Jesus Doesn’t Want Your Belief
Pastor Jason Jesus wants your trust. And that is a good deal more than belief!
Belief is a tricky thing. Belief for many is something they stake their lives on. For others belief is an honest and vulnerable journey of discovery traveled throughout a lifetime.
Sometime we believe what we say and say what we believe. Other times we say we believe in something, but sure don’t act like it. And sometimes we deny we believe even though our actions say otherwise. For example…
I believe in free speech. But there are some forms of speech I do not accept, will not support and I certainly will not go along with certain kinds of speech – hate-speech, bullying, slander.
I believe evil exists, but I do not seek it out, I do not give my allegiance to it, I do not follow it.
I believe in the goodness of bacon, chocolate, and ice cream….but I do not base my diet around them, I try not to give into them too much, I eat them in moderation.
I believe in science and reason, but I do not stake my whole life in them because there’s more to living than science and reason, there are too many things that we cannot explain with them. And the irrational and unscientific are too beautiful to resist, too real to renounce, and too true to ignore.
Belief – an acceptance that something is true or that something exists
I believe in a lot of things. That does not mean I put my trust in them. It does not mean that I follow them, that I change my life because of them, that I live differently because of them.
You see, belief is cognitive. And the life and teachings of Jesus are so clearly about the way we live – not merely about what we cognitively believe in.
In fact, the word belief in our language is much to simplistic of a word to fully get at the meaning of the relationship with Jesus that scripture calls is to.
The Greek word in scripture is pistueo – and it is usually translated belief. For example, John 3:16 –
For God so loved the world that he gave his only son that anyone who believes in him shall have everlasting life.
The word believe here is pistueo – and it means more than cognitive acceptance. Pisteuo is belief with legs. It means to trust, to entrust your life to, to follow because you have confidence in, something which you accept so as to live your life differently because of it.
God so loved the world that he gave his only son that anyone who follows him, trusts in him and lives out that trust shall have eternal life.
That’s a good bit different than simply believing in Jesus.Pisteuo is belief with legs.
Let me be a little provocative: Jesus does not desire your belief. Jesus desires your trust. God desires that you follow the way of Jesus through your living actions to fulfill your purpose within God’s good creation.
This is an excerpt taken from Pastor Jason‘s sermon Beyond Belief on May 11, 2017. Read or listen to the full sermon here.
Scripture Readings
Acts 4:5-12–“Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, ‘Rulers of the people and elders, if we are questioned today because of a good deed done to someone who was sick and are asked how this man has been healed, let it be known to all of you, and to all the people of Israel, that this man is standing before you in good health by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead.” (v.8-10, NRSV)
Psalm 23–“He leads me in the right paths for his name’s sake.” (v.3, KJV)
1 John 3:16-24–“My little children, let us not love in word or neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.” (v.18, NRSV)
John 10:11-18– “I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me.” (v.14, NRSV)
This Week at Hood
Wednesday, April 18th, 6:00 pm – Choir
Wednesday, April 18th, 6:00 pm – “Young-ish” Small group
Thursday, April 19th, 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm – Pastor Jason at The Cellar for Drop-In Coffee & Conversation (108 N Wilson St)
Friday, April 20th-Saturday, April 21st – NC Disciples of Christ Regional Assembly, Greenville, NC
Sunday, April 22nd, 11:00 am – Worship; 12 noon–Fellowship Lunch (Fajita/Taco Bar)
Upcoming Events
Saturday, April 28th, 10 am-12 noon – Community Garden Workday
Wednesday, May 16th, 7:00 pm – Board Meeting
Sunday, May 20th, 11:00 am – Installation Service for Revs. Jason & Joanie Williams