“And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to Myself.” (rf. Jn. 12:32)
When we consider this passage, we usually envisage the cross of Christ, Jesus suspended in mid-air bleeding from the many wounds inflicted upon Him because of our sins. On the surface, this interpretation would be an accurate one. However, there is a more subtle, powerful message at the heart of this text.
Jesus is stating that if He and His work of salvation (i.e. the Gospel) are “lifted up”, or placed as center focus, then He will “draw all men” unto Himself. He presents to us a cause-effect relationship. In other words, “if” we do this, “then” He will do that. In this case, with the first condition, our responsibility as His followers is to focus all of our attention on Him and His Gospel…nothing else. If we make Jesus the center of everything we do, both inside and outside the church, then He will magnify Himself, glorify the Father, and ultimately “draw all men” unto Himself, presenting to them the truth of who He really is and the gift that He offers. Jesus then takes the full responsibility of bringing people into a saving relationship upon Himself by the power of His Holy Spirit.
What Jesus is stating flies in the face of much of what is passed off as present-day church growth encouragement and initiative. Today’s theories revolve around the idea that the church must track the trends of the surrounding culture to gauge and follow suit with events and programs that connect with these specific movements. The idea is that if we meet people where they are, they will like what they see and come and join us. The more we can accommodate their tastes, desires, and goals, the more that people will be interested in church, thus, the more the church will grow in number and influence. This effort has been playing out in both conservative churches (e.g. dress down and come as you are to meet Jesus our friend) and liberal congregations (e.g. be affirming and encouraging to individuals regarding their personal choice of behaviors).
In other words, according to these views, we should “enculturate” the church instead of transforming those who come out of the culture by the power of the resurrected Christ (rf. Php. 3:7-16). By holding to the above, we rely on the “arm of flesh” (i.e. our own efforts and thinking) to influence unbelievers in a positive manner, while avoiding the subject of sin and certainly not seeking to redeem them from it.
The Spirit of God operates differently. When we truly “lift” up Jesus, focusing our attention on Him in our lives and in the perception of unbelievers, the Spirit does what is necessary in terms of conviction within them to change and renew their hearts and minds (rf. Rom. 12:1-2) and to bring them to confession and repentance of their sin. It is our failure to focus on Christ and to look to the convicting work of the Holy Spirit that has us failing to reach the people around us.
Let us commit as God’s people to return to our “first love” (rf. Rev. 2:4-5). Let us consciously make Jesus the center of our thoughts, worship, music, actions, and the totality of our lives. Then, as we begin to do this consistently and committedly, we will see Him draw people into a saving relationship with Him. That is what true “spiritual renewal” looks like!
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