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To answer this question it is necessary to ask, "Would he call himself Jesus', the name we recognize?" If he did, one of two things would happen.

Firstly, some churches would say, "This man must be the Antichrist, for he calls himself by the name of God's son, but his words and actions show that he is against the very things we stand for. He does not commend us for the correctness of our theology. He does not praise the magnificent buildings we have erected to the glory of God. He does not honour our spiritual leaders even though they have left their secular jobs to take up full-time church work at lesser pay (of course this is tax-free and they get considerable financial benefits for doing this, but they deserve this for they are doing the Lord's work)."

"He even spends time with those addicts and street-walkers who go to that weird church down the road. Some people say they've changed their ways and are inviting all their friends to join them, but we know they'll never change. And what about those gays and lesbians we turned away last month. We told them they could come inside the house of God once they had cleaned up their act. This man who calls himself Jesus Christ (may God forgive him) dares to go around to their bar and talk to them as though they were his equals. That shows what he's really like. If he was discerning he'd be able to see them for what they are. No, we do not want this man to speak at our church."

Other churches may say, "Yes, if he really is Jesus Christ of course we must have him speak. We know he is controversial and may well confront us on some issues, but more than anything else we want our people to hear the truth. If change is needed we must hear what he has to say. We aren't doing enough for the kingdom of God. Our people need to be set on fire. WE need that fire for ourselves."

"We need more compassion for the poor. Most of our members have come from pretty dodgy backgrounds and we spend a lot of time helping them. Sometimes it tires us out. Our building is pretty shabby, probably because we give away most of our income to those in need, and of course there's our prison ministry. We often get criticized for going into prisons. Some people say, What sort of an example are we setting our children?' Well, if we need to change, Jesus can help us."

Of course, if Jesus did come into our midst, but under a different name, the above two responses would still occur once people saw what he was like. Even if his name were to change, his nature would always be the same. He will always judge people's hearts, not go by outward appearances. He will always be welcomed by those who recognize their need, and shunned by those who believe they are self-sufficient. May we never be the ones who would turn him away!

Learn more about this author, Ann Johnstone.
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