The Politically Incorrect Jesus Sample

The Mark of a Christian

As a Christ-follower, Jesus expects me to believe everything he said and be his representative here on earth. “Anyone who believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these” (John 14:12 NIV).

You ask, How could anyone do greater things than Jesus?

Notice, he didn’t say that we’d do the same works. No, he said greater works. What could be greater than raising the dead, feeding 5,000 people, or healing those in need?

Then it dawned on me. Jesus was really speaking to his followers who’d come after him. They’d speak to millions, change the course of history, devote themselves to starting schools, orphanages, hospitals, leper colonies, and prayerfully take down corrupt governments and institutions that enslaved people. These are greater works.

Even more importantly, Jesus was telling his followers that they would have a new identity as well. The mark of a believer would not be defined solely by what they did, but by another glaring characteristic—their love for one another. Their oneness would set them apart from everyone else. It would include people of every race, nationality, gender, and age group. This creation of a new ethnicity of people would be called Christ-followers.

That thought was driven home to me in 1991 when I was serving as a vice-chair of the North Jersey Billy Graham Crusade.

At one of our committee meetings, a group represented by African-American, Caucasian, Asian, and Hispanic leaders was sitting around a table. As each introduced themselves, I heard that still, small voice say, “In this I am well pleased.” I understood this to be from God’s Spirit, confirming that we know our identity best when it’s part of the larger Body of Christ. We’re made stronger through our diversity.

It is only through embracing this diversity that we will be able to do the greater works Jesus is calling us to do.

Question: How will you seek to associate with people different than you in the Body of Christ?