When You Discover Jesus Isn't Who They Told You He Was
Opening Story: My Man Brandon (And... Country Music?!)
Everyone knows my least favorite genre is country. EVERYONE.
But come on—it's Brandon Lake. My man. So I had to listen.
And you know what? This song wrecked me.
Not just because Brandon's on it. Because the MESSAGE is my STORY.
I always knew God loved me. Even as a kid. I felt His presence. I KNEW He was there.
But I lived one foot in.
Not because I thought He was angry or distant. Because I was afraid of disappointing Him.
Afraid that if I went ALL IN and failed, I'd let Him down. Afraid I wasn't ENOUGH for what He might ask. Afraid I'd mess it up.
So I kept one foot in the world. Just in case. Safer to stay at arm's length than to go all in and fail.
I didn't want to FULLY surrender. Didn't want to go ALL IN. Not because I doubted He loved me. Because I doubted I could live up to what that love deserved.
And I wasted YEARS that way.
The Jesus I THOUGHT I knew? I'd disappoint Him. Let Him down. Not be enough for what He called me to.
But that Jesus? That was MY fear talking. Not who He ACTUALLY is.
The Jesus I KNOW NOW? The one I met on May 13, 2021 when He said "There's still so much for you to do"?
He never saw me as a failure. He never saw me as a disappointment.
And when I FINALLY understood that—when I started living FOR Him even in my anger, confusion, depression, and grief—everything changed.
Not because HE changed. Because I did.
The moment I heard "There's still so much for you to do" was the moment I STOPPED living in fear of disappointing Him and STARTED living for Him.
And if I had known the Jesus I know NOW back THEN?
The things I could have accomplished in His name. The people I could have taken with me to Heaven.
I can't get those years back. But I'm not wasting another day.
"I was told He was angry / And He hated the music up too loud"—some people were told this version of Jesus. But that wasn't MY story.
I always knew He loved me. Always felt His presence. I just didn't want to give Him EVERYTHING.
"I was told He would save me / If I showed up to church and I shut my mouth"—this is religion's Jesus. Conditional. Performance-based.
But my struggle wasn't believing He'd save me. It was being WILLING to let Him have ALL of me.
"If I smoked, if I drank, if I cussed, I'd think / I was on a long black train to Hell"—some people lived in THIS fear.
But my fear was different. My fear was: What will I have to give up if I go ALL IN?
Not "Will He reject me?" "Will I have to surrender EVERYTHING?"
And the answer? Yes. And it's worth it.
"Yeah, I thought I knew Him / 'Til I met Him for myself"—THIS is the line that hits.
I thought I knew Jesus. The manageable version. The "Sunday morning and crisis moment" version. The one I could keep in a box.
But then I MET Him. For myself. Fully. Completely. And EVERYTHING changed.
Essence of My Experience
"But the Jesus I know now / Ain't shakin' a fist, ain't raisin' a brow"—not angry. Not disappointed. Not perpetually frustrated with me.
The Jesus I know now? Loves me. Period.
Not "loves me IF I get it together." Not "loves me WHEN I'm good enough." Loves me. As I am. Right now.
"Ain't runnin' away from a party crowd"—the Jesus I was told about avoided sinners. Ran from "those people." Kept His distance from anyone who didn't look holy enough.
The Jesus I know now? Runs TOWARD the broken. The messy. The outcasts.
"I found a friend / Who hangs with the misfits"—I'M a misfit. PPA. Progressive decline. "I want more from you" when I have nothing left. Wasted years before May 2021.
And the Jesus I know now? Hangs with ME.
Not at arm's length. Not reluctantly. He HANGS with misfits. By choice.
"Listens, forgives, then forgives again"—not "forgives ONCE and that's it." Not "three strikes and you're out."
Forgives. THEN FORGIVES AGAIN.
Seventy times seven. Infinite. As many times as it takes.
"Can't believe I was missin' out / On the Jesus I know now"—all those years. Wasted. Not because I didn't know He loved me.
Because I kept Him at arm's length. One foot in. One foot out.
Missing out on the Jesus who ACTUALLY wants ALL of me—and gives ALL of Himself in return.
The Jesus who doesn't just want Sunday mornings. Who wants my WHOLE life.
