Why Prioritizing a Personal Relationship with People over Causes is Key to Successful Activism

The Apostle Paul had one focus- a personal relationship with Jesus Christ . “He was not devoted to a cause, but to a Person.” (Oswald Chambers).

This photo of an angelic appearing cloud seemed to fit what Paul was saying. The definition of “cause” is a direct relationship between two events, where one event (the cause) leads to another event (the effect). “ God used angels to announce an event to someone whose actions would lead to another event which would effect the world. When the Angel Gabriel told Mary she was with child and “nothing with God is impossible”, her response (“Here am I, the servant of the Lord; Let it be with me according to your word.”) lead to the birth of Christianity and the greatest effect that mankind has known.  She believed as did Abraham when he was called by God, “Being fully convinced that God was able to do what was promised.” (Romans 4:21) They obeyed and followed God without clearly knowing the long range effect of their future.

However, Once Jesus started his ministry of preaching the new kingdom and performing miracles, John tells us ,”Then a great multitude followed Him, because they saw His signs which He performed on those who were diseased.“ John ‭6‬:‭2‬ ‭They followed the crowd and a cause- a new miracle way to get healing.

Yet, after He preached in the synagogue about being the bread that comes down from heaven and all should eat his body and drink his blood, “many of His disciples, when they heard this, said, “This is a hard saying; who can understand it? and…from that time many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more.” John‬ ‭6‬:‭60,66‬ ‭

Jesus then asked his Twelve if they would also leave, but “But Simon Peter answered Him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. Also we have come to believe and know that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” ‭‭John‬ ‭6‬:‭68‬-‭69‬

As a professed Christian, I must ask myself if I am following a crowd and a cause or do I have a personal relationship with Jesus, my Lord and Savior? Am I willing to follow Him even when His sayings are hard and obedience is a struggle? We must all answer that question. Do we believe like Peter when he said to Jesus , “To whom shall we go…You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” John ‭6‬:‭69‬ and like Paul, ”For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.“ ‭‭I Corinthians ‭2‬:‭2‬

God doesn’t want a profession of religiosity with a cause that can fluctuate with the times, He wants a relationship as our Heavenly Father who loves and cares for each child personally. So we can say, “The Lord is MY Shepherd, I shall not want…” Psalm 23:1

Amen. Amen.👆👆❤️❤️🌤️