Many of us have heard the expression, "There are no guarantees in life except for death and taxes." But we all know that with faith in, and a relationship with, Jesus Christ, we can be guaranteed eternal life with Him in heaven. If you look in Psalm 6 verse 5 (NIV, one of my favorite Psalms in the whole psalter), the writer, or should I say composer, writes about how no one will remember God or praise Him when he is dead. But we must remember that this was before the new covenant that came with the birth, crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus. Also, there was not a clear idea by the Jews of the Old Testament of what happened after you died. They just knew that life ended.
Well, with Jesus Christ, we now know what happens after we die. We have 2 destinations: Heaven or Hell. We as troops for Jesus Christ must see that our goal is to prevent everyone we can from entering the latter location after death. Though the psalmist says that no one remembers God when he is dead, I'm sure that if we go to heaven, we will remember God and see Him in all his glory. But, for those going to Hell, they will probably remember God, and I am sure that their souls will remember MORE what was said to them on earth. They will be asking themselves why they didn't listen.
Try this on for size: Is God going to be judging just those who didn't believe and have faith in Him? Or will he also be judging those who did not have the courage to step up and let non-believers know all about Him? Ultimately, it is the heart of the person that God will be judging and those who choose not to believe will be held accountable. But we as Christ followers must re-double our efforts to share the Good News with everyone. I am not going to be a hippocrate and say that I am any good at this because I am not. But I must make the most of the time that I have on this earth to plant the seed for non-believers. Start with those you know around you as we are doing, but this must not include just those we meet at church and work. Think about your families (both immediate and extended) and make an effort to begin this same relationship-building effort with one of them.
Out on a limb and hoping it doesn't break,
Jesus Freak Out!
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
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2 comments:
Freak - great thought. God has challenged me big time in this area of sharing Him w/ others. When I lived in Orlando, someone said (in a group setting) that they thought I had a gift of evangelism...I wanted to jump out of my chair and punch him in the nose. That word, especially tied to me, scared me b/c I didn't know how uncomfortable God would require me to get to be obedient to Him.
I used to get ticked at my lack of "arriving" in the area of sharing my faith, not "being good at it". All it really was though, was not spending enough personal time w/ God so I could be more aware of opportunities to engage people I'm already able to make a difference w/ for God. The last step was just opening my mouth, taking my first step towards obedience, and trusting God would provide my w/ the words, which He promises He'll do. And it works, He works. That limb He asks us to go farther out may bend really far, but doesn't break on us.
BH-knowing you for the short time that I have, I have seen this gift in you. The other big gift you have is encouragement. You have a knack for being able to pump someone up and keep them going. This is extremelt important when we are trying to help new Christians in their walk. They need all the encouragement they can get. A mentor is always good when you are starting something new. Keep it up. Thanks to you also for your encouragement of me.
Freak
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