Lord and Savior Matthew 4:12-23

Third Sunday after the Epiphany

Matt Johnson, January 25, 2026 at First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) of Albia.

In today’s Scripture reading, it says “Jesus began to proclaim, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” (NRSVue). 

Then at the end it says:  Jesus went throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and curing every disease and every sickness among the people. (NRSVue)

And by doing all that, tons of people started showing up to seek healing. 

In the preceding verses and chapter, Jesus had been baptized and then was immediately tempted by Satan to give up his call to ministry. Instead, Jesus resisted Satan at every turn by quoting the Bible. 

So what does that mean…repent for the kingdom of heaven has come near? How does one proclaim that good news? How is it good and how does it heal people?  Why should I tell others? 

I believe all of this is a blueprint for us as Christians. 

You believe and are baptized. You proclaim yourself as a Christian and you become a full fledged member of the church by getting baptized. It is a very public thing. 

Jesus does this and what happens? Right away, Satan starts messing with him. I can relate to that. I had given up on Christianity for years and when I came back to it and talked about it, immediately, some of my friends started mocking me. They would send me nasty little texts poking fun at it. And then when I announced on Facebook I was going to be preaching here, again, with the jokes and nasty comments about ministers and churches. Some even to my face.

When I was attacked like this, I would complain in private to my wife, who is my best friend and very supportive, but I settled on the words of Jesus: forgive them for they know not what they do. (Luke 23:34, NRSVue). Those words from the Bible were my defense. They helped me. 

Then I began to preach here. And I preached from my heart and gave you what I had found on my journey as someone who had been a Christian, stepped away from Christianity and then came back. I did it in this church to the people of God. That’s you all. I said, here is how a lot of people have understood things, but here is how I understand things and I believe it is very, very good news. 

And for me, that good news has been tremendously healing. Also, finding this Disciples church was, too. As a group we teach, no creed but Christ. That is the rule. I can’t make you agree to understand the Bible the same way I do and vice versa. That gives us a lot of freedom to be ourselves, have our own relationship with God that we define. And because of that, we have a wide variety of folks here who all come together because we follow Jesus. 

So back to our blueprint. Jesus was baptized, tempted, resisted temptation by using the Bible and then began to proclaim repentance. We do that every Sunday with the Lord’s prayer. “Forgive my debts as I forgive my debtors”. That is us saying, God, I have done or thought some wrong things and I am sorry. Please forgive me. I also will forgive others. That is HUGE in this day and age when our typical response to someone who has done or said something wrong is to fight back and fight hard. Jesus is asking us to do something different here. Recognize the sin in yourself and forgive it in others. Soften your heart toward all. Drop the case you have made against them as best you can. As my dad used to say when he was a cop, there but for the grace of God go I. Forgive them for they know not what they do. 

Then what is this good news Jesus is talking about? And how does it heal? And what is with this prophecy? Let me break it down the way I understand it. Some of this will be familiar if you have listened to me before and some it might be new. 

I grew up taking the Bible very literally. I was told it had errors in it by my friends, but I never believed them. I also hung my hat on the prophecies about Jesus. Then, in my late thirties, I decided to see if my friends were right. At first glance, I thought, oh man, they are right. This prophecy quoted here, if you flip back and read it in context, was never meant to be a prophecy about Jesus or the Messiah. This is about Hezekiak! I looked at all the prophecies in Matthew and I found the same thing over and over. They just seemed like cherry picked phrases. I was crushed. And, for me, that was the end of it for many years. I stopped going to church. I felt duped. 

I am here to tell you I was wrong. Especially you young people. I was wrong about the Bible. Yes, these are cherry picked phrases, but I was not understanding them properly. I did not understand what prophecy actually is. Sometimes, yes, it absolutely is about the future, but rarely. Most of the time, prophecy is about truth telling. The prophets, who were women and men, told the children of God, hey, you are messing up and there will be consequences. Get it together before it is too late. And when the Gospels say Jesus is fulfilling a prophecy, what it means is he is rewalking the entire Hebrew Bible, what is referred to among us Christians as the Old Testament. Everything, from him going down to Egypt as a baby then coming back and everything else in his life, he is rewalking the entire Hebrew Bible to show us what its true meaning actually is. Some people will say, and I used to say this too, they don’t even bother with the Old Testament. It's Old. It does not apply to us and it is full of all kinds of crazy rules we do not have to follow. That is why Christians have called it the Old Testament instead of the Hebrew Bible. Jesus says something different. Jesus gives us the key to understanding the Hebrew Bible, which was the only Bible he had and the early church had for a long time, is the Golden Rule, do unto others as you would have them do unto you. That is the key to understanding the entire Bible. He says this in Matthew 7:12, that all the Law and the Prophets, the whole Hebrew Bible, Old Testament or whatever you want to call it, is summed up by the Golden Rule and THAT is how you read it correctly. You do NOT take it literally, but you do take it seriously and the whole thing opens up and makes sense when you read it through the lens of love and as a parable. 

This isn’t me talking. I did not learn this in seminary. I learned it from Jesus simply by reading my Bible. Jesus doubles down even harder throughout the Gospels when he is challenged for allowing the disciples to crush wheat so they can eat on the Sabbath or when he heals people on the Sabbath. Or when he talks about rescuing a lost sheep on the Sabbath. He is saying these rules are stuff you all made up, but the real rule is love. Then he proceeds to teach in parables over and over. 

The idea of taking the Bible literally goes against a major, major teaching of Jesus. He also only affirms five of the ten commandments and they all relate to how we treat people: do not murder, do not cheat on your spouse, don’t steal, don’t lie and honor your parents. Then he adds a sixth one with love your neighbor as yourself. He is asked in Matthew chapter 19 by a rich young ruler how to get into Heaven when he dies, and Jesus doesn’t say believe in me or any of the things Paul says. He says do these six things and you will go to Heaven. Then he says in Luke chapter 10 when asked the same question that you must love God and love your neighbor as yourself. Then he is asked, well, who is my neighbor. Jesus then tells the Parable of the Good Samaritan where a man is beaten and robbed and left for dead and two men of the socalled “right” religion don’t help him, but a man of the socalled “wrong” religion does help him. Jesus is clearly teaching the way to love God is to love your neighbor as yourself and the way to Heaven is love. And everyone on Earth is your neighbor, even the ones you don’t like. 

