Let’s Get Back to Jesus! - Tom Shanklin Ministries

Share the Good News!

By Tom Shanklin

Jesus is the one foundation of the Church, but it seems that there is always someone or something trying to pull us off the foundation and trick us into following another path.

When Susan and I came to the Lord back in the 70s, the fellowship we were a part of sang a song that went like this:

Jesus is the answer for the world today.
Above Him, there’s no other,
Jesus is the way!

Years later, we found out that we had been a part of what was called “the Jesus Movement,” a move of God which touched the lives of many young people in the United States in the late 60s and 70s. It was a tremendous time of awakening amongst a generation that had been previously captivated by drugs, rebellion, and a casting away of societal norms.

We loved Jesus with all our hearts! When the doors were open for church, we were there with many other hungry, on-fire young people.

Get Back to Jesus from Extremes

God was moving powerfully in our lives until another influence entered our midst called the Shepherding Movement. The Shepherding Movement was all about submission to leadership in the church. It was a movement that took the biblical truth of submission to an extreme and literally squeezed the life out of Jesus’ Church and quenched the fire in many of our hearts.

Instead of a personal relationship with Jesus, God’s people were taught to emphasize their position under the elders of the church. Instead of being branches in the vine of Christ, they were to be twigs connected to the branches (those in authority). The result was lifeless religion, regimented sacrifice, and powerless subjection.

Now, don’t get me wrong. I strongly believe that we need government and respect for authority in the church, but because of the over-emphasis on these things, people became puppets rather than heartfelt followers of Jesus. The Shepherding Movement brought many into confusion and destroyed many relationships.

Through the years, I have seen many similar movements. Some movements were good and then got off on an extreme. Others were just plain bad from the start. But all of the extremes had one thing in common. They led us away from Jesus.

I am convinced that “the Jesus Movement” is the best movement of all. No, I’m not talking about the Jesus Movement of the 70s. I’m talking about the Jesus movement that began over 2,000 years ago and still continues today.

It is a movement that began when God sent His Son to die for our sins on a cross, was buried, rose from the dead, ascended to heaven, and poured out the Holy Spirit. That same blood that was shed and that same Holy Spirit that was poured out sustains the life of the Church today. You see, it’s all about Jesus—yesterday, today, and forever.

Get Back to Jesus from Angry Politics

It grieved my heart to see crosses, Christian signs, and “Christian” prayers offered amongst those who stormed the capital of the United States on January 6 of this year. They invaded our capital along with those carrying racist and anti-semitic symbols, bellowing the most vile profanities and committing ungodly and violent acts. To think that our nation’s capital was desecrated by some who called themselves “Christian” sickens me.

This is not Christian! Susan and I did not come to the Lord to be a part of something like this. We came to the Son of God, who did not fight but freely laid down His life in sacrifice for us. Our life was all about Jesus and what He did for us. We had been born again, forgiven, and set free. We experienced a totally new life, a refreshing, and a healing deep within our beings. Nothing about our new-found faith resembled what happened on January 6.

I pray that all Christians will disassociate themselves from that type of behavior and realize how far away that is from the true Christian faith. As the Bible says, “Bad company corrupts good morals.” (1Corinthians 15:33, MEV)

The problem is that too many Christians have been listening to the wrong people. Instead of listening to the Word of God, they have been listening to cable TV networks, internet venues, and politicians who promote hate, fear, and anger. Many preachers, too, have been caught up in this deception and turned away from preaching the Gospel, busying themselves with promoting candidates and swimming in a cesspool of political rancor. Please! Please! Please! Let’s get back to Jesus!

Because there are so many voices freely available on many venues today, it is essential that God’s people learn to discern good and evil. If you have been born again, God’s Holy Spirit lives in you to help you to discern right from wrong. When you listen to certain politicians, political commentators, or preachers, ask yourself, “What am I sensing in my spirit? Am I sensing the peace that comes from Jesus, or anger, fear, and hatred from the devil? Is what I am hearing helping me to grow closer to the Lord and giving me a desire to help others to know Him, or is it taking me off on a tangent?”

Get Back to Jesus from Satanic Trickery

Paul wrote to the church in Corinth, “But I fear that somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve through his trickery, so your minds might be led astray from the simplicity that is in Christ. (2 Corinthians 11:3, MEV) The devil is a sly fox. He doesn’t come on the scene with a red suit and horns on His head. He comes dressed up in a “Christian” costume. And there are many who knowingly or unwittingly help him with his work of deception.

I realize that this is a bit heavy, but I believe it needs to be said, and I say it because I love God’s people. It’s time for course correction in the Body of Christ!

Our nation is in a desperate situation, but someone needs to figure out that the change we need will not primarily come through politics, and most certainly not through a violent insurrection. The change we need will only come by an awakening in the hearts of men and women and boys and girls to the love of the Savior. We need a Jesus movement!

Get Back to Jesus’ Mission

When Jesus was on the earth, he told us, “For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.” (Luke 19:10, MEV) This is why He came, not to start a political movement, an earthly government, or even a religious organization. He came to help people come to God. Then He set us upon the same task. “Go and preach the Gospel to every creature!” The real business of the Church is souls!

So we must ask ourselves, “Is this what we are doing? Are we helping people to come to Jesus or driving them away?” I dare say that when people see Christian symbols embellishing the scene of an angry mob, they are not drawn to the Church or to the Lord. The same would be true when people hear Christians spouting mean-spirited political rhetoric. These actions are alienating the very people who we are supposed to be reaching. Think about it!

We are called to be a light in a dark world. We are not called to fight a carnal battle, but to lay down our lives so that others may find Jesus. It’s high time that we do that, and get back to the real business of the Church—loving people, proclaiming the Good News, and making disciples.

Let’s get back to Jesus!

God bless you!