All the world needs is Jesus

Preface

I started thinking about the sentence “All the world needs is Jesus” the other day and at the same time it seemed like a no brainer and that something was missing. Eventually I figured out what I thought was missing  

Introduction

All the world needs is Jesus.  If this was ALL the world needed, it would really simplify my life. Unfortunately…

Assuming that ALL the world needs is Jesus can lead us to think:

1. It’s not my problem; it’s Jesus’ problem, so I don’t have to worry much about the world. 
2. The problem is the people without Jesus. They did not believe which was their decision, which makes it their fault. 

However, the buck really does stop with us, the church, because the only thing people see in this world to perceive Jesus is Christians. 

And the only thing they see is what they see. When we act like saints in our churches and our soup kitchens but jerks on Facebook and in politics the only thing most people have to go on is our doctor jekel impression. We must be like Jesus in the places people outside the church actually observe Christians. 

I have written about belief more extensively in this other blog but the key point is that we can’t decide to believe. Our beliefs are a primarily a function of our experience and biology neither of  which we control. Therefore the experiences people have had with Christians largely dictate their beliefs and we are the ones that control non-Christian’s experiences with Christians. 

I make my living selling products to people. One of the tried and true principals is to sell in the language of the buyer. Some are looking for all the details. Some want to know what’s in it for them. Some are excited by new stuff and others are afraid of it. One of the quickest ways to torpedo a sale is to speak in the wrong language. This is true with Christianity. We must present Jesus in the language of the people outside the church. It is always the responsibility of the speaker to communicate in a way the other person can understand. We absolutely have no right to present Jesus in the manner that is easy and comfortable for us. 

So saying that “All the world needs is Jesus” is true yet incomplete. 

All world needs is Jesus, communicated by Christians in a way they can understand.. 

So let’s stop trying to absolve ourselves by pushing the responsibility onto Jesus and non Christians and put it back on our shoulders. 

I'm always interested in you thoughts; please comment below.