And you see this universal message from the beginning in Matthew with the story of the Magi, who were wizards from another religion! They know more about what is going on and what to do about it than the people living in Israel at the time, including all the religious leaders. Have you ever thought about that? Why are they there in the story? It’s a powerful statement. They are there to say there is truth in all religions and that truth, like Jesus says in Matthew 7:12, is the Golden Rule which is found in all religions. You can peel everything else away that does not fit with the Golden Rule and there you will find God in all places, times and cultures. These wizards know why Jesus is there and they proceed to save Jesus, Mary and Joseph. It’s a powerful statement. They have studied everything in the world and are highly educated in all things mystical and it not only brings them to Jesus, they are the ones to save Jesus. I relate to this big time. I studied everything, all religions and afterlife studies and it brought my right back to Jesus. Karl Rahner has said “the Christian of the future will be a mystic or will not exist at all.”1 I’ve quoted that before, but I stand by it. We must look at this book through the lens of love or we will never understand it and miss out on all it has to offer. Many have lost the Bible by taking it literally and becoming atheists or they become fanatics and those fanatics drive people away from the Bible. If that has happened to you, I am here to give it back to you. 

The first three Gospels have Jesus teaching this way of love and then the Gospel of John is very different at first glance. It seems to be saying you must believe in Jesus specifically to get into Heaven. When I first saw this difference between the first three Gospels and John, I thought as many do, well, that is a major contradiction. Then I looked again after reading 1 John where the same writer who clearly tells us that Jesus is God also says God is love. 1 John is the key to understanding the Gospel of John and once you understand that, it flows perfectly with the message of the other three Gospels where Jesus teaches love is the way to eternal life. Jesus is literally love and love is the only name by which you may be saved. Jesus is the Word and that Word is love. 

I have also come to realize that the major contradictions in the Bible are taking place when humans contradict God. And Jesus is teaching this over and over and trying to get us to see it. The Bible will say one thing and then that thing will get corrected later on. For example, Ezra and Nehemiah both teach that the Jews are forbidden to have foreign wives. Later, Ruth teaches that is wrong. It is a powerful lesson not only on racism, but that sometimes the Bible has teachings in it that are from humans and not from God and we need to be able to see the difference which is exactly what Jesus teaches. And it continues as soon as Jesus is gone with the disciples. Sometimes, Paul or Peter are great and are doing or saying great things. And sometimes, they completely contradict what Jesus said or make up new rules about women, gender or alcohol that Jesus either never spoke about or said or did something completely different. John does not do this and neither does James, Jesus’ half brother. In fact, the book of James is a rebuke of Paul and an attempt to get things focused back on the teachings of Jesus which are far simpler and far more loving. Paul’s writings followed up by James are a powerful lesson for us to stay focused on Jesus when people try to muddy his message. No creed but Christ. It all belongs in the Bible for that reason. 

And when you find other things, like the family trees in Matthew and Luke or other stories in the Gospels that don’t quite line up, don’t let that mess you up. Different people are going to recall or tell the same events differently. We know that from our own lives. And that is OK. It’s normal. 

With all that said, I actually do strongly believe the Bible is the inspired word of God, warts and all. In fact, the warts are what make it amazing to me. It was written by humans, of course there is going to be some wild stuff in here. Jesus shows us how to read it through the lens of love, through the Golden Rule and through his teachings in parables. You don’t throw out the baby with the bath water and you learn to see the amazing things from God in there. When you know how to read the Bible, it opens up and it speaks to you. It guides you. There is a reason this book is the most popular book in the history of humanity. God could have allowed for any other book to have that status, but that is not the case. That honor belongs to this book and because of that, I strongly believe we should take it very seriously. 

So the good news in here is that love is the way. From Genesis to Revelation. In this book and all other books. God is extremely fair. God is not casting people into Hell for having the wrong religion or no religion or any other reason you can think of that Paul listed that Jesus never, ever said. No. Love is the way to eternal life. Jesus teaches that very plainly in all four Gospels. And Jesus continues to appear to countless people in near death experiences to this day and keeps saying the same thing. He never rejects anyone for who or what they are. He just tells them to love. Just like it says in the Gospels. And then the rest of the New Testament is the story of the early church sometimes getting that message right and sometimes getting it wrong. And that is going to happen. Christians have been doing that ever since. It all belongs in the Bible to teach us that.

Why am I teaching you all this? I am teaching you all this because sooner or later someone is going to try and take your faith away. Or you will be up googling the Bible and find all sorts of folks saying it is nonsense. It is NOT nonsense. Far from it. 

Then you might become an atheist and lose all of this power for good in the world and your own life. Or, just as bad, you might become a fanatic and use the Bible as a weapon to bludgeon people and take away the freedom that Jesus gives us or scare them into thinking that because they are women, they should not be leaders or not even speak, or because they are a different  gender that there is something wrong with them when Jesus never said any of that at all. In fact, Jesus promotes women and acknowledges eunuchs. He even says that when we are in Heaven, there is no such thing as gender. When he meets the woman at the well who has been married 5 times and is living with her boyfriend, he is kind to her. He does not condemn her. The purpose of that story is him revealing that he is the Messiah. He does this psychic reading telling her about her whole life and it blows her mind and she is excited and tells others. Again, no creed but Christ. When Jesus speaks, we listen. When Paul, Peter or anyone else speaks, if they agree with Jesus, we listen. When they don’t, we don’t. Or when they start making up extra rules, it is up to us what we do with that. No creed but Christ. They were humans just like us and they were misunderstanding Jesus all the TIME when they were with him. Why would we think they would do any better once he was gone? The history of Christianity is proof that people have misunderstood and continue to misunderstand Jesus because they don’t read the Bible or they don’t know how to read the Bible. As Jesus said to the religious authorities of his time, they know not the Scriptures or the power of God. 

I used to think the Bible was very contradictory and that is why there are so many different types of churches out there and none of them agree. I have recently come to the conclusion that is not true. I think if you read the Bible the way Jesus clearly teaches us how to read it as I have taught in this sermon, it totally starts to make sense and it totally goes along with the Jesus people keep seeing in near death experiences, which I firmly am convinced are beyond dispute at this point. God is real, the afterlife is real, Jesus is real and he is still appearing to people saying the same things in this Bible. 

I used to be all fired up about this even recently thinking, oh man, I have to tell people about this as soon as possible! I have to write all this down now! And I am and I did and I will keep doing it. But then I thought, calm down Matt. You didn’t find some secret sauce other people can’t find. Just like you found it in the Bible, someone else can too. That being said, this is my unique ministry and one of the reasons I know I am called to preach and teach the Bible. But if I died and all my work was lost, someone somewhere with a Bible would find it again. The key to understanding this amazing, unique book is right there if we just actually listen to what Jesus said. 

