The Hidden Jesus
-Perfume Poured Out
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I did a dirty trick when I was in high school. I had an empty cologne bottle, which I filled with industrial strength ammonia. It was so concentrated that one whiff seared your nostrils and burned the air right out of your lungs. I then invited several of my friends to "smell my new cologne." I then laughed at their ensuing panic and discomfort as their frightened eyes watered and their astonished faces contorted, frantically struggling to regain their breath. I thought it was funny, but my friends were not amused. They were expecting a pleasing aroma to fill their noses, but what they got was an angry, violent assault on their unsuspecting senses. And so it appears that for many, many Christians, Jesus and everything he represents has become a "sniffing of ammonia disguised as perfume." In Song of Songs, Jesus is symbolically described as: "your name is like perfume poured out." Song 1:3 When the name of Jesus comes into your mind with all that he represents, does his name fill your soul with a delightful fragrance, or is it more like the sniffing of ammonia? |
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It seems that everywhere I go, most Christians are not enjoying their experience as followers of Christ. Everything seems to be a list of dos and don'ts, with demands for perfection that seem painfully unattainable. These Christians don't feel good about themselves and they fear that Jesus probably doesn't feel good about them either! Instead of a wonderful fragrance, all they smell is the nauseous poison of shame, guilt and condemnation. These feelings among many followers of Jesus is strong evidence that the church at large has been "sniffing ammonia from a perfume bottle." When you really smell the name of Jesus, it will be a refreshing and delightful scent, a pleasing aroma of life that will send your senses into an ecstasy of praising his holy and precious name. When you think of Jesus, you should be sniffing a Gospel that is filled to overflowing with good news:
To smell Jesus is to smell the very best of life! |
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Perfume brings joy to the heart, Proverbs 27:9 and that's what thinking about Jesus should do for you. If smelling the "perfume of Jesus" causes you anxiety and distress, then you are probably sniffing "another Jesus," a lying and deceitful odor that is just "ammonia in a perfume bottle." 2 Corinthians 11:3,4 Scripture is filled with warnings that you can't simply trust the contents of every bottle that has Jesus on the label. Our Lord warned us about pungent religious leaders that would actually make their converts "twice as fit for hell" by their teachings. Matthew 23:15 |
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Paul warned that stinking teachers would come preaching a perverted gospel. Galatians 1:6‑9 Peter warned that false prophets and teachers would bring the vile odors of destructive heresies into the church. 2 Peter 2:1‑22 Be careful: You can't trust every bottle, even if it does have a picture of Jesus on it! If our beloved Jesus smells more like ammonia than perfume, then I would recommend you read the book Toxic Faith by Stephen Arterburn (1991 Oliver‑Nelson books). If being a Christian is more painful than pleasant, then you are probably the victim of religious poisoning, and this book will help to expose the lies and deceit that have caused your beautiful and lovely Jesus to become a noxious odor. |
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If you want a healthy whiff of Jesus, then I suggest you start here:
Just remember that if it smells like ammonia, then it ain't Jesus! |
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