The Jesus who doesn't fit in a box. Who demands everything and is worth EVERYTHING.
I can't believe I was missing out. But I'm not missing out anymore.
"I'm learnin' He likes me / Even when I take a joke a little too far"—not just tolerates me. LIKES me.
Even when I mess up. Even when I'm imperfect. Even when I'm TOO MUCH or NOT ENOUGH.
He LIKES me. Not just loves me from a distance. LIKES me.
"I'm learnin' He knows me / Every hair on my head, every story behind my scars"—He doesn't just know ABOUT me. He KNOWS me.
Every scar. Every story. Every wound. Every wasted year. He knows. And He loves me ANYWAY.
"And He says who I am and it ain't what I do"—THIS. THIS is the gospel most people miss.
Your identity isn't based on PERFORMANCE. It's based on POSITION.
Who you ARE (His child) ≠ What you DO (your behavior).
"His grace takes some gettin' used to"—because we're WIRED for performance. For earning. For proving ourselves worthy.
But grace? Grace is FREE. Unearned. Unconditional. And that takes getting used to.
"I'm learnin' He loves me / The boy in a bar and the kid in a pew"—not just the "churched" version of me. ALL of me.
The messy parts. The wasted years. The prodigal seasons. The boy in a bar AND the kid in a pew.
Both. All. Completely.
"Yeah, I got what I wanted / I heard my song on the radio / Let me longin' and lonely, yeah / Top of the world with an empty heart / And nowhere left to go / But back into the arms"—this is my testimony.
Success doesn't fill the God-shaped hole. Achievement doesn't satisfy the soul.
I got what I thought I wanted. And it left me EMPTY.
Nowhere left to go but back into His arms.
And when I got there? I met the REAL Jesus. Not the one religion told me about. The one who was waiting all along.
🎯 The Real Truth: Where Theology Meets Real Life
The Jesus of Religion ≠ The Jesus of the Bible
"I was told He was angry"—religion creates a Jesus who's perpetually frustrated with you. But that's not the Jesus of Scripture.
John 3:17 declares: "For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him."
"NOT to condemn."
Not "to shake His fist at sinners." Not "to run from the broken."
To SAVE. To rescue. To pursue.
The Jesus I was told about? Didn't exist.
The Jesus I know now? Actually matches Scripture.
Jesus Runs TOWARD Sinners, Not Away
"Ain't runnin' away from a party crowd"—Luke 15:1-2 records: "Now the tax collectors and sinners were all gathering around to hear Jesus. But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, 'This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.'"
"WELCOMES sinners and EATS with them."
The religious leaders were SCANDALIZED. "How can He eat with THOSE people?"
Because that's WHO JESUS IS. He runs toward the broken. The messy. The outcasts.
Not away from them. TOWARD them.
He Hangs with Misfits By CHOICE
"I found a friend / Who hangs with the misfits"—this isn't Jesus tolerating you. This is Jesus CHOOSING you.
Matthew 9:12-13 records His response to criticism: "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. But go and learn what this means: 'I desire mercy, not sacrifice.' For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners."
"I have come to call SINNERS."
Not "I reluctantly accept sinners." I CAME FOR sinners.
You're not an accident. Not a mistake. Not someone He tolerates.
You're who He CAME for.
Your Identity Is WHO You Are, Not WHAT You Do
"He says who I am and it ain't what I do"—this is the KEY that unlocks freedom.
Galatians 3:26 declares: "So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith."
"You ARE children of God."
Not "you BECOME children IF you perform well enough." You ARE. Already. Done.
Your behavior doesn't DETERMINE your identity. Your identity in Christ determines your behavior.
Who you are? His child. What you do? Learning to live FROM that identity.
Grace Takes Getting Used To Because We're Wired for Performance
"His grace takes some gettin' used to"—Ephesians 2:8-9 reminds us: "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast."
"NOT by works."
We WANT it to be by works. Because then WE could control it. WE could earn it. WE could BOAST in it.
But grace is FREE. Unearned. Unconditional.
And that takes getting used to. Because it's so radically different from everything else in life.