Again, I tell you all these things so you will be strong as Christians. I want to prepare you for the attacks your faith will definitely face or maybe have already faced. Don’t ever let anyone tell you different. This Bible is your guide in life as a Christian. It comes from God. Read it daily if you can through the lens of love. When you wake up and before you go to bed, say the Lord’s Prayer as Jesus taught us to do. Or whenever you are having negative emotions or thoughts, pray the Lord’s Prayer over and over until you are at peace. And be sure to go to church every Sunday if you can in person or at least online to hit the reset button on your life and be with other people on the same path as yourself. 

The world needs Christians who know what they believe and why they believe it following the way of love as Jesus taught now more than ever. You believe these things not only because they were taught to you by your parents, but because they are good, they are true and they work. If more people truly follow what Jesus said to do…to love your neighbor as yourself…then a lot of our perceived differences that are causing us so much trouble would melt away. 

To recap, that is the good news. That is what heals people. Love. Forgiveness. Kindness. Going to church. Prayer. Reading your Bible through the lens of love as Jesus taught. Understanding what the Bible is and is not. Knowing that you WILL see your loved ones again and that none are lost, but we go on and on. 

I hope this helps you. I want you to be strong. I want this especially for our young people, but also for us folks who are older. Be strong in this. It’s real. All of it. And if we don’t agree 100% on what I said here, that’s OK. We are Disciples. We are free to agree to disagree. No creed but Christ. 

Oh and one more thing. Why did I call this sermon “Lord and Savior”? Well, those are Christian terms that sound strange to nonChristians. Maybe they even sound odd to Christians. I bring them up because they are an example of things we should have an answer for when someone asks. To me, Jesus is my Lord because he is the guide of my life. I am going to do what Jesus says. He has the words of eternal life: love. Jesus is my savior because his teachings save me from my former ways of anger, hatred, selfishness and all those negative traits we all possess. Whenever I am about to do or think one of those things, Jesus is there to steer me back toward the way of love. What would Jesus do? I think that to myself and then I hopefully do what Jesus would do instead of what I would do and things are better for myself and others. Amen. 

Now, before we do our Hymn of Invitation, I am pretty sure everyone here is Christian at this point, but you never know, plus, we have all kinds of folks watching online. So, just in case, I am going to lead you in a prayer right now. Because to me, it seems crazy to preach about the good news of the kingdom of heaven without giving people a chance to pray this prayer. That’s just the evangelist in me that will never go away. 

If you want to become a Christian or rededicate your life as a Christian, pray with me now: 

“God, thank you for loving me no matter what. I want to follow the way of love, the way of Jesus. I want to be a Christian. I confess I have not always lived according to your way of love. Thank you for forgiving all the things I have done that are not good and wiping the slate clean and giving me a second chance. I want to love you God and love my neighbor as myself. I understand my neighbor is everyone on planet Earth, even people I don’t like. Especially them. I believe you are real God and that Jesus is real. I know I will see my loved ones again because of your never ending, never ceasing universal love for all humans everywhere in all time, places and cultures regardless of race, creed or no creed at all. From this day forward, I declare myself to be a Christian and will follow Jesus’ way of love. I declare Jesus is my Lord and Savior. He is the Lord of my life in that he is my guide on how to live and he is my Savior because saves me from my former ways to a new way grounded in love. In Jesus Name, Amen.”

1. Karl Rahner, Concern For the Church, Vol. 20: Theological Investigations (Herder and Herder, 1981).

Your Time Will Come Jeremiah 29:10-14

Matt Johnson, August 3, 2025 at First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) of Albia. 

Today’s message is from Jeremiah 29:10-14 (NRSVue). If you want to read along, there are Bibles underneath your seats. I will give you a moment. 

Ok. 

10 For thus says the Lord: Only when Babylon’s seventy years are completed will I visit you, and I will fulfill to you my promise and bring you back to this place. 11 For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope. 12 Then when you call upon me and come and pray to me, I will hear you. 13 When you search for me, you will find me; if you seek me with all your heart, 14 I will let you find me, says the Lord, and I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations and all the places where I have driven you, says the Lord, and I will bring you back to the place from which I sent you into exile. (NRSVue)

For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope. (NRSVue)

Well, what does that have to do with me? I think a lot. If you read the Bible, you see a theme all through it. Love, helping people and God using very unlikely people to get things done. God is telling the people of Judah here, it’s not over yet. Yes, you have SUPREMELY messed up and you are now paying for that dearly. But, it’s not over yet. Your time will come.

ALL throughout the Bible there are people of all ages, men and women, kids, people of the “wrong religion” even, ending up doing amazing things and now having their names immortalized in the Bible forever. Such as: 

Noah: A good man, but also a drunk.

Abraham and Sarah: Great leaders, but also filled with doubts and lacking patience and trust. He and his wife Sarah were super old before God began to use them. 

Jacob: He ripped off his brother, but also founded the 12 tribes of Israel. 

Moses: A great leader, but also a poor public speaker and a murderer. 

Samson: a hero, but also a bit of a knucklehead with women. 

David: A king, but also an adulterer and murderer. As a kid, he fought a giant with a slingshot. And won! He was just a kid when God started to use him. 

Rahab: A prostitute, but also a woman of faith who helped the Israelite spies and was an ancestor of Jesus.

Jonah: A prophet who ran from God’s direction and never really understood the mission.

The Good Samaritan: a guy of the “wrong religion” doing the right thing and demonstrating that the true religion is love. 

Peter: One of the most important leaders in the early church, but also betrayed Jesus when it really mattered. 

Paul: An early missionary in the church, but also a murderer and highly opinionated and a bit of a humble bragger if we are honest. 

And there are many others. King Solomon, the wisest person ever to live, also did many, many foolish and wrong things. 

Mary Magdalene was possessed by demons until Jesus cast them out. She went on to become one of the most important leaders in the early church. And the Bible never says she was a prostitute. That’s just a dirty lie someone made up centuries later. But so what if she was? God used her anyway. 

In fact, I cannot think of a single leader or important figure in the Bible that was not also deeply flawed in some way. It almost seems like it is a job requirement. Why do you think that is? 

I think I know. I think it is because God is trying to teach us a lesson. And here it is…For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. 

