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The Real Jesus
by Francis Frangipane
Not
only is Jesus our Savior, He is also the
"author and perfecter of our faith"
(Hebrews 12:2, NIV). Grab with both hands
the thought that He is the "perfecter
of our faith." The faith Christ started
in you, He is now working to perfect.
The
fact that Jesus is the "perfecter of
our faith" is important because even
if we seek to move in prayer and spiritual
authority, even if we fearlessly continue
to persevere, even if we continue forward
with motives purified by love, it is the
power of faith that undergirds all.
Now
the idea that Christ seeks to perfect our
faith makes a fine doctrine, but in the
practical outworking of our lives, we deeply
resist the idea. For we know that faith,
in order be perfected, must be tested.
When
I speak of faith, I do not mean a thorough
compilation of Bible facts or an intellectual
assent to our need of salvation, both of
which are elements of spirituality but not
the very substance. To amass biblical knowledge
primarily takes time; to possess true saving
faith, I will tell you again, takes courage.
Christ desires we obtain a trust in Him
that can actually withstand and overcome
the terrible storms of life - faith that
brings the reality of heaven to earth.
Faith,
therefore, is more than head knowledge;
it is our lock upon the goodness and power
of God so that no matter what we face outwardly,
inwardly we stand secure. And no matter
what the world looks like outwardly, it
has the potential to be transformed by our
faith. As Hebrews 11 makes clear, all those
who possessed true faith changed the world
around them.
Perfect
or Protect?
Knowing that faith is much more than religious
doctrines, I wonder: Do we truly know the
Jesus of the Bible and what He seeks to
give us? Too often, I think, we desire a
Savior who, after assuring us of eternal
life, leaves us alone until our next crisis.
We want Him to comfort us but never convict
us; we desire Him to heal us but not inhabit
us. We want the Holy Spirit to help us obtain
the ";American dream." Yet what
we have is a Holy Spirit who, instead, seeks
to give us the dream of God: man living
in the image of Christ (see Genesis
1:26).
This
means that God's goal is not merely to save
us, but to conform us to Christ. He seeks
to perfect us, not merely protect us. To
perfect faith, God intentionally allows
conflicts to storm against our souls. I
know we picture Jesus as gently holding
us, patting us on the back, saying, "There,
there, it'll be all right." Listen,
that is not the voice of Jesus; that is
the echo of your mother speaking. Thank
God for mothers, but Jesus is seeking to
get us to stop being such babies. He wants
us to grow up into His image.
Remember,
I am talking about the real Jesus now, the
one who said, "All things are possible
to him who believes" (Mark 9:23). If
the Jesus you are following is not leading
you into the realm of the impossible to
make changes in your world, you are probably
following the wrong one.
You
see, we do a disservice to people when we
tell them, "Give your life to the Lord
and He will keep you from trouble."
That is not true. We would be more honest
to say, "Give your life to Christ,
and He will empower you to overcome trouble
and adversity." Yes, He will take care
of you. But He will not do so by putting
you in a harmless world void of problems;
rather, He will perfect virtue in you by
developing character and by requiring faith
- all of which creates the spiritual shelter
of a transformed life.
A
Storm, a Ghost or Jesus?
Get used to the idea that Jesus is seeking
to perfect your faith. Plan on the fact
that He will probably set you in some otherwise
impossible situation to force your faith
to the surface. Sooner or later, the real
Jesus will require you to look the impossible
straight in the eye and believe God for
His power.
Consider
the incident when Christ sends His disciples
ahead of Him by boat across the Sea of Galilee;
that night He crosses this same sea Himself
walking on water (see Matthew 14:22 - 33).
Yet, He decides to wait until a storm is
rolling in with contrary winds and waves
before He sets out. He could have waited
for a calm day or simply arrived at the
other side supernaturally without stopping
alongside the boat in the middle of the
sea. No, He comes to the disciples with
something in mind: He comes to teach a lesson
on trust.
