What is the Jesus Factor? To factor something into your life affects it completely. It affects you and every decision, attitude, relationship, situation, and more.
The word, factor is defined in the dictionary as a ‘circumstance, fact, or influence that contributes to a result or outcome.’ Looking at Jesus, we can say then, that He is the Truth, the Influencer, and the One who has contributed to a different result and outcome for mankind. This is the Jesus factor.
The religious claimed to know him.They stood on the traditions they made and on the law they regulated. They designed a man-made, man-defined, and a man- developed platform that they religiously embraced. As justified as their tradition was determined in their platform, the problem with it was they had shut out the rest of humanity and cast them to the side. They then categorized these into the category called their enemy. They couldn’t recognize God beyond what they had built. Religion is still the same today. Outside of this man-made temple is where you find Jesus. The Jesus factor goes beyond religion. He is a person. He is Divine.
Jesus defied the platform even though it clearly had some representation of godly principle. It says in 2 Timothy 3:5 that these had a form of godliness but denied the power within it. As a matter of fact, He overturned the tables and made a declaration that they had turned the temple of God into a den of thieves. What did He mean?
Matthew 22:13 says,
“He said, unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves.”
The word den in Greek is defined as a hiding place. The Lord has always confronted those that are hiding and things that are hidden. Religion hides everything because it never deals with the hidden things in the heart. Religion can make people look right, but Jesus said inside they are as dead men’s bones, because there is no life to religion or to hypocrisy.
In Matthew, this scripture is saying that these are representing God and making His platform a hidden place of thieves. The word thieves is defined in the Greek two ways. It is the word freebooter, which is a pirate or lawless adventurer. Pirating is robbing, entering illegally, and taking from others by plundering.
This word thieves also means brigand. This is a member of a gang that ambushes and robs people of their goods and valuables by an open hostile force. All this is saying, these take wrongfully in hostile ways; revealing that religious hypocrisy was hostile towards the people. Religion and hypocrisy steals freedom, blessing, justice, encouragement, and life from others. Religion plunders the freedom that is justly given by God and it is lawlessly illegal against the Truth of God’s word.
Jesus was showing that there was an open display of hidden robbery in the religion of the Pharisees and the Sadducees. It was dominating through their hypocrisy. Things may have looked good on the outside but there was something going on inside that people didn’t see, causing them to come under its bondage.
As Jesus ate with the tax collectors, the prostitutes, the outcasts, the leapers; those who needed healing, freedom, justice, and righteousness, these were those who needed Him the most. He even told the Pharisees and Sadducees that they had a form of godliness and that they were white washed tombs; confronting them on how they were clean on the outside but not on the inside. He actually called them snakes and serpents and said they were of their father the devil. Jesus said that they were filled with dead men’s bones.
Just prior to Jesus arriving at the temple, He cursed a fig tree at the root because it was fruitless. He did this before He went into the temple and turned the tables. This tree represented all man-made philosophies, religion, doctrines, traditions, and more; rather than truth, love, justice, and faith.
Jesus said everything is fulfilled by loving the Lord with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength, and loving your neighbor as yourself. He says you will know them by their fruits. Love is key to this and part of that fruit. Are you seeing the fruit of love? What is the love test revealing to you?
Loving God, sharing your gifts, loving others, giving of yourself are all sowing seed, which is a principle of God’s kingdom. Helping those who have less is pure undefiled representation of Him. We can’t ride on platforms, traditions, ideals, man’s intellect, sciences, philosophies, or abilities. All these may sound good, be good, and do good, but the inner strength of man is to know Him, to live for Him, to love Him, and love our neighbor as ourselves. This is the love test which reveals the heart of all mankind. Faith works through love.
As we factor in Jesus, we find that we have come into a different culture. It is the culture of the word of a God, which is His kingdom declaration. It is His declaration of our freedom, and our independence. This word culture stands out in its definition; especially with Divine partnership through the arts and other manifestations of human intellectual achievement in covenant with Him. We are to be His representation of kingdom culture collectively in the humanities, literature, music, creative and performing arts, justice, and through our individuality. His kingdom culture is made up of those as defined as a, ‘collective group surrounded in a belief system of customs, arts, and achievements’. This kingdom culture I’m talking about is through and by the Body of Christ.
The achievements of Jesus Christ and the Truth of God’s word stand out with His blessing. The creativity of God is far above any philosophies and things man can design, as He is the creator of those that are creative. The Jesus Factor brings life. He is life. His word factored in our lives is His blessing and perfection. The virtue of God factors into every situation and brings wholeness, healing, power, and reconciliation.
You know, life happens with or without Jesus. People are born with His gift of life. There are people worldwide living their life without a thought or care about Jesus Christ. They have not factored Him in. They don’t realize they are missing out on so much. Jesus is the reflection of the goodness of God. As we follow the teachings of Jesus, hear the teachings of Jesus, and see Him live the teaching that He professed, with the manifestation of His faith, we see the Jesus factor in our lives.