Remember he says this to the Jewish people when they are at an all time low because of their own actions. Even at this low point, there is still hope. Your time will come. 

Ok so what if you are a bit of a loser. A flawed human being. So what. We all are! Do you feel washed up? Past your prime? Too old to be of use? Too dirty? Or maybe you think you are too young and just cannot figure out what your purpose is. Sometimes it takes years and years before that becomes obvious to us. 

As you may know from my previous two sermons here, I am a big fan of near death experiences. I read about them all the time. Over and over, Jesus appears to people in near death experiences and gives people a message of love to take back to our material world. One of the most famous ones that I am familiar with is that of Howard Storm. He was an art professor on a field trip in Paris, France when he was struck with a horrible physical ailment and almost died in the hospital. He had been an atheist and openly mocked any kind of spirituality including Christianity. By his own admission, he had been a very nasty and selfish person. As he lay waiting for surgery, he had a very vivid near death experience where he recounts actually going to Hell for a while. He said it was a frightening experience and he only was snatched out of that place when he remembered the faith of his youth and called out to Jesus. Jesus then took him from that place and answered all of his questions. He eventually regained consciousness, got well enough to travel back to America and in time, became a pastor with the United Church of Christ, whom our denomination is affiliated with. He went on to write a book called “My Descent Into Death” where he tells his story.1 It’s such an impressive little book that author Anne Rice, famous for “Interview With The Vampire”, wrote the foreword. 2

That book has helped me and millions of other people tremendously to have faith, to regain faith, to understand Christianity better. I love it and highly recommend it. 

God used this angry, bitter, proud, unbelieving man to spread a wonderful message of love and hope, much like the characters in the Bible I mentioned earlier.

And you know what else? If you had told him what his ultimate purpose in life would be before that night in the hospital, he certainly would not have said he would become a pastor. He might have said to become a famous artist or die an angry drunk, but not pastor!

If you would have told me a few years ago I would be in Iowa preaching sermons and preparing to go to seminary, I would have laughed. What?? Me?? No. That ship sailed a long time ago. Not me. I might write some stories if I ever get around to it. But pastor? No. I had my chance when I was younger and life got in the way. And Iowa? What are you even talking about? 

But here we are. In a church in Iowa. I thought I would live the rest of my life in Phoenix. My whole family was there. But bit by bit, they moved away and fate brought me here. 

So never think you know where things are headed. You just don’t know. Something amazing could happen out of the blue. Something terrible could happen out of the blue. You just do not know. So what is your purpose in life? 

I remember people really, really struggling with that question in my old church back in Arizona…what is my purpose in life? What is God’s will for my life? Well, it is whatever you want it to be. 

That’s right. It is WHATEVER you want it to be. There are some guidelines. Whatever it is you want to do must bare minimum do no harm. That’s a given. If you want to be closer to the right path, make whatever it is you want to do something that helps people or makes people happy. It could be your job or a hobby. Are you a nurse? That is certainly a high calling. Do you serve food? That makes people happy. Really ANY job you do can be a ministry job, a job where you are advancing God’s kingdom if you do it with a glad heart. When you encounter coworkers or customers, be cheerful and kind. Be helpful. Forgive the things they do that you do not like. Be encouraging. A kind word, a smile, these things are massive. These small things could major game changers for someone who is hurting. And you never know who that is. Many people hide their hurt. You could be the one to make the difference. People often say when something bad happens…why didn’t God do something. Well, let me tell you, YOU are the hands of God in this world when people need help. That is how God steps in to help. Me and you. 

There is a plan for you. You may already know it right now. Or you may not have found it yet. There is a plan. Your time will come. You just need to be patient and get yourself ready for when it happens. 

How do you make yourself available to be used by God? Well, I think you just need to keep yourself open to God’s direction in your life and also be ready for when the time comes. You do that by keeping yourself in shape. I am not talking about your physical health, although that is important. I am talking about your spiritual and mental health. Here are a few things I try to do that I learned from my dad and my mentor years ago when I first trained to be a pastor. 

I wake up and I sit up with my feet on the floor. And I pray. I pray for health, success, protection, happiness and prosperity for myself, my wife, my cats, my house, our jobs and then I go beyond the household and pray the same thing for my kids and their mates, my grandkids, my mother, my sister and her boyfriend, my nieces and their mates, my ex and her husband, my mother in law, all uncles, aunts, cousins, friends, etc. This church, its denomination, this town and county, my country. And then, I rebuke all tornados from Monroe county in Jesus Name, Amen. You’re welcome.

Then I get up, make coffee, feed my cats, get my first cup of coffee and read a chapter of Proverbs based on what day it is. If it is the 3rd of the month, for example, I read chapter 3. It has 31 chapters. I am telling you, God will speak to you and guide you from Proverbs. It is a book of wisdom on all sorts of things from money, how to treat people, how to avoid temptations of all sorts and you name it. 

If I have time, I read more of my Bible, particularly the red letters of Jesus. Then I get to work for the day. Now, I am on the Internet a lot and some of it is for work and some of it is to keep in contact with my family and friends that are spread out all over. Sometimes, I will see a post that really gets my goat and I want to comment on it. Usually on Facebook. And man, I can really get down and argue with the best of them. Then, I will delete it. 

Lately, I have come up with an approach that seems to be working for me. I will see someone post something and before I respond, I will see if someone else has already said the same thing. This is almost ALWAYS the case. So whatever it was I thought I just had to say, has already been said by someone else. 

Then I put it through another filter and ask myself…how does this advance the Kingdom of God? How does this make the world a better place as Christ commanded us to do? Does this sort of talk or arguing get us closer to Star Trek or to Mad Max? 

More often than not the answer is a big NOPE. So I say nothing. I type nothing. And I feel a lot better. Or I type something positive to switch things up. Then I back off. Post and ghost. Do I always get it right? No. But I am trying. 

Another tried and true tool is “what would Jesus do”. Before you do or say anything STOP. Think to yourself, what would Jesus do in this situation. That is a very potent and powerful tool you can use in every situation. 

I also try to memorize or have handy Bible verses that deal with specific topics and use them like Harry Potter whenever something evil comes my way. The word of God is powerful and sharper than any two edged sword. If I am tempted to do something like ruin my diet or whatever, I always have 1 Corinthians 10:13 - “No testing has overtaken you that is not common to everyone. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tested beyond your strength, but with the testing he will also provide the way out so that you may be able to endure it.” (NRSVue) And I just say that over and over until the moment passes and I thank God for that victory. I speak at it either out loud or in my head until it goes away. 

