What Would Jesus Do?

"We put no obstacle in anyone's way, so that no fault may be found with our ministry, but as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: by great endurance, in afflictions, hardships, calamities, beatings, imprisonments, riots, labors, sleepless nights, hunger; by purity, knowledge, patience, kindness, the Holy Spirit, genuine love; by truthful speech, and the power of God; with the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and for the left; through honor and dishonor, through slander and praise. We are treated as impostors, and yet are true." 2 Corinthians 6:3-8

Did you notice the last sentence in the above verses? It reminds me of an event that just happened to some friends of mine. In fact, though the event just happened, it happens so often I had to blog about it.

In the above verses, Paul tells us that he was treated like an imposter for preaching the gospel of Jesus. Just a few nights ago a group of my friends were teaching people about Jesus. While standing outside of a local Starbucks, they passed out tracts and shared the gospel to the people passing by. A girl came up to them, and began angrily yelling along the lines of, “Would Jesus have done this? Would Jesus have told people they were going to hell? This isn’t the way to reach people! You need to use your actions to preach the gospel!” By her statements, she was implying they were imposters—imposters to true Christianity!

But, to answer her questions: YES! Did would and DID do this!

In Luke 13:15 Jesus said, "No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish."

In Matthew 5:22 Jesus said, "But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire."

In Luke 12:4-5 Jesus said, "I tell you, my friends, do not fear those who kill the body, and after that have nothing more that they can do. But I will warn you whom to fear: fear him who, after he has killed, has authority to cast into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him!" (If hell is not REAL and if hell is not SCARY, why would Jesus give such a bold warning?)

And then, in Matthew 23:33 Jesus says, "You serpents, you brood of vipers, how are you to escape being sentenced to hell?"

So Yes! Jesus WOULD and DID talk about hell. He knows it is a REAL and SCARY place, and He boldly warned people about it.

It's sad when people say WWJD (What Would Jesus Do?) and they have no idea what Jesus would actually do. They have some idea of a pretty Jesus speaking kind words, and they forget that Jesus drove out the money changers in the temple with a whip. He was zealous for His Father.

And when His followers are zealous too, and when they deeply believe the gospel that they share with others, and when they can't help but share it with passion because they know it is true, they get accused of being imposters!

Yet in all of this, there is a great reason to rejoice! They are again in the company of Paul, who rejoiced after being beaten, because he was counted worthy to suffer shame for the name of Jesus. (Acts 5:41)