He Loves ALL of You—Not Just the "Church" Version
"The boy in a bar and the kid in a pew"—Romans 8:38-39 promises: "For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."
"NOTHING... will be able to separate us."
Not your wasted years. Not your mistakes. Not the "bar" version of you.
NOTHING. He loves ALL of you.
🎵 Songs That Hit the Same Truth
- "Come As You Are" - Crowder
- "Reckless Love" - Cory Asbury
- "Good Good Father" - Chris Tomlin
- "Who You Say I Am" - Hillsong Worship
- "No Longer Slaves" - Bethel Music
- "Shame" - Tyrone Wells / Brandon Heath
- "Prodigal" - Crowder
- "East to West" - Casting Crowns
- "Child of God" - Tori Kelly
- "Amazing Grace (My Chains Are Gone)" - Chris Tomlin
Your Move: Meet Jesus for Yourself
Daily Practice: Every day this week, ask yourself: "Is the Jesus I'm believing in the Jesus of RELIGION or the Jesus of SCRIPTURE?" Then read one Gospel story (Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John) and see how Jesus ACTUALLY interacts with sinners, misfits, and the broken.
This Week Try:
- Monday-Tuesday: Make two columns. Left: "The Jesus I Was Told About." Right: "The Jesus I Know Now." See the difference? The Jesus of religion vs. the Jesus of Scripture. Which one are you following?
- Wednesday-Thursday: Identify ONE area where you're still believing the RELIGIOUS Jesus instead of the REAL Jesus. Maybe you think He's angry. Or disappointed. Or running from you. Confront that lie with Scripture. Meet the REAL Jesus.
- Friday-Weekend: Practice living like the "boy in a bar AND the kid in a pew" are BOTH loved. You don't have to be the "churched" version to be loved. He loves ALL of you. Live from THAT truth.
Reflection Questions
- "I was told He was angry"—what were you TOLD about Jesus that doesn't match who He actually is? How has religion distorted your view of Him?
- "I thought I knew Him / 'Til I met Him for myself"—have you MET Jesus for yourself? Or are you still relating to the Jesus other people told you about?
- "He hangs with the misfits"—do you believe Jesus actually LIKES you? Not just tolerates you? Not just loves you from a distance? Actually LIKES hanging with you?
- "He says who I am and it ain't what I do"—is your identity based on PERFORMANCE or POSITION? Are you trying to earn who you already ARE?
- "The boy in a bar and the kid in a pew"—which version of yourself do you think Jesus loves more? Or do you believe He loves BOTH equally—all of you, not just the "holy" parts?
💭 YOUR TURN
Tell us: When did you discover the Jesus you KNOW NOW is different from the Jesus you were TOLD about? What changed when you met Him for yourself?
Share this with someone still running from the RELIGIOUS Jesus: The Jesus you know NOW isn't who they told you He was. He doesn't shake a fist. He hangs with misfits. He loves the bar AND the pew. Meet Him for yourself. Everything changes. 🙏💙
PERSONAL NOTE FROM JDOT:
Country music? Really? Yeah, I know. But it's BRANDON LAKE. And this message?
This is my story.
I didn't waste years because I thought God was angry or didn't love me.
I wasted years because I was afraid of disappointing Him.
Afraid to go ALL IN because what if I failed? What if I let Him down? What if I wasn't enough?
So I kept one foot in. One foot out. Safer that way.
Then May 13, 2021 happened. And He said: "There's still so much for you to do."
And in THAT moment—I changed.
Not Him. ME.
I stopped living in fear of disappointing Him. And I started living FOR Him.
Even in anger. Even in confusion. Even in depression and grief.
The Jesus I know NOW? He never saw me as a failure. Never saw me as a disappointment.
And if I had known THAT back then?
The things I could have accomplished in His name. The people I could have taken with me to Heaven.
I can't get those years back. But I'm not wasting another day. 💙🔥
This Lift is for everyone living one foot in because they're afraid of disappointing God. For everyone keeping Him at arm's length—not because they don't believe He loves them, but because they're afraid they won't be enough. The Jesus you know NOW never saw you as a failure. Never saw you as a disappointment. Stop living in that fear. Go ALL IN. You can't get the wasted years back—but you don't have to waste another day. ✨🙏