Put all of these things in your tool belt as you wait for your time to come, for your purpose to reveal itself. Be ready. There is a plan for you, a plan to prosper you and to give you a future. It may not be what you wanted at ALL. It may be hard and difficult. Some of us are called to some hard, hard roads we did NOT ask for. You were a good and decent person and bad stuff STILL happened to you. That means you have a high calling. You exist to help others. To save others! That’s how heroes are born. In tough times. Bad stuff cannot be 100% stopped in this world. Our Universe requires dark and light to exist. God knows this and says so in the Bible. The light of the world, the light of God is Jesus and Jesus taught us to also be the light of the world as well. He said this to all kinds of people, most of them very lowly people with questionable backgrounds. Your entire existence and hard road you have traveled IS to give others hope, to not give up no matter how hard it gets. Each one of you has a personal testimony that, if shared, could maybe even save someone’s life. Love and hope. This is something we all can have and do. 

I think of Becky. From what I understand, one of her employees had Guillain Barre syndrome so she was familiar with the signs of that. When Pastor John was quickly going down hill and no one could figure it out, she did. She stuffed him in a car and got him to doctors who could help him. He could have died. We could have lost him. If her employee had not had that disease, then she would not have known and John would be dead. A bad thing worked out for good. I believe that 100%. Take the bad thing that happened to you and transform it into good for others. We all have something. Use it for the good. Your time to do what you were meant to do might be in a single moment in time, it might be for years, you just don’t know. Jesus’ entire ministry was only 3 years. Before that, he was working as a tradesman as far as we know. He was unjustly crucified by a corrupt government. And yet, because of that, we are still talking about him today. 

Romans 8:28 to 31 says…

28 We know that all things work together[r] for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose. 29 For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn within a large family.[s] 30 And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified. 31 What then are we to say about these things? If God is for us, who is against us? (NRSVue)

No one. No one. No one. 

Your time will come my friends. Your purpose will be unveiled to you at just the right time. In the meantime, stay in the will of God. Be ready. Follow the path of love. God is love. Jesus is God. Love is the way. Amen. 

1. Howard Storm, My Descent into Death: A Second Chance at Life (New York: Harmony Books, 2013).

2. Anne Rice, Interview with the Vampire (New York: Ballantine Books, 1977).

Why I Am A Christian And Why I Love This Church by Matt Johnson

Matt Johnson, May 4, 2025 at First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) of Albia, Iowa

Good morning! My name is Matt Johnson. I’ve been asked to speak today while Pastor John gets a much deserved vacation. When I was originally told I was to do this on May 4th, I said, aha, God is in this and telling me what to do because May 4th is Star Wars Day and I am a massive, massive, MASSIVE Star Wars NERD. 

I also want to thank everyone who complimented me on the sermon I delivered on Palm Sunday. I cannot express how much that meant to me and was life changing to get that encouragement. Today’s message will build upon my previous sermon. I hope you like it! It’s funny, I wrote this message weeks ago and didn’t show it to Pastor John. Last week he covered the same scripture and talked a bit about Karl Rahner and delivered an incredible sermon. More confirmation to me the Force is with us today! So let’s learn about the Force today! I am going to teach you some of what I know about it and give you a technique on how to use it. Actual Jedi stuff. From the Bible, of course. Ha!. I have a lot of ground I would like to cover today so if I talk a little fast, I apologize in advance. 

The Scripture for today is John Chapter 20:24-28 (NRSVue).

24 But Thomas (who was called the Twin[d]), one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe.”

26 A week later his disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were shut, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” 27 Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my side. Do not doubt but believe.” 28 Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!”  (NRSVue)

Jesus had just been killed on the cross and Thomas simply was not believing his friends who said he had risen from the dead. He demanded proof. And Jesus gave it to him. Thomas went on to do incredible things because he KNEW it was real. 

Today, I am going to give you my personal testimony of how I completely lost my faith in Christianity, went on an amazing journey and got it back. I will tell you why I am a Christian and why I love this church. By the end of this message, I hope to have provided you proof that God is real, Jesus is real, there is an Afterlife where you WILL see your loved ones again and that the Bible and going to church on Sunday still absolutely matters, why bad things happen to good people and how to pray and how to read and understand your Bible…even if you don’t believe in it. And we will learn how to use the Force. That’s right. Sounds like a tall order? Let’s dive in and see how I do. 

Some have said to me, Matt, I never go to church and I don’t plan on it, but if you are going to be speaking, I will come and see what you have to say. Some of you said, it’s been so long since I have been to church, I hope the ceiling doesn’t cave in on me or I don’t burst into flames. Let’s take a look…so far so good! I salute you for your bravery in the face of such potential disasters! And you are the main focus of this message today although I think it will be helpful for everyone that hears it. About 30% of Americans are referred to as “nones”. Not Catholic nuns, but those with no religion. None. They might be atheists or agnostics, but most of them are what is commonly referred to as “spiritual but not religious”. Perhaps that is some of you today. That certainly was me for many years. 1

In the 1950s, 50% of Americans were mainline Protestants, such as Lutherans, Episcopalians, United Methodists, Presbyterians, American Baptists, the United Church of Christ and our own denomination, the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). These are often referred to as the 7 Sisters of American Protestantism. They now make up 9% to 15% of the American population. 2

So what happened? Where did everybody go? Those 7 denominations are well known for not taking the Bible literally. They approach the Bible with a more allegorical and historical approach. 

Our denomination, the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) does this. It is known for being possibly the MOST open minded Christian denomination in America. We agree on the very basics of Christianity, but the interpretation is left up entirely to the individual. I like that. I went into detail on that on Palm Sunday, but basically, in our denomination we don’t make you agree to a particular explanation of what Christianity is beyond agreeing that God has been revealed to the human race through Jesus Christ. In our churches, we have very traditional Christians sitting right next to very nontraditional Christians and everyone in between. In a time when we have massive divisions in our world, that is a miracle to me. We could certainly use more of that.

Some have loved this and some hated it and went to more traditional denominations that take the Bible literally word for word. Some left because of abuse in the churches, both Protestant and Catholic and who can blame them? Others stopped believing. Why? Some of it was the pain of abuse, but a lot of it and definitely for me, it was the fact that I had taken the Bible very literally and when I found that no longer made sense to me, it all fell apart. I won’t beat that up here. There have been books upon books written on the subject. A simple google search will easily find those errors for you. 

