Jeremiah 32:27 - Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh: is there any thing too hard for me?
WWJD is the abbreviation for "What Would Jesus Do?" If you would like to know what Jesus would do, first read what he has already done. Find out who he was, what he believed and why he did what he did. It has been my observation that Churches rarely do what Jesus would do.
I used to attend a Church that seated about 1,000 people. I tithed and donated allot of my time in the music ministry
~ THE POINT ~
WHAT WOULD JESUS DO?
there. Allot of good people attended there and the music director was just about the nicest guy in the world.
The senior pastor was very charismatic and could turn the tears on and off at will. He was a master at turning on the tears at just the right strategic moment, before the offering plate was passed around. The offering plate(s) would return overflowing with offerings from the very rich congregation.
The senior pastor (The charismatic fellow I was just talking about), believe it or not, was caught shoplifting and one of the major local department stores. I'm not joking! And I understand that this wasn't the first time. The Church, being good Christians and holy because God is holy and all, decided to forgive him and keep the incident quiet and hidden from the congregation. (I'm sure that the fact that this guy generated allot of money for the Church had absolutely nothing to do with it.)
The Church, using the congregation's tithes and offerings, sent the senior pastor to therapy sessions at the cost of thousands of dollars. Not even a year had passed when this same pastor was caught stealing money from the tithing envelopes and pocketing the money. I remember this vividly, because it was at the same time I had tithed my last $14.00 to the Church.
I was raising three children on my own and could barely put food on the table and pay the rent. That particular week I made a total of $140.00. The money went quick and I had exactly $14.00 left. I put the fourteen dollars in a tithing envelope and put it in the collection box.
The part that really got me was, the minister of music (music director) started having marriage problems shortly after this happened. He may have been late for a rehearsal or two, I don't remember, but they quickly fired him! Coincidentally, they hired the senior pastors son in law to quickly replace him. (I'm sure that the fact that he was more charismatic on stage, and put on more of a show that generated more money, had absolutely nothing to do with it) Would Jesus do that?
A good deal of Churches are full of politics like that. If you are not a member of the click, if you don't offer something tangible you don't count. Also, in many Churches, if you don't tithe to that Church, forget about being considered a member. (Who says money can't buy you love?)
This same Church found out that a teenager who was set to play the part of Jesus in the Christmas play had been at a party drinking and someone tattled on him to the pastor. (Gasp!) Well, they fired the kid and told him that he couldn't play the part of Jesus. I guess I'm a little warped, but I believe the worse the teenager, the more important it is to have them emulate Jesus, even if it is only in a play. Would Jesus have fired him?
~ WWJD ~
You'll find that the people who preach WWJD the loudest, rarely care what he would do. You may ask yourself what Jesus would do, but are you interested in doing the same? Compared to playing Jesus in a Christmas play, adultery would seem to rate way up there on the sin scale wouldn't it?
What would Jesus do if you were caught in the act of adultery? You don't have to ask, you only need to read John 8:3-11. However, if you'd ask WWCD (What would the Church do?) read the same passage. You'd probably be stoned to death. Jesus was meek and gentle, but what would he do if he walked into your Church today? 2,000 years ago he walked into the temple and saw people and money changers selling doves and such to offer as a sacrifice at the alter.
What would Jesus do if he walked into your Church and saw people selling books, seminars, and even selling salvation to people in exchange for their tithes? You don't have to wonder what Jesus would do, you simply need to read John 2:14-16.
John 2:14 - And He found in the temple those who were selling oxen and sheep and doves, and the money changers seated at their tables.
John 2:15 - And He made a scourge of cords, and drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and the oxen; and He poured out the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables;
John 2:16 - and to those who were selling the doves He said, "Take these things away; stop making My Father's house a place of business."
The Church has not only become a place of business, It's "BIG BUSINESS". Second only to the pornography industry when it comes to generating capitol. I'll tell you right now - these porn stars will probably enter the gates of heaven before these religious leaders do. (Pastors, priests, reverend's etc. . .etc...) At least they do not claim to be doing what they do to honor the Lord or claim to be doing it in God's name.
These people are greedy and they appeal to the darkest side of peoples nature. They want money more than anything, and appeal to peoples greed to get it. They convince people that if they give, they will receive a 100 fold in return. That's not giving to the poor and it's not charity. That's simply playing the religious stock market! God will "not" reward this kind of giving. But when you give, expect nothing in return, then God will bless you! (Don't let your left hand know what your right hand is doing - even in the Church!)
Does your pastor or members of your congregation appoint themselves as a judge over you? If your answer is no, just light up a cigarette or pop open a Budweiser in front of them and see what happens. God did not appoint us Christians to be policemen over everyone else. What would Jesus do? Just read your bible (new testament) and you'll see what he would do. Nothing! The only people Jesus judged were the religious people. (who, by the way, were judging everyone else, just like today)
So, What would Jesus Do? Again, read what he already did and you'll know. (Matthew 22:37-40) Do you want to do as Jesus would do? Jesus gave us just two commandments. He lived by them and if you want to have eternal life and have everything you put your hands on be blessed by God, you should live by them too.
Matthew 22:37 - And He said to him, " 'YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND.'
Matthew 22:38 - "This is the great and foremost commandment.
Matthew 22:39 - "The second is like it, 'YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.'
Matthew 22:40 - "On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets."
Matthew 7:12 - "In everything, therefore, treat people the same way you want them to treat you, for this is the Law and the Prophets.
What would Jesus do? In this particular instance Jesus would say "Listen to Dan Douglass", because he didn't write Matthew 22:37-40, "I DID".
Dan Douglass ~ I Have Spoken ~
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