Please
note that this is a violent storm and that
He offers no preliminary instruction, no
"Basic Water-Walking 101." He
doesn't let them practice on puddles or
wait until winter so they could walk on
frozen water first. He waits for a storm
to teach water-walking, which is by all
accounts harder to do on rolling waves than
on a placid sea. Then, on top of that, He
does not come in daylight; He comes at night.
So Jesus comes to the disciples in the middle
of the sea, in the middle of a storm, in
the middle of the night to teach them to
walk on water. He doesn't make it easy.
But this is the real Jesus with His real
disciples. And we can add to the degree
of difficulty the probability that they
are physically tired and more than a little
fearful about the storm.
Scripture
says that the sight of a figure walking
on the water, coming out of the blowing
wind and spray in the darkness of the night,
turns the disciples’ fear into terror.
They cry out, "It is a ghost!"
(Note: Some of the things we label as "ghostly"
or demonic are really the Lord stirring
life to set the stage for a lesson on faith.)
As
Jesus approaches the roll of the boat, He
calls out, "Take courage, it is I;
do not be afraid."
When
Jesus says in the midst of your storm, "It
is I," it is a call to faith. When
He says, "Take courage," it is
a call to action: True faith will always,
at some point, require courage.
Peter
says, "Lord, if it is You, command
me to come to You on the water."
This
is wonderful, really. Here is an insight
not only into Jesus Christ but also into
Peter's relationship with Jesus. Ever since
Peter has known the Lord, Christ has required
him and the disciples to do impossible things:
heal the sick, feed multitudes with a lunch
pail of food, raise the dead. Over and over
Peter has seen Jesus work miracles; over
and over Jesus has empowered Peter to do
what he saw Jesus just do.
That
night on the stormy sea, Peter has this
amazing discernment: "If it's really
the Lord, He will tell me to do what He
is doing: something impossible. If it's
the Jesus I know, in a moment He will be
telling me to walk on the water, too."
And true to form, Jesus calls out to Peter:
"Come!"
Now
Peter is not about to walk on the water,
not really. When he steps out, he is walking
on the word Come. He knows that
the power to accomplish the impossible resides
in Christ's word, and it is this supernatural
reality upon which he steps.
You
see, this is all about trusting the integrity
of Jesus Christ's command. Do you think
Peter feels power when he steps on the water?
I don't think he feels anything besides
the storm. No goose bumps. No "glory
chills." Peter sits on the topside
rail of the rocking boat and swings his
legs over the churning water. Peering through
the wind and rain, he looks at Jesus. Then
he slips down, stands upright in the water
and begins to walk!
Splash!
One step. Splash! Then another and another
until Peter walks right up to Jesus. This
is no little walk. Admittedly, anyone can
walk on water for the first step. It is
the second step and beyond that is difficult.
Peter walks until the waves grab his attention;
then he begins to sink. Jesus saves him,
of course, and when they get into the boat
the wind stops.
Maybe
we would expect the Lord to say, "Peter,
you did it!" Maybe Peter was expecting
praise for his short water-walking career,
but no, Jesus rebukes him saying, "Why
did you doubt?"
Christ
sees the beginning of something great within
Peter and He does not want it contaminated
by pride or self-pity. Most of us want a
medal every time we do something for God,
but He is not about to let Peter or us build
a monument to our accomplishments, especially
when we are just beginning. If this miracle
of Peter's were done by some of us here
in America, in two weeks we would have tours,
T-shirts and commemorative celebrations
of the day we walked on water. But Jesus
will allow none of that for His disciples.
He sees greatness emerging in Peter and
He will not press any of His disciples toward
anything other than full conformity to His
image.
Remember:
God's goal is that we become Christlike.
The real Jesus is going to call us to do
the impossible. This means that we will
be called to do what we have never done
before. You will see Jesus ahead of you,
probably in some kind of storm, but it will
be the beginning of a miracle that will
change you - and the world around you.
Lord,
forgive me for seeking a safe life instead
of a supernatural life. I want more of You.
Call me out of the boat of my familiar,
predictable world. Master, for the sake
of reaching the lost, increase my faith
until I am standing with You on the water
of divine potential. In Jesus' name, Amen.
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Francis
serves as senior minister of River of Life
Ministries in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. 
