Following the Fake Jesus Makes Us Popular. Following the Real Jesus Doesn't.

Part 5 in The Fake Jesus series.

People are always saying that if we act like Jesus we'll be loved. But this is the truth—the fake Jesus and his followers are popular; the real Jesus and His followers have never been popular.

That's because the real Jesus says unpopular things like these:

1. “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me” (Luke 9:23).

2. “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching…” (John 14:23-24).

3. “Broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it” (Matthew 7:13). See What Jesus Said about Hell.

4. “You cannot become my disciple without giving up everything you own” (Luke 14:25-33).(1)

People have never loved the real Jesus. They've always tried to create their own Jesus, even in the early church: 

“But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ. For if someone comes to you and preaches a Jesus other than the Jesus we preached, or if you receive a different spirit from the Spirit you received, or a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it easily enough” (2 Corinthians 11:3-4).

Remnant Christians serve the real Jesus because we know there is “no other name under heaven by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). We love Him and know we owe Him our lives. We're willing to be hated for His sake (John 15:18-25).

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I hope that this five-part series has helped you identify the fake Jesus and cling to the real Jesus. 

This is what the real Jesus says to His followers about His popularity and their popularity:

“If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you… they have hated both me and my Father. But this is to fulfill what is written in their Law: ‘They hated me without reason’” (John 15:18-25).

(1) This passage (Luke 14:25-33) explains that Christ must take priority over all other things in our lives. God's plans and purposes must be our first priority.

When this passage talks of “hating” family members, it doesn't mean we literally hate them. It means we must love them less than we love Christ. For example, if God calls a man or woman to overseas missions, and their parents don't want them to go, the child must choose God over family. See Reckless Abandon - C.T. Studd for an example of how this can be done with love and respect.

Bible Love Notes