutations because we are so complicated. Maybe I do not have to look at all the permutations or even understand them. I just have to keep my eyes on the one man Jesus Christ and the book that was given. Though He is not here, the book says, the man that came is still near. With my tiny bit of faith I will believe that about Him. Maybe if I keep it simple and read the book that was given, I will learn a few more things about the man that came and I will have a few more things to believe. Maybe by keeping it simple and believing what I can when I can I will be following Christ.
Maybe I can figure out what to do with Jesus.