When I found those errors, I was shattered. I had based my whole life on the Bible, specifically biblical prophecy. I found most of those prophecies to be cherry picked phrases meant to look like prophecies, but never intended to be that way. When I saw that, everything I believed in fell apart. It was heartbreaking to me and a real loss. This was nauseating to me. I cried and cried and cried. It was like a death. I decided then and there to follow the truth wherever it led me. I began looking at all sorts of things. I studied every religion big and small, deeply esoteric stuff, you name it. I tried it all. Then I stumbled upon https://near-death.com/. 3

This website was a treasure trove of information. It gave all sorts of compelling evidence

regarding the experiences of people who had near death experiences and other proofs of the afterlife . I also started reading books on the subject. Dr. Jeffrey Long, the author of “Evidence of the Afterlife”, was one of my favorites. He gives nine lines of evidence for near death experiences. He describes how survivors have “crystal-clear consciousness” even though they are clinically dead with no brainwaves, how they can accurately observe things out-of-body that they could not have known about otherwise. He reports patients with heightened senses including “several people who have been totally blind since birth who have reported highly visual near-death experiences. This is medically inexplicable.” 4

He reports “consciousness during anesthesia” showing strong evidence that NDEs are occurring completely independently from the functioning of the physical brain, perfect recall, reunions with family members in the afterlife who died years before they were born, the experiences of children too young to have been culturally conditioned, worldwide consistency even among people of different cultures and religions and dramatically changed lives after the experience. Survivors of near death experiences believe their experiences are very real. One survivor, who had ample experience with LSD and other substances, was adamant that this was nothing like those experiences at all. I also studied the work of scientists such as Dr. Raymond Moody, Dr. Ian Stevenson and Dr. Jim Tucker at the University of Virginia and Dr. Julie Beischel of the Windbridge Institute. The evidence is not anecdotal. It is beyond compelling. There is an afterlife. Period. 

This was all very compelling, but I also could never be an atheist because I had seen too much already. In my old church, we would pray for people and we believed in the Gifts of the Holy Spirit as described in the Bible which is basically a list of psychic abilities for Christians. I had seen prayers answered, dreams and visions predict things that actually happened, people get a word of wisdom about someone they had never met which was impossible to fake and was really no different than a psychic knowing about your life. Actual Jedi stuff. I saw people healed of all sorts of things that were impossible to explain. One pastor’s wife was healed of a big cancer tumor in her brain. And I knew these people. This was not some goofy televangelist tv show with big hair and all that nonsense. I knew these people. It was real. I saw people do it and I did it myself. It’s one thing to fool other people (and there are plenty of people out there who do that from fake preachers on tv to fake psychics), but you can’t fool yourself. When you know something about a total stranger, you know that there is a power, God or the Force, giving you that. It leaves no room for doubt. This stuff is absolutely real. 

Never again let an atheist or anyone else tell you there is no proof of the Afterlife. It exists and it is beyond convincing. They just have not looked at all the evidence yet. And you know who kept popping up in all this? 

Jesus! He just kept showing up. In tons of near death experiences, Jesus shows up even for people that don’t believe in him. Atheists would see Jesus in their near death experiences. Not only did Jesus keep popping up, so did the basic teachings of Christanity. The Trinity… everything seemed to be a three or three dimensional, there were angels appearing to people who sometimes were simply a grandmother who was guiding them from the Afterlife or sometimes angelic spirits just like the Bible describes, there were demons who are lost souls who refuse the light of God and refuse to be sorry for the bad things they did…basically narcissists that just won’t change even after death. And some kind of malevolent force we would call the Devil. There was Heaven and Hell, but all kinds of levels to it depending on the beliefs or hopes of the individual person. There was great love and light for anyone, regardless of religion or no religion, who asked for it and a dark Hell for those who reject love. 

There were two real religions, no matter what anyone calls them. Those two real religions were found in all places, cultures and times across history. Those two religions were love or hate. Good or Evil. Just that simple and very real. 

And the wild thing I found was that among all the religions I had studied and all this other stuff, there was nothing as divine, loving or kind as Jesus and there was no book quite like the Bible. I stopped getting hung up on all the stuff the Bible got wrong or that seemed primitive to me like slavery or killing gay people with rocks. It should not shock you that stuff is in there. It was written a long time ago by often backward people. What should amaze you is what it got RIGHT. And the Bible gets a lot of stuff right. In an allegorical fashion, it describes the Big Bang, the various stages of evolution, ideas about quantum physics and other things. How could these primitive people KNOW this stuff? That can only be from God. While getting some things wrong about history, it also gets many things right. Even atheist historians agree Jesus was a real person who lived 2000 years ago, was baptized by John the Baptist, was a popular preacher who ran afoul of the local Jewish authorities and the Roman Empire. He was then crucified under Pontius Pilate and the high priest, Caiaphus. And His followers truly believed he rose from the dead and were willing to die for that. 

But DID he do a bunch of miracles and rise from the dead? Well, as I have said before, miracluous stuff DOES happen and has been documented. I’ve seen it myself! I bet most of you have seen things you can't explain as well. The appearance of a loved one in a dream, the answered prayer. These things are real. I know I am not alone in this. Most of us have a story about spiritual things. So maybe he was the best there ever was at those sorts of things. And raise from the dead? If he really was God, why not? His disciples certainly believed he did or we would not be here. Was it as a spirit, a physical body, in their dreams…who knows. I wasn’t there. None of us were. We do know that thousands upon thousands of people with near death experiences swear they have talked to Jesus to this very day. He just keeps showing up. 

So with all this, I came to the conclusion that I was a universalist or spiritual but not religious. I believed the truth in all religions. I tried to share this information online with people to give them hope for several years. And that was fine. However, I started to get a little jaded and grumpy. I started getting annoyed with people. All this knowledge I had attained was not making me a better person or anyone else. I remembered that Paul teaches in 1 Corinthians 13 that all the mystical knowledge and power in the world is meaningless without love. 

It occurred to me, you know what Matt, you were a whole lot nicer when you were a Christian…when you were going to church, praying, reading your Bible and really trying to be like Jesus. In the past, when I would want to do something or think something wrong, I would think, ah, what would Jesus do, and then do “what would Jesus do”. He was always there to guide me toward goodness. And I thought to myself, well, in my own way, I am a Christian. I do believe Jesus is real, I know prayer works, I know the Bible has truth in it, I know the basic structure of reality is actually Christian in nature, I have learned all these things from my studies and experiments…maybe I should just start LIVING like a Christian again. 

