Portraying The Christ
Have you ever wondered what Jesus was like when he walked the earth? Is there every at time in your life that you wish you could have known him? I feel the same way. It is a difficult task to believe at times, and may reflect the faith of Thomas the Apostle, who doubted because he did not see. Yet the reality is we have few witnesses of the personality and true character of this Jesus, whom God sent.
After debating long and hard with my own personal doubts, I came to the conclusion that I needed to learn more about Jesus Christ, and become acquainted with his character. His life is a good example of turmoil and triumph. He loves us because that was the purpose he was sent to do. He loves us because he is a God; a true deity incarnate. His life represents a huge area of reality for all of us. We can be like Him. We can do as he has done. We can learn who he is and how he was.
I express to you my knowledge of the compassion and love that Christ has for all. He did not concern himself with his own needs, but rather the needs of others.
Several months ago, I sheepishly agreed to play the part of Jesus Christ in a local musical drama in my town. An interfaith production, nicknamed Convenio and entitled “The Crown and the Glory“, tactfully and lovingly portrays the last life of Christ. His character is something of an enigma, yet is very palpable. It is so tangible, I have come to love my Savior with much more enduring faith. I can say, I have wept in bitterness as I have interacted with Peter, who denies the Christ. How many times have I denied Him? I can tell you of his pain in Gethsemane, as he bled and suffered for me, little old me.
I can tell you of his sorrow while the people called out for his death, and his pain as he was tortured and bruised for our iniquities. With His stripes we are truly healed. His power extends and transcends the grave in all reality. I testify to you that He lives, just as surely as He lived in the flesh. I know this of myself and stand as a witness of His reality in all the world. Yet when I am faced with trial and tribulation, how frequently do I run from Him because it is “too hard” to live this way or that way, or this person or that person offended me.
As one of the lines in the production states, “All ye shall be offended because of me this night.” It is true, we run from him because we are afraid of ourselves and we are too selfish to give up our own feelings and bask in His love. Pride is a personally destructive counterpart to Peace and Faith. I know that Jesus Christ suffered in agony in Gethsemane for me! I know that He is the vine from whence comes life. I have faith in His words, though I have not tried them all yet. I hope beyond hope that I can adequately purge my life of the incongruities and inconsistencies that lead to heartache or personal pain because I am so full of personal pride.
I have gained a rather poignant understanding of His pain, and the sufferings He has borne, though not to any extent that He did. I making this declaration I am in no way saying that I am similar to Christ in His suffering, or that I know His suffering, yet I know my own as I kneel in portrayal of Him. I weep in my soul because of his sacrifice for me, I am awe struck because of His love for me.
As I represent Him floods of my own personal pain overwhelm me because of my inadequacies and personal struggles. His was a life of love and triumph through pain. He taught us patience, compassion and love all through His life. He stand supreme, my Lord, my God, even Christ Jesus. I witness of Him and His love. It is a real as my love for my own children.
He “… is the way, the truth, and the life.” Of this I am absolutely certain. Have faith in His word and keep his faith alive through personal commitment to live every word that proceeds outward from His mouth, and His living oracle on earth. I affirm and testify to these truths in His name, even Jesus Christ, our Redeemer.
Dear LDS Blogger,
I am with LDS News Source, we are a company that has just launched an online news portal for the members of the LDS Church. As of this message our site searches over 5000 newspapers worldwide every hour on the hour and compiles any and all articles that pertain to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints into one place. Our goal in building this was to create a place where members and non-members alike can go and find out what is happening with the church and its members world wide. It is also our answer to Elder M. Russell Ballard’s speech at the BYU Hawaii Commencement Exercises last year where he said:
“may I ask that you join the conversation by participating on the Internet, particularly the New Media, to share the gospel and to explain in simple, clear terms the message of the Restoration. Most of you already know that if you have access to the Internet you can start a blog in minutes and begin sharing what you know to be true. You can download videos from Church and other appropriate sites, including Newsroom at LDS.org, and send them to your friends. You can write to media sites on the Internet that report on the Church, and voice your views as to the accuracy of the reports. This, of course, requires that you, all members of the Church, understand the basic, fundamental principles of the gospel.
