Jesus in Bakersfield?

What if Jesus was sitting in your favorite chair and you were sitting on the couch right across from Him? Would you feel free to talk to Him or would you be intimidated by His presence? Would you just wish He wasn't there? Would you be so over ridden with guilt that you would not even be able to look Him in the eye? Or just maybe you would be really happy to see Him and couldn't wait to engage in stimulating conversation .

Hold that thought and we will return to that potential conversation later .  In the meantime lets just think about what would he the response if Jesus came to Bakersfield and was reported by Channel 23 to be walking down Ming Ave by Valley Plaza. Would you jump in your car and drive too fast getting to Jesus, or would you stay put and wonder what in the world Jesus is doing in Bakersfield? l fear that many of us would not get too excited about getting to see Jesus. l fear we would he harboring guilt over unconquered sins and would not be comfortable face to face with the Savior.

If he did come and l went to see Him this is the Scenario that I envision.                              

I'm standing by a tree as the crowd following Jesus makes its way towards my position. l am still struggling with whether l want to greet Him personally, since I was dealing with some issues l wasn't comfortable talking to Jesus about. As Jesus gets closer l try to get the tree to hide me. Just as Jesus gets in front of me He stops and looks right at me. Chuck, don't hide behind the tree, You should go home because I am headed to your house. I of course am shocked. I say ok Jesus, my address:... Jesus says, really Chuck, l know exactly where you live and I will be there in two hours to talk to you.

In my next post l will try to imagine how that conversation might have gone.

Being a disciple in Bakersfield

What does it mean to be a disciple of Jesus Christ in Bakersfield California today? That is how I choose to be identified but what does it really mean? Being a disciple when Jesus was physically there with you was exciting for the ones who were called during His ministry on earth. They followed Him everywhere, could get a hug when they needed one and benefitted from face to face teaching.

 
It is a little different today here in Bakersfield. For reasons understood only to Father God I was born in 1946, not 20 A.D..So I don't have the benefit of that physical, one-on-one contact that Peter, John and the others enjoyed.  Jesus understood that long before I was selected to be here in Bakersfield in 2016. So in Acts 1:8 he told the disciples (those who were there with Him and all disciples for ages to come) ,"But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."

 
The Merriam-Webster dictionary says that a disciple is "one who accepts and assists in spreading the doctrines of another." So if I understand correctly, to be a disciple of Jesus Christ today I must accept the teachings of Jesus and then do everything I can to spread that message utilizing the power and presence of the Holy Spirit in my life. That is the challenge and the mission should I choose to accept it. If only it were that easy for me. Stay tuned.
  

I  don't want to be a Christian in name only. I have no interest in merely going to church because it is acceptable. I don't want to force myself to pray just because it is expected. When I decide to give money or food to the homeless guy at the mall I want to give out of genuine compassion, not because it is the 'Christian' thing to do.

There is nothing I have done on my own to deserve the title "disciple of Jesus Christ", yet that is exactly what I want to be. Jesus Christ traveled around the ancient Holy Land for three years establishing His identity as the Son of God, the Messiah and the Savior who was sent to repair the broken relationship between man and Creator God. Why would I not want to follow Him?

Because it requires commitment, that's why. Being a disciple of Jesus Christ involves giving up our pride and submitting our self to the service of the rejected, abused, tortured, killed and risen Son of God. Following Christ means that I totally surrender my desires to the will of God. It means I may have to make a decision to put myself into an uncomfortable situation in order to truly minister to a needy soul.

I can do this because I realize that the man who walked the earth teaching about our need of God, healing the sick, restoring sight to the blind and raising the dead was not just a man at all. He was totally human and at the same time was totally God. He felt hunger, sleeplessness and pain but never sinned. He trod in sandals across the rocky countryside while at the same time slipping gently into the souls of those who accepted His message.

That is someone truly worth following. I want to learn to communicate for effectively with Him, worship Him with integrity, and serve Him faithfully. I choose to be a disciple of Jesus Christ.