The statement is often accompanied by a "You can't be serious!" frown, as though they're letting you know that their life experiences since then have proven beyond any doubt that Jesus, religion and church are superstitions, lies and myths ... and that only a fool would believe Christ was literally resurrected from the dead 2000 years ago or that scripture is God's word or that the universe was intelligently and spontaneously created by an invisible, all-mighty being called God.
(Sometimes the same folks will dismiss further discussion by tacking on, "What's true for you isn't necessarily true for me." Uh, then what you just said isn't necessarily true for me, which means that your statement contradicts itself, which means that your statement is false.)
The thing is, when folks say they "tried Jesus" and that "Religion didn't work for me," I'm absolutely convinced that they're being truthful and honest. And that they're totally right.
Huh?!
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Jesus is not a 2000 year old self-help plan. Christ did not die on the cross to make you happy or to be your good luck charm or to promise you an easy life. Nor is he your magic 'Jesus in a bottle' that you pray to three times, expecting your wishes to be granted.
Jesus never said Try Me Risk Free! or You're the Boss, I Will Work For You. Christ didn't tell us Where You Lead Me I Will Follow nor did he promise Return Unused Portion for Refund. No, he didn't promise us a happy life ... he promised us eternal life if we trust and believe in him instead.
You don't try Jesus ... you Repent, you Surrender and you Commit to pick up your cross daily and follow him.
Read that last part again, so you won't be surprised if your life suddenly seems to get worse.
Because Surrender doesn't mean Trial Periods or Satisfaction Guaranteed!
Surrender does mean you've put control of your life ... its stresses, worries and concerns ... in God's hands. For eternity. I mean, how can you "give up" on Jesus after you've already surrendered?
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You might be thinking, "Hold on ... I can still be a good person and pursue my own goals and ambitions without go crazy or letting religion interefere with my life."
-Compared to Christ you're not a good person ... you're an evil person. Otherwise, you wouldn't need salvation. Read that part about Surrender again.
"Well, my church says God wants me to be happy and make all my dreams come true."
-That's what happens when your church is asleep and religion is more important than Christ and the gospel.
"If life's only gonna get worse for following Christ, who'd ever wanna be a Christian?"
-The people who can't deny that Jesus was who he said he was and know there's no choice or option hidden inside Surrender.
