Followers

What if you had never heard the name Ludwig van Beethoven? You were later asked to go to a junior high School musical where they would be playing some of Beethoven's music. You have entered in and taken your seat. Remember now that you have never heard any of his great compositions? Then you hear the junior high band play a Beethoven symphony. And what do you have to say about Beethoven? "Did you say this guy was a genius? I just heard Beethoven! It was awful!" No! No! You didn't hear Beethoven. All you heard was some people doing a bad job playing his music. Don't judge Beethoven based on how some people play his music. Let me remind you that many are judging Jesus the same way. Jesus has been judged by how well His followers have played His "music." And sometimes, they have butchered it! That's given many people a reason not to follow Jesus themselves. Without doubt you have seen the hypocrites; you've seen the divisions and disagreeing all in the name of Jesus. Maybe you've been personally wounded by some people who called themselves Christians. Maybe someone has hurt you on purpose; I know these things happen they have happened to me but it's how I react that's important. Read what Pontius Pilate, who tried Jesus, had to say

Matthew 27:22
Pilate saith unto them, what shall I do then with Jesus which is called Christ? They all say unto him, let him be crucified. Notice what Pilate didn't say, he didn't say what will I do with Christians. Nor what will I do with Christianity. But what will I do with Christ? Jesus said to person after person, "Follow Me." He didn't say follow My followers or follow My leaders or follow My religion. He said, "Follow Me." It's all about Jesus. On Judgment Day, it will be all about Jesus and what you did with the Man who died in your place to pay for all the sins of your life. The only thing that will matter at that moment will be what you did with Jesus. God won't care what you did with Christianity, but He'll base your whole eternity on what you did with Jesus. Jesus wasn't a hypocrite. Jesus didn't come to start a religion called Christianity, or denominations that have filled our day. The wrongs done in Jesus' name were horrific things that Jesus would have no part of and for which He will hold people accountable. If your trust is in anything other than Jesus, you're hanging onto a life preserver that simply will not save you. Only the Man who paid your spiritual death penalty can do that. Only the Man who has eternal life can give you eternal life. And that can only be the Man who conquered death Himself and His name is JESUS. Followers of Jesus can be just like that Junior High band, leave you with a bad witness. Never base who Jesus is by His followers!