We are living in a world saturated with all kinds of voices. Perhaps now, more than ever, we have a major responsibility as Latter-day Saints to define ourselves, instead of letting others define us. Far too many people have a poor understanding of the Church because most of the information they hear about us is from news media reports that are often driven by controversies. Too much attention to controversy has a negative impact on peoples’ perceptions of what the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints really is. ”
This afternoon we will be launching the site and we would love to know what you think about it. As an LDS Blogger we were hoping that you would be willing to blog about our new site and share your thoughts with your readers. We would also like to invite you to do a banner exchange with us if you are interested. We have created a section of the site to display a list of all of the GOOD LDS blogs we can find. If you would like to be part of that please email us and let us know and we will add your link as soon as possible. If you are willing to do even more to help us spread the word about LDSNewsSource.com we would like to invite you to place a banner ad on your site. We have created one for just about every size space you can imagine and they can be downloaded here:
http://ldsnewssource.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=198&Itemid=288
We thank you for your consideration and hope that you enjoy using LDSNewsSource.com
Sincerely,
Jared Bauer
LDS News Source said this on June 24, 2008 at 7:24 am
(This is a comment by an individual studying the LDS faith, who also runs a LDS-saving ministry, and does not represent the opinions or views of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, or the manager of this Blog. I wish to show all opinions, but in a positive and open dialog. Be aware that I reserve the right to add comments to this blog feedback comment as the administrator of this blog. I also retain the right to remove any comments that I find derogatory or defamatory to the doctrines of my faith. I have also added additional scripture to help clarify questions that may arise during the reading of this blog comment. Please make a clear study of each scripture reference cited herein as it will profit to know the whole background abiding in the passages. If you have questions about the Book of Mormon, church doctrine or our beliefs, please contact a representative of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints LDS beliefs for Non-members )
Begin Comment from Ty
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Here’s a million dollar question – If you were to die right now, would you qualify for the celestial kingdom? If you’re like most Mormons, you’re not sure. You try hard to be as good as possible, but you still don’t know if you’ve done enough. If the Book of Mormon is really scripture, this hope will always elude you. Alma 11:37 says God cannot save you in your sins. Are all of your sins forgiven? Moroni 10:32 says you must be perfected in Christ, which can only be done by denying yourself of “all ungodliness”. Have you done that? Do you repent on a regular basis? Is so, then it is clear that you sin on a regular basis, since only those who break the commandments need to repent. 1 Nephi 3:7 states that you are able to keep His commandments. In fact according to D&C 25:15, you are required to keep them continually! Since you haven’t done this so far, why assume you will in the future? Of course, we should all try to be holy; but if you think that sinning less will qualify you to live in God’s presence, you are mistaken (Gal 3:1-11) [Also please see Romans Chapter 6]. The assumption that good works are required for forgiveness only cheapens Christ’s atonement, making it nothing more than a partial payment [Please see the teachings of the Lord in Luke 12:47] God chooses to justify us by faith (Please see James 2:20-[24 specifically] 26 for actual scriptural references about faith and works and their interdependence to be “justified” in Christ) Jesus alone does the “perfecting” (Heb 10:14) [please see the remainder of this chapter for contextual reference]. God gives peace to those who trust in Him alone. If you don’t have this peace, it’s probably because at least a part of you trusts in yourself. Questions? Visit us at http://www.gotforgiveness.com
Ty said this on December 4, 2008 at 12:14 pm
What a great site you have here! I would like to tell you about a brand new site for members of the church. It’s called AboutTheMormons.com. The site was built especially for members of the LDS church who want to share their testimonies online without taking the time to make their own personal blogs. Please help me promote this opportunity for members of the church to share their testimonies with the world.
GO TO AboutTheMormons.com and share your testimony with the world!
http://www.aboutthemormons.com
Thanks.
clickpreston said this on December 17, 2008 at 8:47 pm