There was a time when the gospel of Jesus Christ was so clear, so succinct, so pure and unadulterated. When Jesus walked the earth he announced the good news and invited people to turn to him from wherever they were no matter who they were. There were no doctrines, orthodoxy, or rituals. He was straightforward. “Follow me,” he said. And along the way he healed and showed compassion to the outcasts and so-called “sinners”. He said he was the way, the truth and the life and that those who followed him would walk in light. He instructed folks to simply listen to his words and do what he said. He enlisted disciples (students and apprentices) who were interested in sharing his love with the world and even told them that those who love know God. Could it be any simpler?

Yet in the ensuing years we have so complicated his gospel that we hardly can distinguish what he really meant and did. Could it be that through pride we have made his gospel exclusionary?  Is it possible that we have decided who can be a disciple when Jesus simply proclaimed that disciples were those who followed him by listening to his words and putting them into practice?

Jesus, the Bible says, came to bring grace and truth. Law, while it is fulfilled by the life and death of Jesus, is not the guiding principle anymore. And yet when you look at the 30,000 plus Christian denominations most of what you see are laws, principles, creeds, and doctrines that divide rather than create a unity among us that Jesus indicated would show the world the true nature of discipleship

So, let’s keep our eyes and ears as well as our hearts centered upon Jesus about. He said that anyone who believes, who places their confidence in him, will live forever … starting right now.

There is a fallacy in the Christian life that salvation ends when you have accepted Christ as your Savior and your sins are forgiven. Not so. That’s just the beginning of lifelong discipleship under the tutelage of Christ. We have to keep on. Kingdom life is not just about being forgiven and going to heaven. Kingdom life is about living with Christ in the here and now. Then we won’t have to cram for the finals.

Jesus invites us to follow him, not just believe that what he says is true. At the end of chapter 7 in the Gospel of Matthew he says that whoever hears his words and does them is like the person who builds his house on a solid foundation. Nothing in this world can shake that house.

The book of James says that faith without works is dead. Faith and life go together with Christ. He is not just our Savior. He is our teacher, our boss, our friend; and he calls us to make every day of our life a day that is lived with him, for better or worse. On the good days we celebrate. On the bad days we can still say, “I believe.”