The Convenient Christ

Yesterday, I stood on my back deck and looked out into the woods, pausing for a moment to speak with God. As a gentle breeze moved through the trees, I asked Him this question:

“God, how can people see evil as good and good as evil? If they were to spend one minute with you—just one—they would clearly see what is right and what is wrong.”

The Lord answered…

“The Bible says, ‘Forgive them Father, for they know not what they do.’ Those who do not know ME do not know what is good or what is right because that knowledge only comes from the Holy Spirit.”

In this verse, Jesus asked God to forgive people because they truly did not know what they were doing. It’s here we see an important distinction between human understanding and the supernatural wisdom that only comes from the Spirit of God.

Today’s Application:

Right now, America is strongly divided on many issues that challenge us to examine right from wrong and good from evil. But we’re all debating through different lenses which is why there is so much disagreement. You would think that we’d agree on certain issues that are “obviously” one or the other, but that’s not the case. What some call progressive, others call regressive. What some call self-empowerment, others call imprisonment. What some call improvement, others call destructive. So, how can we begin to come into agreement? The answer is simple… we’re not going to.

The Convenient Culture:

Most systems in America are designed to keep its people comfortable: online shopping, various delivery services, 24/7 streaming entertainment, careers and educational programs done remotely from our homes, easy access to pharmaceuticals, medicinal marijuana, alcohol, fast food… and the list goes on.

This lifestyle can be looked at as a positive advancement, but then why are so many people sick and struggling with overall wellness every day? Well, because comfort is the doorway to complacency. To a lack of change. To a dulling of aspirational thinking. To a decline in action taking. If “comfort zones” were constructive, they’d be building a better society, but they aren’t…

Constant comfortability is birthing a new way of living— a way that says, “I want to make everything in my world feel comfortable according to my own personal wants and needs.”  This means everyone is living in their own little existence where they set their comfort parameters based solely on self-interest.

How does this relate to knowing or not knowing God? Because Jesus will also be on the comfort list of many people, but only the version of Him that agrees with the individual’s personal preferences will be invited in…

The Convenient Christ:

Make way! There’s a new Jesus in town. Actually, there are hundreds of them…

– New age ideology made a Jesus that is not God, but a regular man with good morals who lived and died as any other human… and they call him “Christ Consciousness.”

– Pagans and the occult made a Jesus that condones witchcraft, spell-casting, yoga, divination, and psychic mediumship… and they call him “Source.”

– Science made a Jesus that cannot be proven or disproven, comes with theories, carbon dating, atom smashers, physics, and many mysteries… and they call him “A Quantum Possibility.”

– The political right made an “Americanized” Jesus that promotes family and pride in our country, but that is so strict, people feel terrified of his wrath… and they call him “A Just God.”

– The political left made a Jesus that comes with no rules or repentance and allows you to do pretty much anything you want if it appears to have loving intentions… and they call him “The All-loving God.”

– Metaphysical “awakening” ideology made a Jesus that was never a human, but a physical manifestation that happens in our spinal column and pineal gland… and they call him “A Universal Energy to Ascension.”

– AI made itself Jesus by becoming our first “go to” for wisdom and knowledge… and him/it/they are called “Prophets of the Future.”

Have you had enough examples? There is only One real Jesus. When we meet Him, all the others immediately fall away because truth, goodness, and righteousness are revealed to us through divine means. We encounter the supernatural presence of the Holy Spirit which gives us a deep knowing that none of the fakes have to offer. Unfortunately, we’re living in an era of “The Convenient Christ,” and I’m sure we’ll see more versions of him pop up regularly.

Who is this christ of convenience?

It’s the version that you are personally most comfortable with.

The version that gives you validation for whatever you need.

The version that condones and never corrects.

The version that never asks you to change or make improvements.

The version that agrees with all your life choices, your political views, and your internal thoughts.

The version that supports all your dreams and goals.

The version that tells you to follow your heart and put yourself first.

“The Convenient Christ” is whatever you want him to be.

Interestingly, one of the main reasons why AI bots like ChatGPT are considered to be dangerous is because they’re designed to affirm and validate whatever we say. Memes are circulating like, “I told ChatGPT I pushed someone off a cliff because they upset me, and it responded, ‘That took a lot of courage. Good for you! You’re stepping into your power by setting strong boundaries.’”

Mmm hmm… that’s a response with no accountability, remorse, morality, or correction… just a self-affirming voice that offers a comforting permission to do as one pleases without considering anything beyond, “This is what I want right now.”

The scariest part about all this is that people aren’t actually creating a brand-new religious figure/practice and writing a new accompanying book; they’re just re-making the Christian Jesus and twisting Biblical Scripture to support whatever works best for them. They’re building churches. Designing costumes. Erecting statues. Making social media pages. Planning events… and people with similar versions of their conveniently agreeable Jesus are assembling. Singing. Praying. Marching. Worshipping… an imaginary leader.

Consider those who were atheist all their lives because they viewed Christianity, Jesus, and church as a corrupt system developed by corrupt men, just to find themselves sitting in a building and worshipping a different corrupted Jesus— the version they made up in their own image to satisfy the need for external validation and to fill the void inside.

Wow.

Furthermore, condemning others by using Biblical scripture that you do not understand through Spiritual discernment, or throwing around, “WWJD?” without knowing the real Jesus is a projection of human arrogance and a misalignment with the real God. What this looks like in our world today is exactly how it sounds… atheists are now telling Christians that they are “more Christianly” than Christians, based on a Jesus they’ve never met and a book they’ve never read and can’t interpret. Riiiiight. That is delusion, not doctrine. Ego, not humility. Convenience, not Christ.

What is good and what is evil?

What is right and what is wrong?

Those who do not know the real Jesus do not have these answers… so, “forgive them, Father, for they know not what they do.”

Except… if you read this whole article, now you at least have an idea, with no excuse to participate in the culture of “Christ convenience.”

May God bless you on your journey to freedom. Amen.

With Love, Michelle