Jesus > Religion

"Many people had been sold religion with a nice Jesus sticker slapped on it.  Many people had been burned by so-called Christians.  Many people had been abused, hurt, mistreated, and maligned all in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.  But what their souls were craving was the true Jesus.  The One who heals.  The One who redeems.  The One who gives life." ~Jefferson Bethke

I can relate to this paragraph.  I lived this paragraph.  I am continuing to crave and find the true Jesus.  It is a cause I believe in.  That is part of why discipleship became so important to me and why I want to promote the case for finding HIM.

Jefferson Bethke's new book, Jesus > Religion, is due to be released in October.  But I have the amazing opportunity to preview it and share my thoughts about it.  For the next few weeks, I will be writing about what I'm reading and my thoughts and experiences as it relates to this book.   I'm very excited because I respect and admire Jeff's work, but I also believe that what he has to say can change lives!  I believe that even without the credentials of a pastor or theologian, God has used Jeff as a mouth piece for awakening truth in people's hearts.  I love that God is using him, an unlikely young man, much like David of old, to bring great things to the Body of Christ, His people.

This book was spring boarded off of his video, Why I Hate Religion, But Love Jesus, that was a viral sensation on You-Tube.  To date, it has over 25,000,000 hits, but within 48 hours of posting it, a casual effort of Jeff and his friend, it was viewed almost 7 million times!  You think it resonated with people?
It certainly did in my heart!

I hope some of the thoughts I share and elaborate on from this book will bring a greater depth and desire to follow the One True King, Jesus.