Just Jesus??

I keep thinking about Reverend Reidhead's message "Ten Shekels and a Shirt." The question we all have to ask ourselves is God an end or a means.This wonderful song that has been sung by George Beverly Shea for so many years raps it up so well. Just Jesus? He is enough "For he is your life" Deuteronomy 30:20(c).I'd Rather Have JesusI'd rather have Jesus than silver or gold;I'd rather be His than have riches untold;I'd rather have Jesus than houses or land;I'd rather be led by His nail-pierced hand:refrain:Than to be the king of a vast domain or be held in sin's dread sway!I'd rather have Jesus than anything this world affords today.I'd rather have Jesus than men's applause;I'd rather be faithful to His dear cause;I'd rather have Jesus than world-wide fame;I'd rather be true to His holy name:He's fairer than lilies of rarest bloom;He's sweeter than honey from out the comb;He's all that my hungering spirit needs -I'd rather have Jesus and let Him lead:Ed

I'm not sure I understand the correlation between "Ten Shekels and a Shirt" and "I'd Rather Have Jesus"-maybe I'm naive...The problem with that sermon is that he (Paris Reidhead)made some pretty radical, and off-base comments. Like where he quoted Romans 7:18 and said that we will never be anything different than what we were- when that is not the case. He also said Christ only witnesses by those who say "I'm gonna love you even if I go to Hell"- which is ungrateful for Heaven and false. Christ wants us with Him in Heaven and the only way to get to that umm... end is to come to Christ and accept His gift. That's my two cents-agree or disagree-it's what I feel in my heart. I do agree that God is and end and WE are the means. God has a plan and we either fit into it and see the blessings of obedience, or fall out and bear the curses of disobedience.BUT...I do agree that Jesus should be more than sufficient and I believe a big problem with the body of Christ is our overall complacency. We have all of our needs met with a click of a button- and we seem to lose sight of a good old-fashioned intimate relationship with our savior, our great lover...And WE end up missing out on a deeper satisfaction, a deeper peace, that comes from a relationship with Christ. How powerful the Body of Christ would be against the gates of Hell if we would just let Christ be enough and see His awesome power move. How intimate the relationship!! Just Jesus, for me, all else is secondary. :-D :-D

Chad, Paris did not say that "Christ only witnesses by those who say..." he said "say something like this..."The point he is making is that we should love Jesus because He is worthy, not because if we love Him we will go to heaven, that's coming to God with the wrong motive, we must come to God as a sinner and give Him dominion over our lives.We must give all to Him, because He is worthy.

Perhaps I didn't articulate this particularly well but I'll try again. I agree with what P.R. said, "We must give all to Him, because He is worthy."What troubles me is that Christianity today is so focused on what is in it for me (Believe me I’m including myself when I say this). Rather than just Jesus, we focus on what can we get (e.g. money, healings, etc.). Not all of these things are bad in and of themselves but if they're more important than Jesus himself, than there is a significant problem. When we focus solely on these things are we not like the priest who was looking to see what he could get from God, versus giving himself to God, not because of what we could get but because of who He is?I'm not trying to convict anyone of this. That's the Holy Spirit’s job, not mine. I'm simply convicted by the Holy Spirit of my own desire to be blessed, comforted, etc. versus giving myself fully to Him, without any expectation of return. To be primary focused with being comfortable and blessed and all the rest while those around me are lost and dying and going to an eternal hell is something I can no longer do.Most sermons I hear these days are on what God can give us versus what I can give to Him. I don’t have much to offer other than a broken heart but I want my focus to change solely to Jesus, versus the many things he gives to us.

Ed (and others),You may appreciate this as I did. It is a short poem written by St. John of the Cross.~His Heart An Open Wound~Stanzas applied spiritually to Christ and the Soul By St John of the Cross 1. A lone young shepherd lived in pain withdrawn from pleasure and contentment, his thoughts fixed on a shepherd-girl his heart an open wound with love. 2. He weeps, but not from the wound of love, there is no pain in such affliction, even though the heart is pierced; he weeps in knowing he's been forgotten. 3. That one thought: his shining one has forgotten him, is such great pain that he bows to brutal handling in a foreign land, his heart an open wound with love. 4. The shepherd says: I pity the one who draws herself back from my love, and does not seek the joy of my presence though my heart is an open wound with love for her. 5. After a long time he climbed a tree, and spread his shining arms, and hung by them, and died, his heart an open wound with love. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ May we never forget Him. May our hearts ache for Him as His heart aches for us. Satisfied in Him alone, Chanin

"I'm gonna love you even if I go to Hell"- Perhaps this is somewhat what Brother Reidhead may have had in mind in reference to this:I have deep sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart, for I could wish that I myself were condemned and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, my relatives according to the flesh.They are Israelites. To them belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises. To them belong the patriarchs, and from them, according to the flesh, Christ descended, who is God over all, blessed forever. Amen. Rom 9:2-5At least that's what it reminded me of.Obviously, both Paul and Mr. Reidhead are partaking in some hyperbole here.He is worthy.We deserve hell.Yes if God did want to send me to hell then He still deserves to be praised and glorified for He is GOD!We have lost the conception that God is in control and that we need to bend our wills to His word not His word bending towards our lifestyle. Bend us Lord!Amen to that!Thankfully the good news is despite ourselves;" ... God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." Rom 5:8

Amen and amen!Wow some great comments. God keeps showing me how unworthy I am and how worthy he is. Praise the Lord! Here's another appropriate verse for this thread from the New Living Translation.Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the priceless gain of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I may have Christ and become one with him.

I absolutely agree with every post and thank you to whoever corrected me on my misinterpretation of that sermon. I'm remindedof how little I know. Thank you!!I love God regardless of how my life is going--- blessings or trials. Although I find myself whining to God about my desires, I still long to ask, "What can I do for you?" God is great and no matter if I'm suffering or basking in blessings or provisions from God, my heart is His, my will is His- I belong to Christ.if He must bend me, He must,if He must break me, He must-He is in control and I know He is just and righteous and I have been shown great mercy and showered with grace and all that I can do is give Him all of me.Christ is enough. All else is secondary. A by-product, as Paris Reidhead put it. All signs and hints of His love, His goodness. My I ever be made to be what Christ wants me to be.I'm not there yet but I'm on my way to Him. :-D

Chad, Thank You!I'm reminded of how little I know.The more I know..... ;-)