My Worship Revolution

(Sorry Jenny…it’s another "Jesus post.")

So Monday I mentioned the supposed "discovery" of the bones of Jesus Christ.  Y’all left some great thoughts.  And I agree.  I don’t believe for a second that these could be proof of no resurrection.  But for just a moment let me encourage you to really use your imagination.  I know that may be tough, especially since the thoughts kinda border on heresy.  But what if there were proof, undeniable, flat out proof that Jesus had not risen from the dead?  Would it really affect the way you live?  (Notice I intentionally said how you live…not what you believe.)

The reason I suggest this is that as it got me thinking, it reminded me of one of my favorite messages I’ve listened to.  It was John Piper from Passion ’06.  In the message he tells the story of a Catholic monk that was interviewed by an Italian news station.  When he was asked what would happen if he got to the end of his life and atheism was true and there was in fact no God, his response was something to this effect:

"Silence, solitude, and sacrifice are beautiful things in and of themselves.  Even if there is no God, I will have done well with my life."

Piper points out that this is NOT the attitude that Paul had.  If it were he would not have said in 1 Corinthians 15:19 –

"If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men."

Paul could say this because he took serious risks throughout his life for the sake of Jesus that brought about suffering in his life.  Had it all been untrue, it would have been stupid to take many of these risks.

So back to my original question.  Would MY life really look any different if I found out today that Christ hadn’t raised?  It’s easy to say that being a Christian and believing in the resurrection of Jesus is truly the core of who I am.  But does my life and my actions really reflect that?  I hope so.  I want to be so sold out to Jesus that I am willing to risk all I have as a result.  The Bible promises that if we are Christ followers, pain and persecution will most definitely follow.  There are Christians around the world who know this truth in a much more real way than I do.  So I’m gonna choose to be prepared for whatever difficulties the world might bring, cause I know they’re gonna come.  That is, IF the resurrection really impacts the decisions I make.

How about you?  Do you take risks for the sake of Jesus?  Have you experienced any difficult times lately,  perhaps as a result of your faith in Christ?  And as a result, are you able to step back, see the big picture, and count it all joy?  Sure we believe without a doubt that Jesus raised from the dead and ascended into heaven, but does that really make a difference in the way you live daily?  Wow…that ridiculous news story really got me thinking.