Jesus asked Peter in Matthew 16 who do you say that I am? Seeing who He is, is how you factor Him in. Receiving and believing Him at His word is key. What He said and what He promised will be factored in right where you are. The Jesus factor is meant to bring Him, His blessing, and His teaching to the forefront.
So first and foremost, who do you say that He is? How are you factoring Jesus into the equation of your life and why? What’s the point? And importantly, will you factor Jesus in?
Daniel 11:32 says, “The people that do know their God shall be strong and do great exploits.”
The word ‘know’ here means to distinguish him and know him by experience; to recognize, admit, acknowledge, confess, be acquainted with and have knowledge of Him. This word is also flipped the other way. It also expresses that He will make Himself known, perceived, and revealed. He is acquainted with us and has given Himself to us in every blessed way, including righteousness and wisdom. When we factor in Jesus, we factor in righteousness. When we factor in righteousness, we factor in virtue.
The word righteousness in the Greek means virtue. His virtue is found in the story of the woman with the issue of blood in Mark 5:30-32. There are some key factors expressed here.
This Jesus factor is found in Mark 5:30,
“And Jesus, immediately knowing in Himself that virtue had gone out of him, turned Him about in the press, and said, Who touched My clothes?”
Your faith reaches and touches the finished work of God through Jesus and His word. As this woman touched the hem of His garment, she touched the finished work of God in and by Jesus. The hem of His garment is called the wings of God. Jesus rises with healing in His wings to bring wholeness as He completes every good work through the blessing in us and to us. (Malachi 4:2) Righteousness factors in all the power of God, and the completion of every good thing in your life
Your faith reaches Jesus personally and in the midst of the crowd He responds to you. In the midst of all pressure, every situation, and question, He responds for you. The Jesus factor here is that He responds to your faith, to your action, to your spoken word. He sees you, and He loves you.
MARK 5:31-32,
“And his disciples said unto him, Thou seest the multitude thronging thee, and sayest Thou, Who touched Me? And He looked round about to see her that had done this thing.”
Jesus responds to your faith and He is speaking to you the same as He did to this woman;
“Your faith has made you whole; go in peace, and be whole of thy plague.” Mark 5:34
The Jesus factor is His virtue. Jesus knew virtue had gone out from Him to her. If righteousness is virtue, what is virtue? We can ask this, especially since we have been made the righteousness of God. Virtue and righteousness are interchangeable. This means we have the virtue of God in our lives and it has brought wholeness. His virtue is the power of God working in us, for us, and through us.The Jesus factor is all God’s power and doing. His righteousness is the same.
The Jesus factor also lifts us up. We have risen with Him and risen above to the top. The Lord’s elevation comes without a fight because we are more than conquerors. This is the victory that overcomes, even our faith, and faith comes by hearing the word of God.
As we go with Jesus, we must factor in the truth of God’s word. Truth is the highest realm of reality. As we embrace Jesus, we embrace truth and the reality of truth. The word is His truth. As we factor in Jesus, we factor in faith. We factor in favor. The Jesus Factor also includes the favor factor.
We have the unmerited favor of God. It is God’s favor working His blessing and operating His virtue in our lives. Psalm 5:12 says,
“For thou, LORD, wilt bless the righteous; with favour wilt thou compass him as with a shield.”
In closing, here is a list of 10 benefits of God’s favor. As we receive ‘The Jesus Factor’, it brings us fully into embracing His favor factor.
- Favor produces supernatural increase and promotion. Genesis 39:21
- Favor produces restoration of everything that the enemy has stolen from you. Exodus 3:21
- Favor produces honor in the midst of your adversaries. Exodus 11:3
- Favor produces increased assets, especially in the area of real estate and finances. Deuteronomy 33:23
- Favor produces great victories in the midst of great impossibilities. Joshua 11:20
- Favor produces recognition, even when you seem the least likely to receive it. I Samuel 16:22
- Favor produces prominence and preferential treatment. Esther 2:17
- Favor produces petitions granted even by ungodly civil authorities. Esther 5:8
- Favor causes policies, rules, regulations and laws to be changed and reversed to your advantage. Esther 8:5
- Favor produces battles won which you won’t even have to fight because God has already gone before you and fought them. Psalm 44:3
You can’t go wrong with Jesus and His word. He’s already factored Himself for your life and offers Himself to you. He has given us His word, gained the victory, and brought great blessing to us. Embrace ‘The Jesus Factor’. He’s given it all for you to have it all.
Pastor Kim
Check out ‘The Jesus Factor’ with Pastor Kim Robinson’s Refresh Podcast on Anchor,https://anchor.fm/kim-robinson
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