A Man, Not a Plan: Preaching Jesus

Acts 8:35 - "Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus."

When Philip encountered the Ethiopian eunuch, he “preached to him Jesus.” Philip did not preach a system of religion, or conditions of salvation disconnected from the atonement. He proclaimed Jesus as the Son of God Who bears the sins of the world. To do otherwise is to make grace void and to turn conditions of salvation into pure law. When Philip encountered the eunuch, he preached not a plan, but a Man. Jesus is at the center of our salvation. It is only through Jesus and His gift of grace, mercy, and forgiveness that we have a hope of life eternal. Far too often, religious groups get caught up in the traditions and doctrines of their particular heritage and they glaze over where our focus, belief, and teaching should be. 

Matthew 4:19, Jesus says, "Come, follow me." Jesus is our "pattern."

Most people like the comfort of having rules to follow. Rules give us a clear understanding of what is expected. Obey the rules and we feel safe, confident in our actions, and assured of positive outcomes. However, excessive focus on rules can make us arrogant and judgmental. Jesus did not give us a rulebook. Instead He said, “Follow me.” The important difference between rule keeping and Jesus following, is where we place our focus. 

Jesus extended an invitation to follow to every single kind of person imaginable — rich people, poor people, people who were spiritual, people who weren’t spiritual. He didn’t place a bunch of conditions on His offer. He just invited them to follow. Deep down, we all know that if our relationship with God depends on how we keep His rules, we’re in trouble. 

But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners. — Matthew 9:13

Jesus didn’t worry that others would think less of Him. Instead, He invited those who were far from God to experience God’s love… by following Him. He wasn’t content to just be with people who believed all the right things or behaved in all the right ways. He wanted to join with the people who believed all the right things and behaved in all the right ways in order to call those who didn’t.

This is important because it means the church all over the world can’t become a place that is content to gather together and believe the right things and behave in the right ways and stop there. If we do, we’ll find ourselves outside the room Jesus inhabits when He comes to call the sick and the sinners who need a Savior.

It’s not enough to believe right. It’s not enough to behave right. Christians who are content with that eventually become Pharisees. They become judgmental. They become the ones who demand that others change before they can begin to follow Jesus.

"Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow Me." — Mark 8:3

Preach Jesus!