And you know what? I did. I ended up here. And this denomination had no problem with my unique approach to Christianity. There was room for me among the Disciples. I fit right in. 

Karl Rahner is famous for having said “The Christian of the future will be a mystic or will not exist at all.” 5

If it were not for the mystical side of Christianity, the power of God as displayed right before my eyes in church through the Gifts of the Holy Spirit, I would not be here. If it were not for the deep dive I took into all things mystical, I would not be here. I am not saying this church or any church should practice those things, gifts of the Holy Spirit, during a church service. I like things the way they are. I love a traditional church service. It has dignity and power. I don’t want it to change. I am not saying anyone here has to accept anything I am saying. I am saying it is nice to have freedom to be part of the conversation and speak about these things because I think for some of you, it can really help. I am saying those gifts are very real, available to anyone who wants them and can really build and save your faith. That is what they are for. They are undeniable proof this stuff is real. 

I strongly believe that if you take the Bible too literally, it can make you into a harsh, judgemental and sometimes hateful fanatic. We have evidence of that all around us. It is why many people just do NOT go to church anymore. They are sick of it. They are sick of people pushing their religion on them. Or it will make you into an atheist who rejects the whole thing as just silly and made up. In my opinion, neither extreme is good. 

I studied and studied and kept an open mind and found God waiting for me. Here is what I think actually happened…God is everything all the time and everywhere. What came before God, nobody will ever be able to figure out. What we do know is everything began at a certain point with a blast of light…the Big Bang…let there be light…at least with our Universe, just like in the book of Genesis. From there, everying spread out and started evolving into stars, planets, etc. 

On our planet and no doubt many others, life began and evolved. First from simple creatures and then up to more complex creatures. 

Most animals seem to be unaware they will die and just live in the moment. At some point, our ancestors became self aware enough to realize they would die and created religions as a coping mechanism. Once they had this awareness, they became distinct individual personalities that would survive in the mind of God. I think anything with a name and a distinct personality has a “soul” that will survive death, not just humans, but cats, dogs, horses, etc. So you WILL see your pets again. That is my strong opinion and backed up by near death experiences.

As humans made up more and more religions, some religions were nice and comforting, but more often than not, they were used as a tool to control people with lots of made up rules. The misery of humans made an impression on God and God decided to break into history like never before with a profound message of LOVE like never before. To me, this explains Jesus. Jesus makes total sense to me this way. Jesus is the way we see God face to face. God is everything so if we looked directly at God without Jesus, it would probably blow our minds and delete us. 

The entire Bible is an ever evolving story from more primitive ways of living to more advanced ways of living, but the underlying message is always love and caring for others. And that rules change with time, place, culture, etc. We evolve. We become more open and loving. So while the Bible is incredible and a useful guide, we are not stuck with rules about food, slavery, women, gay people, etc. from 3000 years ago. Just as the New Testament evolved past the Old Testament, so does true Christianity keep evolving into a more loving, kind, advanced, sophisticated and amazing thing. We don’t ride horses anymore for the most part. We fly across the sky in amazing machines and into outer space. We still appreciate horses, but we are so beyond all that now.

The Bible is actually a very mystical document and for the most part it was never meant to be read literally. When I read the Bible, I understand it was written a long time ago and has human errors and primitive beliefs in it from another time and place. All books have that. However, I also understand those stories have guided billions of humans for thousands of years and are charged with multiple meanings and allegories I can draw wisdom from God from. I don’t get hung up on the primitive stuff. That is there to remind us where we came from, how much we have evolved. When I come across some message of love that is so beyond what any human would ever come up with, I know THAT is truly the inspired part from God and I hang onto that. It is especially true with the red letters, the teachings of Jesus. There really is no other teacher in human history like Jesus. His message of love taught in the Bible goes far beyond anything else I have ever found. 

God is love and Jesus is how we see God. The way Jesus spoke of in the Bible is love. Period. Over and over. The Bible says God desires mercy, not a sacrifice. The whole message was never meant to believe in a specific religion or burn in Hell, with the exception of love being the specific religion. It was to turn your face away from your animal nature, the dog eat dog survival of the fittest side of us and toward empathy. Toward love. LOVE. Jesus said no one comes to God but through him. He is LOVE. The only way to Heaven and the only right way to live here and now is LOVE. 

Even if Jesus was just a literary character he would still be incredible. His way of life would still make your life better even if it was not factual because it is still true. This is what I meant when I said even atheists should follow Jesus, even if you don’t believe in him, his way of life as I am describing it to you is superior and the best way for humans to live.

Love is how you get to Heaven. Period. God will not force you. People ask, why do bad things happen to good people? Well beyond that being the price of free will, the reason is because light and dark are required for reality to exist. It simply cannot be any other way. Light is creation, order, good things, love, kindness, free will, saying nice things. freedom, laughter, being together, individuality, etc. Dark is nothingness, chaos, bad things, selfishness, hate, insults, gossip. slavery, tyranny, control, oppression, sadness, conformity, being alone, etc. We may never truly understand all of it, but that is the best answer that can be given. We are the hands of God on this plane of existence when help is needed. The love in our hearts IS God. When people are in need, YOUR hands helping them ARE the hands of God. This is the true way of Christ and always was and always will be! This is what it means to be Christian…to love!

A teacher of the law came to Jesus once and said, how do I get to Heaven and Jesus told him, love God and love your neighbor. That is IT. Love has always been the path to Heaven in all religions. Even Pope Francis has said this. It’s not about having the right religion. It’s about love which IS the right religion. Love is the right and true religion. And nothing models love better than the story of Jesus. 

If you read the entire Bible, Old and New Testament, all the way through in order, the consistent and clear message is love and taking care of people in need and IF you do not, God does not accept your religion. Your sacrifices mean nothing, your profession of faith, your prayers means nothing without LOVE. 

So I believe in God, I believe in Jesus Christ, I believe the way to salvation is love and not some prayer for fire insurance but a way of life based on love, forgiveness, helping the poor, all that “what would Jesus do” stuff. Baptism is how we say to God and the world we are Christian now, the Lord’s Supper is to remind us we follow Jesus and so on. I believe in it. All of it. And I believe in going to church on Sunday. It is mentally healthy. You need to get out of the house and be with people somewhere wholesome, not just a bar (and I am not against going to the bar, but it can get out of hand sometimes). You need a community that is based on love and goodness. Too many people don’t have friends, and are terribly lonely, don’t have a purpose, are just on the Internet or their phones all the time. That’s not good or natural. A church community can be the solution to that. 

