Nowadays, Christian musicians, authors and speakers are able to achieve the same level of fame as any actor, model or celebrity. With podcasts and speaking events and television shows (and let’s not forget Instagram), Christians can also gain just as loyal a following.
Then there are the charity organisations, outreach programmes and mission trips that take Christians to different parts of the world and fill them with a sense of purpose.
All of this makes it so that pursuing Christianity can actually become an appealing idea. But it’s important to understand that, as Christians, we are not called to pursue Christianity but to pursue Jesus Christ.
Are You Pursuing Christ or Christianity?
Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.’
Matthew 7:22 (NKJV)
The verse above makes it clear that it is not enough to do things in the name of the Lord. You actually have to know the Lord.
The people in the parable above knocked on Jesus’ door, begging Him to let them in. They even presented Jesus with a CV, if you will.
“We’ve prophesied, cast out demons and done many wonders, all in Your name.” For them that was enough to earn them eternal life. But for Jesus, it was not.
So how does He reply them? “I never knew you,” He says. “Depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.” Wait…what?
But Jesus, you might cry, they aren’t workers of lawlessness, they were doing good things. They were saving people, doing wondrous works and prophesying to people. They were the people helping out at charities, preaching at events, going on missionary trips. The people pursuing Christianity.
Doing so probably filled them with a sense of purpose and importance and they most likely did help some people. But they did not pursue the most important thing, Jesus Christ Himself, and that is why Jesus did not know them.
Does Jesus Know You?
In order for Jesus to know you, you have to have a personal relationship with Him. Our passport into heaven is our relationship with Jesus Christ. A relationship that rests on the knowledge that He has forgiven and paid for our sins and is our mediator. (John 3:16-17)
That relationship is only formed if you accept Him as your Lord and Saviour and then seek Him through the Bible and prayer. Not through the activities you do.
The speaking engagements, the charities and missionary trips should simply be an outpouring of the relationship you already have with Jesus. They shouldn’t be the basis of it. Why? Because what would happen if you didn’t have them?
What if you were confined in a room with nothing but your Bible for the rest of your life? Would you still have a relationship with Jesus? Would you be confident in the knowledge that Jesus knows you and your eternity is certain?
Unfortunately, for some people the answer would be no.
If you feel that’s you, and even if you think it’s not, it’s time you began assessing whether you are truly pursuing Christ or simply pursuing Christianity. Not only that, but whether or not you know Jesus. Because knowing Jesus is eternal life.
To Know Jesus Is Eternal Life
John 17:3 says:
And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.
Here, Apostle John tells us that eternal life is knowing God and Jesus Christ. This takes us back to what true Christianity is about, having a relationship with Jesus Christ. A relationship with God.
A relationship where you know God but most importantly you are known by God. The wonderful thing is that God promises that if you desire to know Him, you can.
Jeremiah 29:13 (NKJV) says: And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.
When you seek Him, Jesus Christ the Lord, through prayer and reading the Bible, not just the things you do. If you do so with all your heart, you will find Him. You will know Him and be known by Him. So much so that He won’t turn you away but welcome you home as a faithful servant who sought not just godly deeds but God’s heart.
May this be true for you, in Jesus Christ name.
