The J Word 1: Light In Darkness

In April 1991, I was unemployed. Every single meaningful relationship in my life was negatively affected by it. And, the swirl was beginning to affect my health. I went to my family doctor, in Atlanta, and said, “I don’t know what a nervous breakdown feels like, but I may be having one.” He stopped short of an official diagnosis, but he did prescribe medicine.

It was a dark, dark place.

A well-respected mentor in my life invited me to meet with him at a McDonald’s in Athens, GA. I drove an hour to get there, and we sat in the midday quiet of that McDonald’s. My agenda was for him to listen, and maybe help me get back on my feet.
He listed and listened, and then said to me, “Scott, where is Jesus in all of this?”

Where was Jesus?

I confessed Jesus as my Savior in 1968, and I knew I was a believer.

But, in 1991, where was Jesus in this current storm? And, how had I misplaced Him? How had I lost fellowship with Almighty God? What had I done to turn my back on my Savior? At what point did I start listening to the attractive, sweet voice of Satan, and buy the lie? (I can now point you to the exact time of my life when that happened).

Jesus sent my friend to meet me at that McDonald’s, and I like to describe it this way: It was like being in a dark room and finding my friend, who had a flashlight. He turned on the light, pointed it forward, and told me to follow it. The light was Jesus.

My life was changed forever. That encounter at McDonald’s led to a series of days through which I fell to my face and surrendered the rest of my life to Jesus.

Oh sure, it’s not been a perfect 20 years; there have been steps forward and steps backward. I’ve slipped and stumbled – we all do it. There is no perfect life journey in step with Jesus because this world prohibits it. But, my life was changed because I was restored with Jesus. And, while the pressure and stress of life’s storm was and is around me, the cross became and is my anchor in it and Jesus has brought unmistakable peace.

I wouldn’t lie to you. Life without Jesus equals chaos, confusion, fear, anger, loneliness, isolation, and suffocation. Life with Jesus doesn’t remove the swirl of this world, but life with Jesus does bring love, peace, hope, faith, courage, patience, wisdom and encouragement.

My life was changed because a friend recognized my pain, and loved me enough to interject the J-word: “Scott, where is Jesus in all of this?”

This summer 2012, we are going to talk a lot about Jesus. We are going to get comfortable with talking about Jesus. And, we are going to learn about our responsibility to be one of those holding the flashlights. We are also going to look in the mirror, and ask, “Where am I with Jesus?”

Four Haunting Things To Remember
1. As a follower of Jesus, I have no choice but to talk about Jesus. If I am ashamed to talk about Jesus, Jesus will be ashamed to talk to God about me. (Mark 8:38). If I’m uncomfortable talking about Jesus, I must do all that I can to get comfortable. That’s what we hope to accomplish this summer. Let’s all assume we are in the first grade. We are all learning together. We don’t jump from first grade to high school graduation – we’ll use the summer to grow together and get comfortable talking about Jesus. Mark 16:15 reminds us that we each have a responsibility to go into all the world and take Jesus to every person. This is the call for every believer – not just preachers, teachers and missionaries.
2. Everyone needs to hear about Jesus. I consider everyone to be unsaved. I’m not pointing a finger at others by saying that; I’m pointing a finger at myself. If I consider everyone to be unsaved, it heightens the urgency for me to talk about Jesus and be ready to talk to everyone. Some will not know Him at all; others will know Him, and, because of life’s pain, will be out of fellowship with Him. Everyone can be boosted by hearing the name of Jesus today. What if God sends a person to me, today, and I don’t seize the opportunity to talk about Jesus, and that person dies? I must be ready to talk about Jesus. I challenge myself this way: God has someone who needs to hear Jesus from me every day. Am I listening? Am I ready? Am I really following Jesus if I live in ignorance or apathy?
3. You and I can’t save anyone. All we are called to do is introduce people to Jesus. You and I can’t save anyone from the wrath of God. Only Jesus can do that. So, we don’t measure success or failure on someone’s reaction to Jesus. I just introduce Jesus, tell what Jesus means to me and my life, answer questions, and offer to pray for people in Jesus’ name. If I don’t know the answers, I find them for people. It’s okay to admit that you don’t know all the answers, but you know where to find them through Scripture and the church. Let the Holy Spirit lead you in your conversations. Sometimes, the Spirit will press you to say, “Would you like Jesus to be your Savior, too?” You will know the moment; don’t worry about it. Don’t worry about the reaction. If it’s “no,” then say, “Well, if you get to that place in your life, please call me.”
4. Satan hates you and everyone you love. I won’t lie to you. When you and I become Christian Soldiers, Satan takes notice. Most of Satan’s attacks aren’t on the scale of 911. Most of Satan’s attacks are creeping up and whispering in our ear. He plants the seeds of self-doubt, self-pity, self-examination, self-love, selfishness, self-awareness, and self-esteem. He gets us looking in the mirror and rationalizing why we shouldn’t or couldn’t talk about Jesus. And, he paralyzes us from mentioning Jesus to the person God is sending today. And, then Satan paralyzes the next day, and then for a week, and then for a month, and then for a year, and then for a decade. And, soon, we are in that place where I was in 1991 – my faith paralyzed; my life overcome with pain. My friends: Talk about Jesus anyway; pray for God to bind back Satan from your day and trust God to do it.

So, here we go. It’s going to be a boot-camp summer.