When I pray, I thank God for my life and everything in it, I ask God for protection for myself and everyone I know, this church, this town, my country, my job, health and whatever else is on my mind. I ask for guidance on difficult things knowing love, kindness and forgiveness is always the answer at the end of the day. I hear God speaking to me through stories in the Bible. 

I was a total Doubting Thomas and over time, Jesus gave me the proof I needed to believe again. Jesus never left me. Without the mystical, without scientific proof, without love, Christianity dries up and fails. Humans fail. The proof is everywhere. We see ants and bees with entire societies, beavers building dams and humans creating science, civilizations, art, stories, music and spaceships. There is plenty of reason to believe there is a Supreme Creative Intelligence far beyond us as we are from ants, what we would call God. And if that God wanted to level us up and not blow our minds, God would have to appear as one of us and the most popular example of this in history is Jesus. It’s not just a story, it’s real. It actually happened. People still see him in near death experiences, Christian or not. Christianity is the truth. Christianity is real. Jesus is real. And we need him now more than ever. Jesus does not care about your race, if you are a man, a woman, who you love, how you love, even what religion you have or do not have. Nope. None of that. He just wants you to love each other. Period. That is the timeless message that comes through. That is the true way of Christ and what it means to be a Christian. I have seen enough proof myself to give me faith to believe in the rest of it. It’s all true. 

Alright, let’s talk about the Force. 

We often hear that humans are body, soul and spirit. What does that mean? I can give you my explanation. I believe there are three levels to the Universe (yet another proof of the triune nature of God found in Christianity and other religions). There is the God level where everything is one. This is why some people think the Universe is a hologram. It is. Everything is happening in the mind of God. They will say that because of that nothing is real and maybe nothing matters. That is not true. It’s apples and oranges. At the God level, there is just God. From the mind of God emanates the level of thought and the material level. In the level of thought, there is anything you can think of…all dreams, nightmares, ideas, Heavens, Hells, all personalities of all people and animals and places that have ever existed. And then there is the material level where we are. Your body is this meat suit your soul is wearing to function on the material level and all of that is emanating from spirit, God. Body, soul and spirit. Three in one. You are made in the image of God. Even though God is everywhere and all things are flowing from the mind of God, don’t get into the idea that nothing is real or does not matter. At the level of thought or material things, it absolutely matters. The will of God is for there to be reality, variety, life and purpose. Things matter. Life matters. You matter. Other people matter. Love matters. That is the will of the Universe, the will of God. 

When people say someone who has passed is only a thought away, I believe that is literally true. That is where they are. Many of us have dreams about our loved ones. I think it’s real. I know it’s real. They watch over us along with Jesus and the angels. Hebrews chapter 11 and 12 tell us a great cloud of witnesses is watching us and there for us. 

The Force in Star Wars is a metaphor for God. As we know from my Palm Sunday message, God is love and Jesus is God manifesting as a human so we can have interaction with God. Here is a way to tap into the power of God.

When you walk into a room, love people as best you can. Encourage them. Compliment them. Smile. Say nice things. Do not judge. Put good thoughts in their head that will do battle with the bad image they might have of themselves. That is the Force, the power of God’s love flowing through you. If they are not nice, see them not as the grumpy, ugly adult they are, but as the child that was once harmed or had hateful nonsense downloaded into them since birth who is just trying to cope with life with the little bit they know. It’s not easy, but try your best. Love. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Raise their vibration this way. Tell people they are great and full of promise and that everything is going to be OK. Because even though this world can be a dark and nasty place at times, in the end, there is a place waiting for us where we will be safed and loved and immortal. There are many powers outlined in the Bible, but the greatest one is love. All of you who encouraged me after I preached on Palm Sunday, that was you using the Force. The power of God’s love flowing through you. It meant so much to me. 

God is love, Jesus is how we experience God and love is the way. I believe it’s true. All of it. 

I preach what I believe is true Christianity that is real and scientifically provable. I believe it’s real and sometimes we miss it when we forget that, most of the time, Jesus and the Bible is teaching NOT literally, but in parables, metaphors and allegories. I believe it is the true Gospel of Jesus Christ and the world needs it now more than ever. In a time of loneliness, despair, hopelessness, hate, division, with technology that is not making our lives better but creating mental illness and narcissism…just like the meme says…y’all need Jesus. Now more than ever. The real Jesus. I do, too. His way keeps us loving and kind and forgiving. It involves meeting once a week as often as we can so we are not alone anymore but have friends who are striving to be good and do good. Not perfect, but good.

If this message has resonated with you and you want to become a Christian or rededicate your life as a Christian, not a perfect person, but a loving and kind, forgiving non judgmental follower of Jesus, if you want that way of life that can give you real hope and a real purpose, bow your head, close your eyes and pray with me now.  

“God, thank you for loving me no matter what. I want to follow the way of love, the way of Jesus. I want to be a Christian. I confess I have not always lived according to your way of love. Thank you for forgiving all the things I have done that are not good and wiping the slate clean and giving me a second chance. I want to love you God and love my neighbor as myself. I understand my neighbor is everyone on planet Earth, even people I don’t like. Especially them. I believe you are real God and that Jesus is real. I know I will see my loved ones again because of your never ending, never ceasing universal love for all humans everywhere in all time, places and cultures regardless of race, creed or no creed at all. From this day forward, I declare myself to be a Christian and will follow Jesus’ way of love. I declare Jesus is my Lord and Savior. He is the Lord of my life in that he is my guide on how to live and he is my Savior because saves me from my former ways to a new way grounded in love. In Jesus Name, Amen.”

1. Gregory  A. Smith, “Religious ‘nones’ in America: Who They Are and What They Believe,” Pew Research Center, January 24, 2024, https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2024/01/24/religious-nones-in-america-who-they-are-and-what-they-believe/.

2. Richard Ostling, “What Happened to US Churches the Past 50 Years?,” Religion Unplugged, January 13, 2026, https://religionunplugged.com/news/what-happened-to-us-churches-the-past-50-years.

3. April 16, 2021, https://near-death.com/.

4. Long, Jeffrey, and Paul Perry. Evidence of the afterlife: The science of near-death experiences. New York, Enfield: HarperOne ; Publishers Group UK distributor, 2011.

5. Karl Rahner, Concern For the Church, Vol. 20: Theological Investigations (Herder and Herder, 1981).