Do you find witnessing for Christ hard? Here’s one problem you may be facing. Craig Groeschel says people like Jesus until they discover His ‘exclusive’ claims.
One example that Groeschel pointed to of “exclusive” and “bold” claims by Jesus come from John 11, in which Jesus met with Mary and Martha after their brother Lazarus died.
In a recent sermon Groeschel pointed out – “Jesus didn’t say, ‘Oh well. That’s life.’ He said, ‘No, I am the resurrection and the life.’ That’s a bold claim.”
“Whenever the Pharisees got mad because He did miracles on the Sabbath. They said, ‘You can’t heal on the Sabbath.’ He said, ‘No, no, you don’t understand. I am the Lord of the Sabbath.’ That’s a bold claim. He was audacious enough to say, ‘If you love your mom or your dad more than you love Me, you’re not worthy of Me.’”
Groeschel, the pastor of of Life.Church said that people are often willing to participate in conversations about God unless they include the “exclusive” teachings of Jesus.
He said that “nobody freaks out” when a celebrity says they have been “praying to God” or a professional sports athlete thanks God after winning a game.
Groeschel told his congregation – “You can talk about God, or you can talk about spirituality, and there’s not a lot of controversy, but when you bring up the name of Jesus, things often get tense quickly.”
And he warned, when people only focus on the love and miracles that occurred through the life of Jesus, they can miss out on the full ministry of Jesus.