Worshiping Jesus

Today I was at work and a salesman came in. He's been in several times before and I have never shared with him. Today I believed I was being urged by the Holy Spirit (a lot) to share with him. Then, a terrific opportunity was dropped in my lap. He was talking about his time off and that he planned to go see an Egyptian artifact exhibit about 250 miles from where he lives. He expressed a keen interest in such exhibits and mentioned he had seen two others over the years.

When I share with people, I usually start out in things natural. I don't just walk up to someone's face and say, "Hi, I'd like to share what I know with you about Jesus Christ." I usually try to ease into things. Today though, I didn't have a chance to "ease in." After listening to him for a little bit, I told him that one of the things that I found interesting about the beliefs the Egyptians had was their view of the afterlife. I stated that the corporeal fashion in which they believed the kings would pass from this life into the next was fascinating.

Well, I could tell from the quick sideways glances this guy was giving me that I was busted. He told me immediately that he believed that, "when we die we come back as somebody else. Like reincarnation." I told him okay, but that the Bible mentions that "......it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment," (Hebrews 9:27) He ignored that with a shrug, and said that at his church, they have a guy who is a wonderful grasp of the vagueness of Hebrew and who is also an ancient Greek scholar. He also told me that this fellow has taught some really great courses at their church and that the Greek in the Bible just doesn't always mean what people think it means.

For example, he told me that he really doesn't believe that Jesus ever meant for people to worship Him. No. No you didn't just read a typo. I said "Hmmmm," paused a little bit and told him about the passages where who is to be worshiped is differentiated, sighting the passages in Revelation 19 and 22 where an angel, one of our fellow servants told John not to worship him (the angel) but instead to worship God. I also told him that there were passages where Jesus accepted worship.

He was worshiped by the Magi in Matthew 2:11. He accepted worship in Matthew 14:33, "Then those who were in the boat came and worshiped Him, saying, "Truly You are the Son of God." In the culture of Jesus' day, the Jews would only worship the one true God. The actions of the men in the boat showed their acknowledgement of His deity. He never tried to stop them or correct them. As God in human flesh, He accepted their worship.

In John 8:58-59, "Jesus said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM" 59 Then they took up stones to throw at Him; but Jesus hid Himself and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by." I don't know what the ancient Greek scholar from his church would say, or my salesman buddy, but Jesus is plainly declaring here that He was alive and present as God before Abraham was born, and that His title was, "I AM," the very same title that was used for Jehovah God in Exodus 3:14. The Jewish leaders knew exactly what He was saying though, because they grabbed rocks to bean Him with. They actually wanted to beat Him to death with rocks because He was saying He was God.

Thomas called Jesus his Lord, and His God. There are more examples of Jesus accepting worship, and I told this man gently, "So, I would dispute that claim." When he talked about his church I asked him where he fellowshipped. He told me the name of the postmodern church in a neighboring town that he attends. He and I then got interrupted after concluding our business by a customer, and my salesman friend left. It was a pleasant conversation, and I don't know for sure what the Lord will do with it, but it can't hurt to confront someone with the fact that Jesus should be worshiped.

There seems to be a postmodern mindset (not of all postmoderns) that seems prevalent. It says I can be right, and you can completely disagree with me and be right too. Getting a postmodern to say that I am wrong can sometimes be a struggle, and really takes some reasoning. Once that hurdle is overcome, a little progress might be made. Hopefully, the Holy Spirit will help this man to see that Jesus not only wanted to be worshiped, but that He must be worshiped.